With the best record in the NBA at 42-9, it is hard to disagree that the Golden State Warriors will win the 2015 NBA Championship.
Sitting amongst the rest of the competition in the Western Conference, it is even hard to see any other team give them a run for their money in the second half of the year. Memphis usually fizzes out come mid-April, I am not a fan of the long-term chemistry in Houston, Portland is still one playmaker away from being a true contender, and OKC has had their share of troubles all season at 27-25.
If any team were to go round-for-round, then it would be the San Antonio Spurs, but I think this young, talented Warriors team could put the Spurs in the dust.
If you gamble, then I will have you know the odds facing the Warriors to win the ring is 5/1.
Why are the Warriors suddenly looked at as one of the elite teams in the league? Two names: Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
This duo has developed immensely over the past few seasons and have truly had their coming out party in 2015. In fact, this duo is the only duo to be included in the statistics category of the top-10 points-per game in the league. Curry averages 23.6 while Klay adds 22.2 points per night for the Warriors. On top of that, they are shooting lights out.
Literally.
With a .483 percentage for Curry and .473 for Klay, those numbers put them in a category of their own. Out of the top 10 players averaging the highest points per game, Steph and Klay are both shooting the highest percentage out of everyone who is not a forward.
Those points mainly come from one place, beyond the arc.
Steph and Klay are included in the top 5 players for most made threes. Curry, with 159 made, is shooting .404 from downtown while Klay, 152 made threes, is shooting .441. Impressive? Yes. The only other duo in the league that could be compared to these two would be James Harden and Trevor Ariza, who together have made 50 less three points thus far- thats 150 points.
Their lights-out shooting puts the Warriors at number one in the league in scoring with 110.9 points per game.
Mind you, this is all being done while All-Star forward David Lee has been sidelined all season with an injury.
Of course we can not put the Warriors success entirely on Klay and Steph’s shoulders. Marreese Speights has been great off the bench, Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green are doing a great job at forward, and Andrew Bogut is a great fit at center. Let’s not forget the spark that Andre Iguodala gives.
Looking at the team schedule, they have done damage. In their losses, they put up a fight.
While we are at it, let’s not forget Klay’s 52-point putting against the Kings, as well as Curry’s 51-point performance against Dallas.
Usually when there is a deadly duo, it’s a guard and a center, much like the Shaq and Kobe days. However, when you have two skilled snipers in Klay and Steph, it opens up a bag for a whole new level of trouble from downtown, and it has proven to be a dominant force in the league this year.
And now to add insult to injury, Steph is 26 and Klay is only 25 years old; two extremely young players showing the league how it is done.
This may be the first we are seeing this duo in full effect, but it certainly will not be the last.
I do give the Warriors the nod as my front-runner to win the 2015 NBA Championship. LeBron will have to put on his big boy pants if he wants anything to say about that, but even then, LeBron will probably be too busy thinking about what team he wants to hop to next.
Possibly he will take his talents to the Golden State?
Steph Curry with the shot, boi.
