24 straight, 28 straight, whatever you want to call it . . . the Golden State Warriors had an incredible run. It was fun to watch as a fan, writer, and person. Despite the tremendous amount of envy and hate that the team got through either social media or other forms that people use nowadays to vent, the Golden State Warriors made history. If you didn’t appreciate what you witnessed now, I promise you will one day.
Golden State put on a show. They remain at the top of not only the basketball world, but sports world at the moment. From national media markets picking up games left and right to a group of cameramen solely focused on Steph Curry’s unique pregame routine to sold out arenas in Brooklyn and Milwaukee, the Warriors were the focus of the NBA and there is no denying that.
All good things do come to an end, though and the Warriors became the 284th team to not go undefeated in a road trip of 7 games or more. No team has done it, and for a close second, it seemed like the Warriors would pull off the unlikely task. The loss to the Bucks hurt, no doubt, but this just means there is a chance to begin a new streak and continue the reign as defending NBA Champions.
The streak taught us many things. Whether it’s about the players, coaching staff, fans, and even more, it was a good learning lesson for Warriors fans and NBA fans in general. Here’s a few stuff that the historic winning streak taught us.
1. Stephen Curry is the best player in the NBA
It might be closer than in year’s past where LeBron James was the unanimous best player in the league, but the title does now belong to Steph Curry. The 6’3 point guard is changing the way the game is being played. He is unarguable and even when he has a rare bad shooting night, he attracts so much extra attention due to his unlimited range, that it helps other players have better games.
Curry’s gotten better at the defense end. Opponents come into the game shooting 35.1 percent from beyond the arc, but Curry holds them to only 28.3 percent, according to NBA.com. Overall, Curry holds his opposition to nearly two percent less shooting than their average. Kemba Walker had his worst game of the season against the Warriors when Curry held him to just 4 points on 2-16 shooting.
Curry’s offense is self explanatory. He is averaging 32.3 points per game on 34.9 minutes, meaning he is doing this at an efficient rate. He’s shooting 45.6 percent from the field, 45.8 percent from beyond the arc (on 11.1 attempts), and 90.8 percent from the free-throw line. LeBron James and the Cavs look a step slow coming out of the gates this season meanwhile Curry has been dominating the scene all season. There used to be a debate on who the best point guard in the league was, that’s over. Curry is making the margin for best player in the world wider and wider every time he takes the court.
2. Draymond Green is an All-Star
Green received a five-year, $82 million contract this offseason, just shy of the max deal. Some called him overpaid, others used the word overrated. Green has done more than just shut those critics down this season, he’s turned them into believers. Green has been playing like a top 3 power forward this season and is now actually a part of that group.Green should be the starting power forward in the All-Star game next to Anthony Davis (center). His numbers are up all across the board and is the second best passing forward in the game behind LeBron James. He is the most valuable player on the Warriors not named Curry and on certain nights, is the most valuable. No one in the league gives more effort in a game than Green and it shows with the results.
He became just the third player to have five points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks in a game. Green finished with 24 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists, 5 steals, and 5 blocks in a double overtime win in Boston. Draymond joined Hakeem Olajuown and Derrick Coleman as one of the three players to have those stats in the past four decades.
Book your ticket to Toronto, Mr. Green. You are an All-Star.
3. Luke Walton won’t be on the Warriors staff next year
Several teams around the league don’t have the proper coach for their team. Luke Walton has admirably been filling in for Steve Kerr and has helped the team start the year 24-1, despite none of it going on his own record. He did win Coach of the Month and has been a part of the Warriors early season success. The man who was supposed to help fill the void of Alvin Gentry has taken on an even larger role and it will only help him.The Lakers need a coach desperately and being a former Laker, Walton would be the ideal fit for that team. The 35-year-old would be a good fit for many of the young teams in the league that would like a coach to grow with them.
He won’t have the luxury of Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thomspon wherever he goes next, but should do well with a staff of his own after this experience.
4. The Warriors need Steve Kerr
On that note, the Warriors need Steve Kerr back on the sidelines sooner than later. Luke Walton has done a good job in Kerr’s absence, but they need their head guy back. Walton’s line-ups are questionable at times and much like one of his coaches, Phil Jackson, he doesn’t call timeouts often. He lets the Warriors play through opposing runs, which isn’t the best idea with their playing style.
Kerr knows this team better than anyone and knows how to manage minutes. He knows how to have each player excel and fit within the system. Mo Speights has struggled mightily, Klay Thompson is still trying to get back into rhythm, and although the team has been playing very well (obviously at 24-1), their defense hasn’t been as good as it could be. Their shot selection has been questionable at times as well.
Walton is a serviceable substitute teacher, but the Warriors need Steve Kerr if they want to limit any bumps on the road to another championship.
5. The Warriors should repeat
All those unnecessary shots of the Warriors being “lucky” quickly came to an end within the first 25 games of the season. Golden State looked all but lucky during their dominating streak. And if you want to use the old injury claim, the Warriors have missed Klay Thompson for a couple of games, Andrew Bogut and Harrison Barnes each for a good amount of time, and their head coach hasn’t coached one game yet this season.
Excuses aren’t what championship teams are made out of. The Toronto Raptors, Miami Heat, and Indiana Pacers have all gotten better but the East will continue to belong to the Cavaliers. Unfortunately for the Cleveland, they are still without Kyrie Irving but he is expected to be back within the next week. The team hasn’t look title worthy without him.
The San Antonio Spurs are always scary, but can Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and LaMarcus Aldridge run with the Warriors? Danny Green is having one of the worst shooting seasons of his career and the Spurs lost defensive point guard Corey Joseph.
The Warriors are the favorites to win the title and it’d be foolish to think otherwise, especially now.
Neat summary of things.
Quick correction on the Curry stats per http://stats.nba.com/leaders/#!/?StatCategory=PTS
51.7% FG%, not “45.6%”