After a very successful road trip, the Golden State Warriors won their first two games after the All Star break--back to back at home. Coach Steve Kerr reportedly signed a lucrative contract for the next two years, making him by some measures the highest paid coach in the NBA. In a postgame interview he seemed almost giddy at the prospects for the rest of this season, especially because of all the young players who are suddenly blossoming. He even called this a "fun" season, which doesn't exactly match the angst and the won-loss record. Everyone's excited that Chris Paul will be back. So is it happy time?
Maybe--this next road trip will go a long way to figuring if the Dubs can get that sixth seed to go directly into the playoffs. The Lakers do appear vulnerable. The Dubs have two games with Dallas and can make up a lot of ground there. Sacramento is probably the stumbling block but the Warriors' schedule is generally favorable. The biggest problem may be fatigue. But this time of year the big factors are health and momentum. By tipoff in Washington, the Warriors will be fully healthy. They had momentum and now they must really turn it on,
Once in the playoffs, can they do damage? Sure. Can they win it all? Well, there was the last home game against the Denver Nuggets. Denver dominated, and swept their four game series--the first time any team has won all four matchups in the Kerr era. What was clear from that game is that the Warriors have no answer for Denver's team as it currently is. Denver is too tall, too big, too physical and too skilled. All of that mirrors the advantages of Nicola Jokic, probably this year's MVP. If Denver stays healthy, it may well be that nobody can stop them from repeating. But specifically the Dubs don't seem to be currently built to do so. Depending on how this season plays out, and mostly whether Denver repeats, that may be a concern during the off-season, when management considers the roster.
Right now, though, Kerr is right--the current roster is fun to watch, and it is capable of beating most teams. They won without Chris Paul and depending on how he comes back from injury, they can win even more with him. So happy time? Could be.
