“Waaarrriiiorrsss!” chants the standing crowd at Oracle Arena in Oakland.
Former, and likely future, MVP Chef Curry dribbles the ball upcourt, calling out plays to his teammates. Center Andrew Bogut quickly sets a screen on Curry’s defender, and with the mere second that he is free, Curry rises up and shoots from beyond the arc. Fans are on their feet before the ball even leaves his hands, and the stadium roars when the ball streaks through the hoop. Just the usual for Warriors basketball.
Through their first 22 games, the Warriors have miraculously remained undefeated. Just a few of their accomplishments include the following: best record in NBA, most three pointers made, best start by a defending champion, best start in NBA history, highest offensive rating, best defensive rating, largest average scoring margin, best start of any U.S. professional sports team and…you get the point. The list goes on and on.
While we do see the same players making highlight plays over and over, new guys keep showing up as well.
Two of the two most notably improved players are Harrison Barnes and Finals MVP Andre Iguodala. They both have obtained a much stronger offensive presence, with their three-point shot drastically improved and their stronger drives to the basket more common.
Iguodala’s strength, defense, remains key to the Warriors elite defense, while Barnes’ injury has greatly affected the Warriors SBDS (Small Ball Death Squad) lineup. It’s interesting to see interim coach Luke Walton experiment with a bigger lineup using Brandon Rush, Ian Clark and Shaun Livingston.
With Bogut often injured, Festus Ezeli has played spectacularly, providing a much greater offensive threat and shot blocking ability but at the expense of the great passing and vision of Bogut.
At the center of it all is Stephen Curry. It isn’t often for the MVP to be making a case for most improved, but this is exactly what Curry is doing. Averaging over 32 points per game, he is simply brilliant and is making a strong case for the greatest shooter of all time.
To top it off, Draymond Green just does it all, with his back-to-back triple doubles and an All-Star campaign in the making. He provides the spark to this Warriors team with highly efficient offense and All-NBA defense.
With their perfect season, as of Monday, yet to be tainted at 22-0 (knock on wood), the Warriors keep rolling over opponents in historic style as they remain the team to beat.
Their season so far has not been the easiest, to say the least, with stiff competition coming at the hand of many teams, including the infamous Clippers, Nets and Raptors. With 22 games in 40 days, the Warriors have had an extremely tough schedule, with a league-high of 20 back-to-backs.
However, if the Warriors continue to play at the high level they are, I predict they will go 98-0, SWEEP the PLAYOFFS and go down as the BEST team EVER. I’m joking…partly.
But realistically, this team has the potential to get that W column to the never-before-seen 73.
In the meantime, it is time for us to simply sit back and relish one of the greatest teams to ever play. They are truly a joy to watch.
-Evan Patel
