Pro sports coverage loves to hop on big markets because apparently everything outside of LA and New York doesn’t matter. It sounds stupid because it is. Yet some teams are better off as dark horses: like the Golden State Warriors. The Oakland outfit don a 16-8 record and beat nine of their last 11 opponents including wins against the Brooklyn Nets, Denver Nuggets and an away victory over the Sodom and Gomorrah Heat. Raj, creator of the “NorBel” nickname we know and love, must’ve believed in them again after that night.
Head coach Mark Jackson may have finally cracked the code to the team’s young core. Stephen Curry’s playing like he wants in on the elite PG debate. Turns out getting Monta out of town lets Curry cook like he’s supposed. David Lee, known to Shaq as White Chris Webber, shares leadership duties and his form sees him as one of the game’s best 4’s. Klay Thompson’s inconsistent J and high volume shooting hurts their momentum but he’s a game-changer when he’s on. Rookie Harrison Barnes can be tentative but his top performances also coincide to a few of their wins thus far.
Jarret Jack and Carl Landy lead the Warrior’s bench well and often pick up the slack for their starting counterparts. So, as you can see, Golden State is a pretty tough matchup when everyone’s on the same page. Bogut’s impending return ought to provide the interior defense they’ve needed. Then again the jury’s still out on that Tinsley what-if scenario.
Teams with talented, relatively youthful rosters also tend to hit walls at some point or another: word to Philly, Houston and Portland this year. The Warriors obviously play better than the aforementioned lot now. The point remains, though. Is GState’s run a case of adopting a winning culture? Or are they another club with a hot start bound to fizzle out?
Either way it’s easy to see they won’t need BasedGod’s services anytime soon.