NBA Warrior All-Stars
With the season underway, many of us are waiting with bated breath to see the Warriors decimate the rest of the league, so it seems like a great time to look at why their opponents should be scared and find out who’s betting on their current form.
We all know the Warriors were good, but their last game was 39-33 before going 0-2 in the play-in tournament, during which they kicked themselves for missing the opportunities, and so they should. Here are five things (players) that make The Warriors deadly:
1 – Jordan Poole will continue to ball out
Star player Jordan Poole exploded onto the scene during “March Madness” this year, leading his Michigan Wolverines to an upset-game-winning shot over the top-ranked team in the country. His shooting performance has led many people to question whether or not he can make it in the NBA, and now he’s got a golden opportunity to prove himself with Steph sitting on the bench.
Poole only took four shots last season but considering what he showed us with that one game; it would be unwise to underestimate him now that he’s under Curry’s tutelage for this play-in tournament. From an NBA fan’s perspective, Pistons rookie Jordan Poole is undoubtedly not one of the top players on this list.
However, watching him play throughout summer and pre-season, you would know he is more than deserving of his place here.
For anyone who didn’t get a chance to watch him before the regular season began, he came in during a game against Toronto. He dropped 21 points on 80% shooting in under 27 minutes on the court which was good enough to put him over Curry’s 21 points for most points during pre-season.
2 – Klay Thompson will return to form
KT is still recovering from a torn ACL and is set to return during the play-in tournament, meaning he will most likely start on the bench.
After his injury last season, it seemed like he was never returning; however, this is not how you know Klay Thompson plays, so if you expect the same old Warriors with the “Splash Brothers” leading them, they will be sorely disappointed.
Not that long ago, Klay set a career-high in scoring with 37 points against Toronto, and it seems like this may help fan expectations of what he can do moving forward. There were whispers that maybe his best playing days might be behind him after his injury and his short-lived hiatus from the court.
However, Klay has proven himself capable of taking over games with his killer three-point shot, so don’t be surprised if KT does it again.
3 – Otto Porter Jr. will stay healthy and off the bench
Otto Porter Jr.’s absence was noticeable last season as it meant more minutes for Andre Iguodala. If there’s one thing we know about Otto, he can handle minutes like a champion.
Porter is one of the most underrated players in the NBA who has only started getting recognition this past season after playing a prominent role in helping his team get to the semis.
He is highly efficient on both sides of the ball, averaging 13 points per game while holding opponents to roughly 11 points per game last season. His length allows him to play imposing defense that opposing teams have nightmares trying to match.
Just ask Boston fans who got their hopes up after dropping a ridiculous amount of 3’s in-game seven against them during these playoffs only for “OPJ” to shut them down with ease before he got injured.
4 – Steph Curry will be back
With the addition of KD, Steph hasn’t had as much of an offensive role, but that hasn’t stopped him from absolutely dominating at times.
His 36 point game against the Clippers is proof that he can handle increased pressure and isn’t afraid to shoot when needed.
Throughout his past, Steph has been showing why he is one of the most feared players in the NBA as he showed everyone exactly what type of player he can be when his team needs him to show up.
In-game two against Houston, we saw Curry drop 33 points and shoot 9/11 from behind the 3-point line leading to people finally remembering why this man deserves two rings. If you do not know who Stephen Curry is, we would like to remind you.
This man and his teammate Klay Thompson led undefeated pre-season pick “The Warriors” to an 82-0 record during their 2012 season (yes, they went and ran the table in pre-season and lost in the NBA in the same season).
5 – The Splash will save the day
We’ve seen time and again how crucial the “Splash Brothers” are to this Warriors squad; Draymond Green knows first hand because, without them, they wouldn’t be 3-peating…twice.
Knowing what we know about their history this season should prove incredibly worrying for other teams in the Western Conference.
They are just praying their stars don’t go down with an injury during the play-in tournament.
With all this insight to hand, it looks like the Warriors are in a powerful position to continue their legacy of dominance and bring home another NBA Championship for the city of Oakland, especially with Steph back on track after his surgery.
The Splash might not be looking too hot right now, but they’ve got what it takes to prove everyone wrong…again.
Some history
The Warriors are a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
The team was founded in 1946 in Philadelphia and moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1962, where they adopted the city’s name until changing their name to Golden State in 1971. The squad plays its home games at Oracle Arena in Oakland.
The Warriors have reached twelve NBA Finals, winning five NBA championships in 1947, 1956, 1975, 2015, and 2017. They have gone 40 seasons without repeating as champions, becoming the fifth NBA franchise to achieve this record after Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, and Portland Trail Blazers.
They are also the first-ever back-to-back champion of the IBAF Basketball World Cup after winning it for the second time in 2015.
Golden State holds the best all-time win-loss record in over half of the combined statistical categories in the regular season and postseason across all professional North American sports leagues.
