I follow the Warriors very closely for personal reasons and have watched more Ws games than Blazers games the last 4 years, both in person and on tv. That being said, right now, and over the last few seasons, I do not think anyone beats them in a series. Yes, Cleveland did. It was also 3-1 GSW before Draymond got suspended and everything fell apart. This could be 4/4 the last four years which is incredible. You get the feeling when Golden State has a problem with a team or in a series, its more about them, not the opponent. To beat them you have to not just play really well, you will need them to be off. You have to have excellent, physical defense on the perimeter. Strong and tough guys who play aggressive defensive and don't require a ton of help. You need length to rebound defensively - giving them one shot is already too much. Giving them two or three is literally impossible to counter. It would help to have a very long defender who can at least stay with Durant. I can think of maybe one guy, Anthony Davis. Defensively, its a gutting feeling knowing that they have 4 all stars, three of them are three of the most elite shooters of all time, and scorers of all time in two of them. In other words...half of them can have off games and you are still left with two future HOFers to deal with. That aint normal. I thought two years ago that if you took emotion out of the equation, Portland would probably be best off unloading everyone for picks, like Philly, because there is little chance anyone dethrones GS between 2014-2020, let alone Portland. They could build to peak in 2020, and beyond, when the Warriors dynasty is over.
You can beat them only by creating an All-Time team. The Rockets took the Warriors to 7. That shows they're not unbeatable like others claim they are. You just need a well balanced, star studded team that can shoot. For that reason, this is why it's very unfortunate the Blazers could not get Paul George last summer. Otherwise, something like the 08 Celtics would probably have a 40% chance of winning a series just because of how star studded and roster balanced they are. They could shoot, score from all over, defend, weren't mentally weak, strong bench, and tough as hell. An 80s Celtics/Lakers or 96 Bulls would probably stand at 50% chance. So, if the Blazers want to do that, they gotta get a better lineup. Whether that means trade for younger pieces and tank or wait until 2020 Free Agency is up for management to decide.
Rarely do you beat the best team in league at their own game especially when you have inferior talent. I think the best way to play them is slow it down maximize possessions (meaning no turnovers and get good looks on offense). Defensively you want them to play one on one ball it causes desention among teammates when they don’t get their touches. Ideally defensively you have length and can switch on defense so they can’t exploit mismatches as much. So basically the complete opposite of us defensively. Really thought New Oreleans was going to be a better match up, with one more superstar I think they would be he ideal matchup against GS.
Jazz blew out Warriors twice last season. Maybe look at what they're doing. Grizzlies were successful two seasons ago.
Chris Paul may be key also. He beat Warriors in first round in 2014. He was up 3-2 last season before getting hurt.
On last thing they may end up beating themselves. Sounds like they are starting to see the effects of having so many alpha males on the them. Also that comment by the GM (believe he’s the one who said it) about only kidding about paying KD anything he wants and then someone asked about Stephs contract and he said he deserved it he’s been here longer. That has to be one of the dumbest comments ever to come out of a GM.
Pretty well is putting it mildly. Weren't they up 3-2 when CP3 got hurt? He stays healthy and they would have been favored in game 7 in Houston. As much as I love to hate on Chris Paul, the guy turned out to be the difference maker. At 5'11.3/4....he is their best defender.... and one of the best in the league.
With an upgrade over Aminu and a better bench we'd have a shot. *Edit* nothing against Aminu, but somebody needs to slow down Durant, and I'm just not sure if he's got enough to do it.
Four guys who can shoot (or at least two guys who are capable scorers paired with two guys who are solid outside shooters) and are willing to defend. A big who isn't at a huge disadvantage on switches who can punish them down low when your team has the ball.
He was making a joke, at which everyone laughed. Saying Steph got whatever he wanted because he was there during the tough times.
I know just a bit risky of a joke. KD by all accounts is very sensitive. For a guy like that it could be something that he reads way to much into it and decides he’ll never fully be appreciated because they won without him
Put me in they'll eventually beat themselves group. They looked most vulnerable against the Rockets and we can say it was Houston having a physical interior defender, length and athletic wings who can both shoot and defend, and the Harden/Paul combo who are great in iso. Absentmindedly, watching the series, what stuck out to me most was the Warriors poor shooting. Maybe statistically, they shot as well this playoffs as others, but they didn't always hit the critical, cutthroat shots like they had in the past. Specifically, Curry and Thompson. Durant will always be a bit streaky and high volume shooter, and I thought he played like he usually does. They got baited into iso ball, too. Whether it's injuries from the wear and tear of playing into June the past 4 seasons, or they're just not as focused and driven as previous seasons, they just looked off compared their peak performances. Who would have believed the Lakers, who seemed just as invincible as the modern day Warriors, would have lost to Houston in 86? Sampson played great, but in reflective interviews, the Laker players admit they over-looked Houston and just weren't focused on the Rockets. I'm sure it's going to happen to Golden State this coming season or next. I could also see Thompson leaving which will hurt. They're also not exactly stocking the cupboards with up and coming talent.
