5. The Warriors aren’t invincible
The Golden State Warriors are, to most people, one of the five greatest teams in NBA history. They seem to be on par with the Lakers and Celtics of the mid-1980’s, the late-1990’s Bulls, the 2001 Lakers and the 1983 76ers. Whether they could beat any (or all) of those teams in a hypothetical best-of-seven series is up for debate.
But as we saw in late May, the reigning champions from the Bay Area aren’t unbeatable. The Houston Rockets, a less talented and experienced team, achieved a 3-2 series lead against them in the Western Conference Finals. Had it not been for a hamstring injury to Chris Paul in the closing seconds of Game 5, the Larry O’Brien trophy could be residing in Texas right now.
For the last few years, the Warriors have shown a couple of flaws. One is turnovers – they were 2nd in turnover percentage in 2017-18, which is a measure of how many turnovers a team commits per 100 possessions. Assuming the Lakers’ transition game is what it should be, that could really hurt Kevin Durant and company should both teams meet up in the playoffs.
Their other main flaw is their bench, which isn’t bad, but isn’t exactly great either. They haven’t really made any upgrades to their bench this offseason, and although it features quality role players like Andre Iguodala, it has a noticeable lack of guys who can provide instant offense.
On the other hand, the Lakers have at least two players on their bench who can do just that – Kyle Kuzma and Michael Beasley. In addition, Rajon Rondo, who may come off the bench if Lonzo Ball is healthy and playing well after knee surgery, is a major difference maker. If the Lakers’ starters can keep pace with the Warriors’ starters and withstand their gnarly scoring spurts, maybe L.A.’s bench can wear down the Warriors reserves.
Plus there is the issue that has to be discussed about any defending champions – complacency. Will Golden State have the hunger, determination and urgency to answer each challenge that the league’s other good teams can throw at them in the playoffs? Kobe Bryant’s Lakers have been there before, and while they successfully defended championships in 2001, 2002 and 2010, lack of motivation led to defeats during the 2003 and 2011 playoffs.
As did injuries. Stephen Curry is an great player and maybe the greatest outside shooter we’ve ever seen, but he’s suffered multiple ankle injuries earlier in his career, not to mention sprained knees in two of the last three postseasons. Andre Iguodala also missed several games in the 2018 playoffs with an injured knee.
It’s not a lock that the Warriors will stay healthy this upcoming season with all the mileage that comes with reaching the championship series four years in a row. If they don’t, or if the Lakers figure out how to expose their weaknesses, the NBA World Championship could return to its rightful home in Los Angeles sooner than some may expect.