Today's defeated Lone Ranger 35 points Warriors, behind the 0.5 win field dropped to the second in the West, but this will not affect the team's determination to defend, from the rotation of the Curry and control the main players playing time can be seen.
Whether it is defending the NBA championship or winning this honor, it is more difficult to laugh in the end of the league today, but this team is the Warriors, what they need to do is to achieve the defending.
Can you say that the Warriors can do this again this year? Here is just a prediction, can, and is still a high probability event, does not rule out the team itself has a big problem or the opponent to play extraordinary. In the next round of the playoffs, the entire road to defending is extremely long, the Warriors need to face difficulties and not less, and the strong overall strength makes the team full of confidence.
This season is not only the Warriors team's own lineup has changed, even the entire league pattern has a relatively large change, this is the uncertainty factor for the Warriors and opponents.
The Warriors' biggest lineup adjustment - the introduction of Cousins, corresponding to the departure of big players such as McGee, West and Pachulia, so what is the actual effect? At least during the current regular season, in the 23 games played by Cousins, the team's record is 17 wins and 6 losses, the winning percentage is 73.9%, higher than the team's overall 68.1%. Currently, Cousins can average 15.9 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. The number is comparable to the average of the three players in the post, but this is only part of the data.
Cousins' offensive ability is enough to make up for the vacancies of the departing players, especially he has the scoring ability of the basket, the middle distance, and even the three-point line, but not on the defensive. McGee, West and Pachulia's previous mission in the Warriors was very simple, that is, "simple" and efficient offensive, coupled with the internal defense and flexible mobility. However, Cousins' defense did not meet the expectations of the Warriors. From the point of view of the important moments of some key games, he was not qualified in the "five deaths" of the team system. Cousins, who recovered from injury, has not fully recovered from his body, but the most important point is that before coming to the Warriors, Cousins's play is a traditional big man who will shoot, preferring to attack.
Since there is this All-Star center Cousins, then the Warriors will not be wasted, use his full offensive ability, and properly adjust his timing in the key defensive round. Because Cousins and the Warriors' running-in period is really too short, even if he plays in the next 10 games, the whole season will be 33 games, not to mention the latter part of the main players have to take a break. It will be very important to use Cousins. Considering that the upcoming playoffs will be the first time Cousins has been in the NBA career, psychological pressure and integration into the team will have an impact.
After Cousins joined the Warriors to form the "All-Star starting lineup", this team's offensive ability becomes extremely horrible, balancing Cousins' single-point offense and defense will be extremely crucial. Every time you integrate into a new player, the Warriors can always get unexpected results. Before the big star Durant is, then to some of the role players behind, and it seems that Cousins will be.
Except for Cousins, most of the Warriors' lineups, including the main players, haven't changed much. The road to defending is an extremely tempting and equally challenging path. Three championships in three years, two consecutive championships in 2017 and 2018, the Warriors are currently hitting three consecutive championships, and the fourth NBA championship in five years. The "three consecutive championships" are the team's most desired.
In recent years, there have been many teams that have achieved two consecutive championships. The 2013 Heat and the 2010 Lakers, but the last three consecutive championships were the 2002 Lakers, which has been 17 years since. In the 2016 Warriors' 73-win historical record in the regular season, breaking the dusty 20-year-old 72 wins created by the Bulls in 1996 shows how high the Warriors are.
If the NBA championship is achieved, most of the players in the Warriors are "capital" accumulation, Curry may get the FMVP that they dream of, and Durant may once again reelect FMVP. Thompson, Green and Cousins are the "sprints" of the next contract. As for Luny, Jerebko, Cook and Bell, they are also contract years, knowing how much the team is eager to defend.
Because it is the road to defending, because it is the impact of three consecutive championships, coupled with the stability of the team, this Warrior team is getting more and more understood by other teams in the league, it also means that the advantage is decreasing. The biggest advantage of the Warriors is that the opponent knows which core is it? But there is no way to effectively limit it. While the advantage is reduced, the fatigue of the players is one of the biggest hidden dangers.
Last season, the Warriors' regular season record was 58 wins and 24 losses. The current team record is 49 wins and 23 losses. The high probability event is that the regular season record will only be worse, at least it has shown a certain sense of fatigue. From winning the NBA championship to achieving two consecutive championships and then three consecutive championships, the level of difficulty upgrade is not unusual. The Warriors have repeatedly scorned their opponents in the regular season. Today's defeated Lone Ranger 35 points, lost to the Celtics 33 points at the beginning of the month, the Warriors in this season's fiasco battle is actually quite a lot, it is quite embarrassing, the deep level is still the team's attitude.
The Warriors have their own advantages and disadvantages. The overall strength is still very strong, and the team's injury is also a big "dead enemy", but this is a common problem for all teams, and can only be treated with caution. So how many imaginary enemies does the Warriors have in this season? Divided into the rivals on the way to the West, and the opponents in the final NBA Finals, there are some, but to tell the truth. The Rockets, the strongest opponent in the West, are now the old rivals, regardless of whether the Nuggets are leading the Warriors by 0.5 wins, or the Warriors leading the Rockets by 3.5 games.
Last season's Western Conference 3 to 2 lead, this season's regular season match record 3 to 1 advantage, the two teams in the attack mode is very similar, the Rockets are destined to be the strongest Western rivals of the Warriors. As for the Nuggets and Thunder in the West, I am afraid that there is really no strength in the Warriors and Rockets. The regular season is not enough to prove that the playoffs are not very good. In the case of the Warriors' successful entry into the NBA Finals, there are few Eastern teams that can be called, and the current poor Celtics are still the most capable, and the past achievements are there.
In the past two consecutive years into the NBA Eastern Conference finals, once more difficult than once, although this season's regular season has not fully proved himself, but the team lineup can fight with the Warriors. In addition, the Bucks and Raptors are currently ranked first and second in the league, but to be honest these two teams have not achieved satisfactory results in the playoffs of the past few years, it is difficult to say that they are inciting the hegemon. In general, the Western Rockets and the Eastern Celtics are likely to cause big trouble for the Warriors' defending road, and their own old problems.