On Thursday, February 15, the Golden State Warriors went into the Delta Center in Salt Lake City and hung 140 points on the Utah Jazz without the benefit of overtime. It was a dominant offensive performance from a Warriors squad many have called “washed up” or “over the hill”. Furthermore, the resurgent Warriors team has been on something of a hot streak as of late, winning 6 of their last 7. So, it begs the question: Are the Warriors back in playoff consideration?
Resurgent Golden State Warriors win 6 of 7
Background
The Golden State Warriors are the most decorated franchise of the last 10 years. Between 2015 and 2023, they appeared in 6 of a possible 9 finals and won 4 titles. Their top 3 players, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green are all surefire 1st-ballot hall of famers. However, a disappointing start to the season and a myriad of off-the-court troubles have led many to cast doubt on the embattled veterans.
The primary source of the trouble has been Green. Green has jumped from controversy to controversy this season. First, he put Rudy Gobert in a Roddy Piper-style Sleeper Hold during a fight. He received an indefinite suspension for that one (actually 16 games). Then, he hit an Eddie Kingston-style spinning backfist on Jusuf Nurkic during a Suns-Warriors game. He reportedly threatened to retire, only for league commissioner, Adam Silver. to personally talk him out of it. So, it has been a rollercoaster of a season for Green. This is a major problem as Green is the engine of the Warriors’ offense. While Green was suspended, Steph averaged 23.3 PPG. Since Green returned, Steph is averaging 32.5 PPG. Draymond needs to be on the court for the Warriors to win. Unfortunately, Green’s penchant for fighting has gotten in the way of that often. He has only played 29 games out of a possible 53 for just a 55 games played percentage.
Recent Hot Streak
On February 3, Curry put up 60 points in 41 minutes against the Atlanta Hawks. Unfortunately, this historic performance was not enough as the Warriors ultimately lost in overtime 141-134. After this disappointing outcome, the Warriors dropped to 21-25. Many in the NBA world declared that the Warriors dynasty was over, that their best days were firmly behind them.
However, the Warriors seemed to disagree. They soon ripped off 5 wins in a row, including an impressive primetime victory against the playoff Suns that was won off a Draymond steal. After a close 130-125 loss to the championship contender LA Clippers, they finished strong before the All-Star break with the aforementioned 140-137 victory over the Jazz.
Resurgent Warriors Future
Things are suddenly looking up for the embattled aged veterans. Thompson finally looked like his old All-Star self with a 35 point performance against the Utah Jazz. Green put up an efficient 23 points/5 rebounds/5 assist performance in the same game. After that Jazz game, the Warriors now sit at 27-26 and solidly in the play-ins, 2.5 games ahead of their closest competitors, which happen to be the Jazz. While this may not look like the record of a top contender at first glance, everyone should be on the lookout for the Warriors in the playoffs.
They have the “heart of a champion.” They’ve been there and won it all before (4 times in fact). They’re turning back the clock and putting it all together at just the right time. Thompson seems to be adapting well to his bench role. Curry is still just as much of a superstar as he ever was. Green has been the engine of the offense and the primary shotcaller on defense since his return. The ranks have been bolstered by emerging young talents like the newly-crowned starter Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody, and Jonathan Kuminga. Coach Steve Kerr has been scheming and has finally started playing the aforementioned young talents more often. That change has been very good for the Warriors as Podz and Kuminga have broken out to become stars.
While they’ve had a rough start to the season, you can’t count the Warriors out. The innovators of the motion offense and the 3-point revolution should never be taken lightly. Even if they are no longer the young, rising team they once were, Steph, Klay, and Dray still got it. Anyone who underestimates these resurgent Warriors in the playoff might have a rude awakening when the games start.
