Exactly halfway through the season, the Warriors are in an enviable position, but still have plenty of room to improve.
For the week of Monday, Jan. 18 – Sunday, Jan. 24
For the first time this season, the Warriors failed to win more games than they lost within a single week. Their two losses to the Nuggets and Pistons were indicative of a somewhat troubling ongoing trend, during which the Dubs haven’t quite been bringing it defensively like we’re used to. They’ve appeared a bit sluggish, a step too slow, and have exasperated that with careless turnovers. They’ve posted only the 18th-best defensive rating in the league since December 30th, allowing 6.6 more points per 100 possessions than they had prior to that date. The team that once seemed invincible has shown a crack in the armor lately. But then again, they are Warriors, and cracks are going to happen over the course of an 82-game battle.
Although they certainly would have preferred to arrive there on a better note, the defeat at the hands of the Pistons on Saturday brought the Warriors to this season’s midway point. 41 games down, 41 more to go. At 37-4, Golden State is the fourth team in NBA history to win 37 of their first 41 games; the first three teams to accomplish the feat all went on to win the NBA title. They haven’t lost a home game all season, and that loss in Detroit marked the first time this year they’ve been defeated with a full-strength lineup. Even with their recent slip, the Warriors still rank first in the league in offensive rating (111.9) and third in defensive rating (99.0), and their net rating of 12.9 points per 100 possessions has been topped by only one team in NBA history and is even better than the mark of 11.4 they posted last year on the way to the Championship. All of this isn’t to say that there aren’t issues that need to be addressed, but rather, that it’s important to keep an eye on the big picture. Thanks to their amazing start to the season, the Warriors have afforded themselves some breathing room to accommodate an off week here and there. But with the San Antonio Spurs not far behind and on a similar record-setting pace, that breathing room is shrinking by the second. While no one doubts that the Warriors can and will get back to their highest standard of play, it would behoove them to do so sooner rather than later, as time – and games – are of the essence.
Being that this is the midway point of the season, it’s only fitting that Stephen Curry would earn the Spotlight. The NBA’s reigning MVP has built upon his success from a year ago, and to-date, has put together the most improved season by a reigning MVP in league history. While his averages of 33.3 points, 5.8 assists and 5.0 rebounds on 47.9 percent shooting in the four games last week are brilliant in their own respect, they don’t quite illuminate a couple of the amazing individual feats that we’ve become so accustomed to witnessing from Curry. For instance, in Wednesday’s close loss in Denver, Curry almost single-handedly led the Dubs to a comeback, scoring 20 points in the final six minutes of regulation, the most points he’s ever scored in a fourth quarter. Then, the very next day, Curry led the Warriors with 26 points against the Lakers, the first 24 of which came by way of eight three-pointers. It was the 18th time of his career he made at least eight three-pointers in a single game, which is the most in NBA history, and was also the 11th time in his last 72 games he accomplished the feat. For comparison, legendary shooter Ray Allen made eight-or-more three-pointers exactly nine times in 1,300 career games. Curry came this close to tallying another eight-trey effort in the Warriors’ loss to the Pistons on Saturday, when he finished with 38 points and seven three-pointers. It was his 18th 30-point game of the season, which, yes, also leads the league. While plenty can certainly change over the second half of the season, there is zero question as to who is the leading MVP candidate at the halfway point. It’s Curry, and as of now, it’s his to lose.
The Warriors are in the midst of what will be perhaps their toughest stretch of the season, and their three games this week go a long way to supporting that assertion. First, the Warriors travel to Cleveland to take on the Cavaliers later today in their first game back at Quicken Loans Arena since they hoisted the Larry O’Brien Trophy last June. Following the Finals rematch, the Warriors will head to Chicago to face the Bulls on Wednesday before rounding out the week with a home game against the visiting Indiana Pacers on Friday. That’s three of the top teams in the East, and perhaps the entire league, that the Warriors will have the pleasure of encountering this week. Considering their tough slate of opponents, now would be as good a time as any for the Dubs to get back to the high standard they’ve set for themselves.
Till next week.
The Dish has been served.
