No one expected the Golden State Warriors to be where they are now. Eight games into the season, they’re in a three-way tie for first place in the Western Conference standings. Having defeated the Boston Celtics Wednesday night, the Warriors are putting many around the league and NBA media on notice with their 7-1 record. ESPN NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins even went so far as to say how far he thinks the Warriors can go this season, and it’s surprisingly far.
NBA Analyst Dubs Warriors Western Conference Finals Contenders
NBA Analyst Kendrick Perkins Believes ‘Ferocious’ Warriors Can Go Deep this Season
The fallout over losing Klay Thompson in free agency had many picking the Warriors to struggle this season. Possibly even missing the playoffs altogether. Well, unless you don’t get up for the NBA until after Christmas, you might not know that the Warriors are absolutely clicking. They are not only playing above expectations but also sitting at the top of the West, tied with the Phoenix Suns and Oklahoma City Thunder with matching 7-1 records. The Thunder being up there? Not surprising. How about the Suns also being up there? While maybe slightly surprising, not dumbfoundedly so. But the Warriors, that is a total surprise.
This new version of the Warriors is playing so well that on ESPN’s NBA Today, Perkins remarked that he would not be surprised if they make it to the Western Conference Finals.
“…I’m telling you, watching the Golden State Warriors, the way that they pick up 94 feet, they get physical, communicating the switches, from Moses Moody to Andrew Wiggins to Jonathan Kuminga, they are ferocious defensively. And look, they did an outstanding job last night without [Brandin] Podziemski…I would not be surprised if this team makes it to the Western Conference Finals. I would not be surprised at all.”
A conference finals trip for the Warriors would have to include maintainability and sustainability across the board throughout the season. Can they keep this current play up? Who knows? Will Buddy Hield keep shooting the lights out? Again, who knows? What if the Warriors make a massive splash trade later on? It’s certainly being talked about.
Reaching WCF Means Player Consistency
Perkins mentioned a few of the Warriors players in his remarks: Moses Moody, Jonathan Kuminga, and Andrew Wiggins. These players are all pieces of the Warriors puzzle that will need to play up to their expectations if the Warriors have any shot of a deep playoff run. The same goes for Hield, Brandin Podziemski, and, of course, Steph Curry. In the event Golden State does indeed land a superstar via trade, as many in the NBA media suspect they will, the expectations will only rise higher.
Nevertheless, it’s kind of remarkable that without Thompson around, the Warriors are where they are right now, and a lost season doesn’t appear to be a talking point. Hield’s immediate scoring outburst has played a huge role. Whether the conference finals are realistic or not, only time will tell. In any case, Curry has to be elated by his team’s present play and winning ways. Maintaining those elements will be crucial as the season progresses.
