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Biggest threat to Warriors in Western Conference Finals

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Who is the biggest threat to the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals?

Poll ended at Thu Oct 5, 2017 1:53 pm

San Antonio Spurs
14
50%
Houston Rockets
3
11%
OKC Thunder
11
39%
 
Total votes: 28

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Re: Biggest threat to Warriors in Western Conference Finals 

Post#41 » by HiRez » Mon Mar 12, 2018 11:46 pm

The title of this thread is "...in Western Conference Finals" but right now, we would actually face San Antonio in the first round (2-7).

Also, I just realized we're in danger of losing HCA to the Raptors as well (they have 3 more losses than us but we're not healthy). Yeah, I know, most likely won't matter, but still...never considered the Dubs ending up with the 3rd best record in the league this year.
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Re: Biggest threat to Warriors in Western Conference Finals 

Post#42 » by Mylie10 » Tue Mar 13, 2018 12:21 am

I like how the Dubs have almost become an underdog at this point. Even some of our own fans are jumping ship lol.

Health is still our biggest issue....nothing has changed on that front.
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Re: Biggest threat to Warriors in Western Conference Finals 

Post#43 » by wco81 » Tue Mar 13, 2018 2:59 am

Heard that Curry has had like 15 instances of problems with his right ankle, leading to 70 games missed.

I guess that includes the surgeries.

The immediate concern is that he's hurt it 4 times this season so it's going to be more prone to being "tweaked" again, at least the rest of this season.

Unfortunately, it seems unlikely he would go through season and playoffs without more injury issues.

I think all the other injuries just make the Warriors more reliant on the starters than they really should be.

I don't get the cyst keeping West out all this time either. It must be more than a blister?
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Re: Biggest threat to Warriors in Western Conference Finals 

Post#44 » by Revived » Tue Mar 13, 2018 6:45 am

oaktownwarriors87 wrote:Meh. Paul and Harden are a great answer to Curry and Thompson, but we have Durant now. They can't do anything about that come playoff time.

Paul and Harden aren’t an answer to Curry and Thompson, Paul and Harden are the answer to Curry and Durant.

Eric Gordon is their answer to Klay and Capela for Draymond etc.
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Re: Biggest threat to Warriors in Western Conference Finals 

Post#45 » by Mylie10 » Tue Mar 13, 2018 3:14 pm

Houston will throw multiple bodies at Durant. It will be Ariza, Tucker, Moute, etc. taking turns at Durant to try and make things tougher.
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Re: Biggest threat to Warriors in Western Conference Finals 

Post#46 » by Mylie10 » Tue Mar 13, 2018 3:18 pm

I for one don't care about the #1 seed. Here's why;

We aren't that unbeatable team at home anymore. We have often played some of our best basketball on the road. The team has a better focus on the road it seems.

While I love the energy Oracle can provide at times, I don't feel that this specific team needs that to put them over the hump to win a game. I think they like an underdog role anyhow. Or at least having a bit of a chip on their shoulder, vibe.
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Re: Biggest threat to Warriors in Western Conference Finals 

Post#47 » by wco81 » Tue Mar 13, 2018 8:29 pm

Just got an alert that the team had a big party for Curry's 30th birthday yesterday so they canceled the practice scheduled for today.
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Re: Biggest threat to Warriors in Western Conference Finals 

Post#48 » by KevinMcreynolds » Tue Mar 13, 2018 10:37 pm

it's kind of crazy people think Houston actually has a chance to beat us in the playoffs :lol:
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Re: Biggest threat to Warriors in Western Conference Finals 

Post#49 » by wco81 » Wed Mar 14, 2018 2:29 am

Curry out another week, to be reevaluated March 20.
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Re: Biggest threat to Warriors in Western Conference Finals 

Post#50 » by HiRez » Wed Mar 14, 2018 3:38 am

wco81 wrote:Curry out another week, to be reevaluated March 20.

Yuck, that sucks. It's going to be very unlikely for us to get the 1 seed at this point, but also almost impossible for us to drop past the 2 seed, so might as well sit Curry out as long as possible and get him recharged for the playoffs, minimize chance of re-injury, and get Cook (and maybe McCaw?) some more experience. Bring him back like 5 games before the playoffs to shake off the rust.

Not feeling very good about our backup guard situation this year, McCaw has been terrible, Cook's not ready and frankly, not all that skilled, Livingston generally gets the job done but has been fairly mediocre and when he's in our spacing and pacing suffer. Casspi hasn't been very good since the beginning of the season and may have back issues. The thought of Young playing in a playoff game scares the hell out of me.
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Re: Biggest threat to Warriors in Western Conference Finals 

Post#51 » by wco81 » Wed Mar 14, 2018 4:03 am

Problem with giving Curry rest is that KD's usage rate goes way up. So even if he wasn't playing more minutes, he's taking more injury risk as well as wear and tear.
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Re: Biggest threat to Warriors in Western Conference Finals 

Post#52 » by Impuniti » Wed Mar 14, 2018 1:00 pm

wco81 wrote:Problem with giving Curry rest is that KD's usage rate goes way up. So even if he wasn't playing more minutes, he's taking more injury risk as well as wear and tear.

That may happen, but KD is a big boy. If other superstars can do it the entire season, KD can do it for 2 weeks.
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Re: Biggest threat to Warriors in Western Conference Finals 

Post#53 » by wco81 » Wed Mar 14, 2018 6:09 pm

Conflicting reports about Klay with a sprained thumb.

Some sources say he will be re-evaluated 3/22.

But no word about him not playing tonite.

One site speculates that thumb is broken, not just sprained.
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Re: Biggest threat to Warriors in Western Conference Finals 

Post#54 » by Outside » Thu Mar 15, 2018 8:47 am

Houston is a legitimate threat. They're playing exceptionally well, and their confidence is off the charts. Toronto is far better than in previous years also.

Health is obviously the number one issue for the Warriors. Curry would probably be playing if this were the playoffs, but it's really concerning how often he's tweaked that ankle this year. He had that one bad sprain, and it's been vulnerable every since. To win the title, they need Steph.

Having said that, if the Warriors are healthy, I like their chances against anyone. On Houston's roster, I believe only Ariza has a championship. Harden and Paul are great players, but there's an element of doubt about whether they can do it in the postseason. Same with D'Antoni. The Warriors, on the other hand, have championship experience to spare. That's not a guarantee, but it's a definite edge.

Houston wants home court advantage far more than the Warriors. The Rockets really, really want it, while it would be nice for the Warriors but getting healed up and fresh for the postseason run is a far bigger priority.

The thing is, home court advantage would put immediate pressure on the Rockets to win games 1 and 2. If the Warriors take one game in Houston and hold serve in Oakland, they're in control. If they win game 1, the Rockets would tighten up big time.

If it's 2-2 through four games, we've got ourselves a series. I'm betting on a healthy Warriors team, but Houston is good enough that they've got a chance even if the Warriors are healthy. Titles are not a given, even for a team as historically good as the Warriors.

We'll see what Harden and Paul are made of.
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Re: Biggest threat to Warriors in Western Conference Finals 

Post#55 » by wco81 » Thu Mar 15, 2018 8:57 pm

We're getting a good look the reserves with all the injuries now.

Looney finishes pretty well but you can tell he has no explosiveness at all. One time, he was trying to post Lonzo and he lost his balance and Lonzo blocked the ball easily. In general, he can get his shot up by pump faking but he definitely has to gather.

Javale just panics in situations. Like KD passes him the ball in the lane and he passes it back to KD who's out of bounds. Or that time after a basket, he tried to inbound the ball when the other team has possession after a made basket. Shaq mocked him, kind of portraying him as dumb. I don't think Javale is dumb, because he hosts these little video sessions called Parking Lot Chronicles on KD's Youtube channel. He's pretty articulate and sounds knowledgeable.

So I have to attribute his brain-lock plays to just panicking. Of course Zaza doesn't have a fraction of Javale's athleticism but he's smarter and has been more useful the last couple of games.

Livingston had a real good game, and looked more for his shot, instead of looking to defer. Hopefully his body holds up and he's able to continue being aggressive and lively.

Bell hasn't looked explosive until that one dunk with someone defending him. Good sign.
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Re: Biggest threat to Warriors in Western Conference Finals 

Post#56 » by Little Digger » Mon Mar 19, 2018 12:20 am

If we do lose to Houston, Can we strip Lacob of his ownership and take away Myers GM trophy?
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Re: Biggest threat to Warriors in Western Conference Finals 

Post#57 » by KidPistol » Wed Mar 21, 2018 11:07 am

It’s honestly looking like Houston has a chance especially with the way Harden’s been playing this year. I can’t help but to look back at the Houston-Spurs series and see that Harden pretty much gave up on his team but I also can acknowledge that this is a new year and a new team. It also doesn’t help that CP3 is playing some of his best basketball ever. If I’m a betting man, I bet on the Dubs but I wouldn’t be totally surprised if this ends up being Houston’s year.

Houston compliments themselves so well. Great shooters, great role players, solid defenders, no egos... Everyone plays their roles. Should be a fun series to watch and if Golden State loses, well then we retool for next year.
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Re: Biggest threat to Warriors in Western Conference Finals 

Post#58 » by Money_ » Wed Mar 21, 2018 3:50 pm

Curry, Thompson, Durant > Harden, Paul, Gordon

Green>Ariza

The C and the reserve match ups will be interesting.
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Re: Biggest threat to Warriors in Western Conference Finals 

Post#59 » by Impuniti » Wed Mar 21, 2018 6:12 pm

Little Digger wrote:If we do lose to Houston, Can we strip Lacob of his ownership and take away Myers GM trophy?

I'd rather we just hire Jerry back and give him.. as IT put it.. brinks truck with money. :oops:
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Re: Biggest threat to Warriors in Western Conference Finals 

Post#60 » by Mylie10 » Thu Mar 22, 2018 2:51 pm

Impuniti wrote:
Little Digger wrote:If we do lose to Houston, Can we strip Lacob of his ownership and take away Myers GM trophy?

I'd rather we just hire Jerry back and give him.. as IT put it.. brinks truck with money. :oops:


Its a moot point because Jerry wants to be close to home now. He is at that age where he can't handle a lot of travel. He looks great for his age, but lets be honest, he's on the brink.

Myers is fine. His problem was listening to the players (Javale and KD specifically) about Swaggy. I doubt that will happen again unless its a no brainer stud.
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