Lets talk about the Golden State Warriors.
How many people, before the season began, thought that this team could make the playoffs without a healthy Andrew Bogut anchoring its defense? If the number reads more than zero, then we have some liars in our hands because lets face it: no one thought that the Warriors would be good enough in the Western Conference if they couldn’t play defense. Without Bogut’s availability, there was no reason to assume that they would suddenly be able to get stops with a core of Stephen Curry, David Lee, Klay Thompson and a couple of rookies in the starting lineup.
Yet, that’s what happened in the first half of the season. They defended and rebounded the way winning teams would. Maybe it was fluke, because as the season went on, it all reverted back to past years, as they allowed anyone and everyone to shoot freely and attack the rim at will. They limped into the All-Star break with a five-game losing streak, and lost 10-of-13 games to fall back in the standings. It was hard-pressed to find a team that played worse defense in the second half of the season than the Warriors.
Brooklyn or bust! ‘
