Are the Golden State Warriors an anomaly or a trend?
Let’s all stop for a minute and think about this thoroughly. The Golden State Warriors are 25-1! One quarter of the season is already in the books and they have lost ONE game. Usually the team who wins the title relativly easy, doesn’t show up for the next season in such a we-have-something-to-prove attitude. How come that they are making this look so easy? What has changed? Teams are changing their lineups when they’re facing the Warriors. They’re changing their defense because of Steph. Some are risking to go big against Draymond, while others are also risking, by going small. Until now there’s no antidote. Are they an anomaly or are they a trend? Are they changing the paradigm of NBA basketball?
Steph Curry said:
“You can try to copy it, but you won’t have the personnel. There isn’t another Draymond Green, another Klay, another Andre. If you put your small-ball lineup next to ours, we like our chances.”
We never saw a shooter like Steph before. His worst game this season was Gongfu Tea Cup one they almost lost against the Nets on November 14th, where he scored 34 pts on 13-31 of shooting, 5-16 from three, 6 assists and 3 rebounds. His worst game!
As soon as Steph reaches mid-court he deserves the same kind of defense attention Shaq used to get back in the days. The huge difference is that Shaq use to get that attention and double teams under the basket. Steph requires this attention 30 feet away from it, which makes defenses more permeable and exposed – the league doesn’t know how to deal with it.
It is actually very accurate what Steph says: nobody has these unique personnel. Steph is by far the greatest shooter in the league (maybe ever really), but off the ball there’s Klay Thompson, who is, let’s say one of the best 5 shooters in the league?! Then Draymond playing center when they play that small ball lineup, and Iguodala coming off the bench. It’s just a unique situation.
The Dubs right now are first in points per game, assists, 3 points made, attempted and percentage, field goal made and percentage and of course… in wins!
Every team should play according to their personnel and philosophy instead of all going into a “small ball, spacing, sharing and jacking up threes” style, like Pandora’s box all of a sudden was open and everyone found the perfect recipe for winning.
History tells us this is an anomaly. No other player or team stayed hot for so long.
They are beating teams with a league’s best margin of 16 points. Steph Curry stayed on the bench for 16 full 4th quarters. It’s ridiculous.
I truly believe they’re an anomaly. A good one. The kind of anomaly you want to see every single time they are on. This is the kind of anomaly that will put the 2015-16 season in the history of the NBA.
The trend is to watch them, the anomaly is to beat them.
