Golden State Warriors’ Depth is Key to Playoff Push
By Leah Filamor
With only fourteen more games until the end of the regular NBA season, the Golden State Warriors are making a push to remain in the top spot in the incredibly competitive Western Conference. Simultaneously, the Warriors are thinking of the bigger picture – winning an NBA championship – which puts the team in quite the predicament.
Will Golden State risk the top seed by resting key players — and possibly sacrificing games — to keep them fresh in their pursuit of the title? Or should they possibly exhaust Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, in order to secure wins, possibly end the season with the best record in the NBA, and lock down the top seed in the West?
The answer is simple, they may be able to do both by relying on the depth of their bench and by having Andre Iguodala, Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green, Shaun Livingston and the rest of the team. Golden State’s bench, playing as well as any in the league at this point, can help keep their stars fresh, and not sacrifice wins or playoff positioning by scoring points, making plays, and playing the tough defense they’ve played all season.
Head coach Steve Kerr has already started resting key players who are vital to success this upcoming post-season. By resting Curry, Iguodala, Thompson, and Andrew Bogut in a road game against the Denver Nuggets on March 13, Kerr showed their commitment to winning a championship. Kerr gave the bench an opportunity to get more minutes, experience and the chance to state their case for who will earn valuable minutes in the playoff rotation later on down the road.
Despite losing the game to Denver, 114-103, Justin Holiday put up his career-high 23 points in the game and newcomer, James Michael McAdoo added 16 more. This game also gave veteran power forward, David Lee a chance to play some big minutes.
Recently, Lee has seen limited playing time due to the success of the smaller lineup rotation — especially against teams with quicker and faster forwards. The strategic and smart move by Kerr has definitely helped rest some of his starters but has also shed light onto the strengths, depth and limitations the bench has to offer.
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Following a hard fought, close win over the Lakers, Thompson suffered an ankle sprain that will sideline him for at least a week. With the highly anticipated match up against the number one team in the East, the Atlanta Hawks looming, the Warriors had to be wondering who was going to replace Thompson’s scoring ability and defense? The answer presented itself in the form of Barnes, otherwise known as the Black Falcon. Barnes was the Warriors’ leading scorer in the game with 25 points on 11-13 shooting — all of his points coming in 28 minutes on the floor.
Draymond Green played incredible defense, stopping their big man, Al Horford and limiting him to just eight points in the contest. Igoudala’s monster dunks and solid defense not only brought the entire Oracle Arena to their feet, but helped secure a decisive win over the second best team in the NBA.
The win over the Hawks was an entire team effort, where Marreese Speights, Shaun Livingston and Leandro Barbosa never let up and maintained the lead.
From now, until middle of April, the Warriors will definitely benefit from the depth of their team. Just as they have all season. Even if Kerr decides to rest his team’s stars, the Warriors will be in good hands. Given Thompson’s ankle injury, Holiday, Barnes and Iguodala will need to continue to step up their game so that he can rest, heal and be ready for the playoffs.
If Golden State’s bench can continue helping to defeat opposing teams in a convincing fashion by playing “Warriors style basketball,” Bogut, Thompson, and Curry will get all the rest they need to make a successful and strong playoff push.