I do agree that GS has shown, so far, that they are a well oiled offense and defense. But Westbrick vs Curry is more level than you think. Curry is not strong enough to defend Westbrook and I would suspect OKC would be posting Westbrick constantly. The best player on the floor is still Durant. I don't care what anyone else thinks... He didn't get MVP last season as a fluke. In the end, the playoff experience of OKC is their trump card. They've been to the finals, WCF on several occasions and many playoff games. GS hasn't even made it past the first round with the roster they have right now. OKC and SAS will be nightmares for anyone they face in the first round because of their playoff experience alone.
Let's face it, there aren't going to be any cakewalks in the first round. The West is going to be brutal, 1-8.
I agree and would add that the first round could be the difference with the match-ups. For example... I think the Blazer's best first round match-up would be Houston and their worst would be Memphis. I think anyone that faces SAS or OKC in the first round will be sweating the team.
Teams in order that I would like to face in first round (not all are realistic): HOU DAL LAC Teams in order that I don't want to face in first round (not all are realistic): MEM SAS OKC
Not a problem. Guarding Westbrook on the perimeter is a non-issue, you simply back up and let him shoot. Like with Durant, the Warriors have multiple defenders they can throw at Westbrook. If he's posting up, put the much biiger Klay Thompson on him and hide Curry on Waters or whatever other piece of crap is playing SG for OKC. They can also throw Iggy at Westbrook for stretches. And since Adams and Perkins are offensive zeros, Bogut can stay home to protect the rim when Westbrook drives. Westbrook will score plenty, but his will be his usual, inefficient ball hogging self. Yep Durant, when at the top of his game, is the best offensive player in the world. However, even after winning the MVP last year, he struggled in the playoffs. He averaged 32 ppg in the regular season, but couldn't even put up 25 ppg in the playoffs. Teams get more physical with him in the playoffs and can game plan around stropping him. As I mentioned, GSW has four very good defenders, two of them very physical, they can throw at Durant. He may be the best player on the floor in the series (Curry isn't far behind), but he can't do it all himself, especially when the opponent has the defensive players to make him really work for his points. Of GSW's top 10 players, Mareese Speights is the only one who has not been to the 2nd round. Only 3 of OKC's starter and 2 of their bench players were on the team that made the finals. Of course, they had James Harden when they made the finals and haven't been able to replace his scoring since their cheap ass owners gave him away. They do have more post season experience than the Warriors, but they also have a history of underperforming in the playoffs (compared to regular season). They got severely drubbed by the Spurs last year and bounced in 5 games by MEM the year before. They may have more post season experience, but don't have the depth or overall quality of talent that GSW has. I'd fear GSW much more in the playoffs than OKC this year. BNM
I'm starting to question this. I thought the Thunder would break the top 8 at Christmas. Now it's January 28th, they are 10th in the West and 3.5 games behind the #8 Suns with 36 games to go. Losing to the Knicks tells me they are not focused. I think OKC could miss the playoffs. It's actually possible. And I don't think Durant or Westbrook deserve to be All Stars this year. It will be interesting to find out what the coaches decided tomorrow.
It all depends on the health of Durant. He's been having odd foot injuries all season, which leads me to believe that foot wasn't completely healed. I know the last one wasn't related, but that bad sprain created pain on the top portion of his foot. The part that was broke before. I think OKC or Durant came back too early. They shouldn't have brought Durant in desperation.
