Golden State isn’t quite a lock to reach Finals
It’s always amusing to watch the NBA try to legislate against success. Commissioner Adam Silver has inherited the obsession of his predecessor, David Stern, in cracking down on “super teams” for the sake of parity, and the new collective bargaining agreement reflects disdain for what the Warriors have so carefully built.
Never mind that the league’s popularity was built by dominant teams, or that the national audience would detest a
landscape of widespread mediocrity. Imagine a history written without tales of Bill Russell’s Celtics, the Magic Johnson-Larry Bird rivalry, the Kobe Bryant-Shaquille O’Neal dynamic, or the intensely riveting presence of Michael Jordan and LeBron James when championships are decided.
At the onset of the season, the Warriors seemed destined to join that lofty company, bound for a second title in three years with the acquisition of Kevin Durant (and by the way, someone inform Silver and the league’s irritable owners that the Warriors were honestly constructed, through the draft, trades and free agency). Only LeBron’s Cavaliers seemed a worthy match, and so it was written: WarriorsCleveland in the Finals, with the regular season merely a lengthy prelude.
Things have changed, dramatically, in recent days. Weekly “power rankings” have become a staple among the league’s insiders. This week, not one of them listed the Warriors No. 1. In fact, nobody had them higher than third. These aren’t down-the-line forecasts or big-picture assessments, rather how the teams stand right now — and among five outlets, there were two first-place votes for Cleveland, two for the Houston Rockets and one for the San Antonio Spurs.
It’s really nothing more than sports-bar talk, but as we near the season’s halfway point, the Western Conference standings are very real — and somewhat ominous, from the Warriors’ standpoint.
This team hasn’t run away from anyone. San Antonio and Houston are just 2½ games back. And here’s why it matters: If the Warriors top the West, they’ll draw the No. 8 seed and an automatic firstround breeze against Portland, Sacramento, New Orleans, Denver or whoever else emerges from that paltry mess.
Should the Warriors finish No. 2 or 3, thus drawing the seventh or sixth seed, that could be Oklahoma City, Utah, Memphis or the Clippers. You’d have to pick the Warriors against any of those teams, but who needs the aggravation of a tense, energysapping series right off the bat? Facing the Grizzlies of Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph and Mike Conley is about the last matchup the Warriors want at the moment.
The Rockets really bear watching in the second half. Very quickly, they’ve gone from James Harden’s ballhogging tedium to a legitimate powerhouse that illuminates all the current trends: speed, ball movement, three-point shooting and pick-and-roll mastery. Harden is the centerpiece, now the most dangerous point guard in the league, and his teammates’ long-range shooting (notably from Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon) creates a brand of spacing that allows Harden to thrive.
(Russell Westbrook might be superior to Harden as an individual, and people underestimate Stephen Curry’s ongoing brilliance as he becomes more of a true point guard, but Harden is the No. 1 MVP candidate right now, from a teamwork standpoint. He can shoot from anywhere, he’s a brilliant passer and he lives at the free-throw line.)
San Antonio, meanwhile, looks sweetly familiar for anyone who appreciates the game’s finer points. While the Warriors struggle to find a halfcourt set that functions properly under pressure, the Spurs haven’t missed a beat in Tim Duncan’s absence — and they have risen to No. 1 in defensive efficiency. It seems a mirage that Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili remain so influential, but the two of them carry an ageless look at the moment — and coach Gregg Popovich, always good for an under-the-radar discovery, might have found another one in Latvian rookie Davis Bertans, the backup power forward who scored 21 points (including four three-pointers) against Charlotte on Saturday night.
This is a relatively quiet stretch for the Warriors, with Miami and Detroit spaced over a six-day period, but Monday brings Cleveland to Oracle Arena. People will offer up the usual “meaningless” nonsense, but that doesn’t apply to the big regular-season matchups. The Warriors need to see the Cleveland offense with new acquisition Kyle Korver involved. They need to give LeBron and his buddies a few fresh concerns. An unhappy ending — especially if it means confusion during a tight finish — will bring only more scrutiny.
And the big picture? Bright as could be. Superiority, star power and widespread fan appeal at the NBA summit. Fortunately, there are things that the commissioner and his ownership cronies cannot control.