Golden State Warriors Mailbag: Playoff Structure, David Lee, Championship
Mar 9, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) celebrates a play with guard Klay Thompson against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. The Warriors defeated the Suns 98-80. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
@MaggiePilloton do you think the Warriors are in contention to have a easy championship run?
— Mariah *ryah* (@bballmypassion) March 12, 2015
The Warriors are definitely title contenders this season, but I don’t think any championship run would be considered “easy.” Winning an NBA title is a challenging, long, and physically draining process, so nothing will come easily, especially in the Western Conference.
As discussed earlier in the article, the Warriors could potentially have to face an experienced, talented squad in the first round of the playoffs such as the Thunder, or even the San Antonio Spurs. There’s a chance that the Mavericks could continue to struggle and fall in the standings, but no matter what, the Warriors will have a tougher test in the first round than the number one seed, the Atlanta Hawks, in the Eastern Conference will.
In addition, if the Warriors can get past the first round, they will then still face a tough team in the later rounds of the playoffs, such as their worst case scenario, the Memphis Grizzlies. The Warriors would have such a tough road to the Finals having to face such quality Western Conference teams that they might even have their “easiest” matchup in the actual Finals, if they can get there.
No Finals matchup is easy though. No matter which team the Warriors could potentially face in the Finals (Hawks or Cleveland Cavaliers, most likely), it would still be extremely challenging to win the title, as both the Hawks and the Cavs are elite teams in the NBA.
Whichever team represents the Eastern Conference in the Finals would have faced adversity and would’ve worked hard to the get to the Finals too, but the Warriors would certainly have had a tougher road to the Finals than their potential Finals foe from the East.
Getting past the Western Conference teams to the Finals will be extremely difficult, but the Warriors are capable. The Warriors have several qualities of a title contender.
They have the best backcourt in the NBA. They also have the deepest roster in the NBA. They are excelling in a system that fully utilizes every player’s skills, and they have an elite coaching staff. They have the best home crowd in the NBA, while still playing effectively and finding success on the road. They also enter this year’s playoffs with some valuable playoff experience from the past couple seasons.
The Warriors should definitely be considered title contenders this season if they stay healthy, despite the fact that some people believe that a jump-shooting team can’t win an NBA title. Their potential path to an NBA title will be an incredibly difficult one though.