Jerry West Says Everyone Is ‘Playing For Second Place’ Against The Warriors

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The Golden State Warriors capped off their second title in three years back in June with one of the most dominant postseason runs in NBA history, and not only did they keep their core intact, they somehow managed to get even better this summer. Meanwhile, their number one foil, the Cleveland Cavaliers, are on the brink of descending into utter chaos.

Barring some unforeseen catastrophe, the Warriors appear poised to rule the league for years to come, and though most rival players, coaches, and team brass around the NBA won’t admit it publicly, at least one high-profile exec isn’t pulling any punches about how good Golden State is. Here’s what NBA legend Jerry West had to say in an interview with Tim Kawakami of The Athletic:

Clearly, West still has great affection and interest in the Warriors – he said he’s hoping they win several more titles and declared that the Warriors are so dominant that “everyone’s playing for second place right now.”

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“There are too many players there,” West told The Athletic. “They’re all in the prime of their careers. To me the best years of a player’s life are from 28 to 33. I just think that these guys are going to get better as a team.”

West, of course, was an executive with the Warriors for six seasons before taking a position as an adviser to the Los Angeles Clippers this summer, and he’s obviously under no illusions that his new team is in a position to challenge Golden State, especially with Chris Paul joining the Rockets.

There are a couple of teams in the Western Conference, however, that have gotten significantly better, and that includes Houston with its back-court duo of Paul and James Harden. Even OKC has made a huge leap by adding Paul George. Still, neither of those teams pose any real threat to Golden State next season, so the Logo might be right that the Warriors’ stranglehold on the league won’t be letting up anytime soon.

(The Athletic)

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