Warriors, the dynasty that refuses to disappear in the NBA
Golden State recovered after suffering in the middle of the campaign and with Jimmy Butler will be a threat in NBA playoffs.
On February 6, the Golden State Warriors They lost before Los Angeles Lakers And they had a record below .500: 25-26, to fall to the tenth position in the West Conference, the last one that gives access to the play-in, so the ghosts of the previous season reappeared, because in that same position they were eliminated by the Sacramento Kings.
It was a nightmare for a team that, having lost Klay Thompson In the summer, he had begun with a 12-3 at the top of the sector, by the hand of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green And a group of young people who dreamed of reliving the glories of just a couple of years ago.
However, reality reached them and that brand was transformed into a 15-15 on December 27, to begin to navigate in mediocrity and raise the doubt if one of the most winning times in the history of the League had come to an end with the separation of the Splash Brothers.
However, that same February 6, the directive decided to bet in great Jimmy Butler In Miami and incidentally, get a veteran who also knows how to win.
In negotiation, Golden State lost DEnnis Schroderwhom he had signed on December 15, also to Andrew Wigginsone of the keys to the title of 2022, in addition to distribution actors such as Kyle Anderson or Lindy Waters, and a couple of collegial teams.
The movement paid off, after the weekend of the stars, which was held precisely in the bay, the team of Steve Kerr He went from a record of 28-27 to one of 47-33 and climbed in the west, from that risk of being out of the play-in to heading to the playoffs, as a real threat to the rest of the association.
It is the nth reinvention of a franchise that refuses to lose its status in the elite and that has done so with Kerr’s usual tranquility because between the head quintet of that February 6 and the one who faced Rockets on April 6, a couple of months later, there were only two novelties: Butler’s by Buddy Hield and Mosses Moody for Quinten post.
What seemed to be the decline of a dynasty is now transformed into a concern for the rest of the definition, because Oklahoma City Thunder or Houston Rockets, which leads the west, do not have the experience of these Warriors, while the Los Angeles Lakers or Denver Nuggets know that in a long series control Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler and avoid the Dryamond Green’s defensive will not be simple.
One of the keys to the recovery of Golden State has been the usual formula, that of the triples, because despite losing Thompson he has improved the success in the long-distance shots in each game, from 14.8 in 2023-24 to 15.4 this season, with curry in his usual average of 4.5, but with the help of Hield, post, Moody and Brandin Podziemki, not lower the rhythm.
Although they are not among the best offensives in the League (17th with 113.9 points) this adjustment has led them to improve on the other side, with the best defensive eighth, which allows 110.6 units each duel, a big difference with respect to 115.2 of 2023-24, thanks to Green’s usual work, but also to the sum of Butler, which collaborates in that line.
The newcomer from Miami has not modified its statistics too much, after the first 25 games of the year with the Heat registered 17 points, 4.8 assists and 5.2 rebounds per meeting, but after 28 games in California added 17.3, 5.8 and 5.7, respectively, but immediately adapted to what its new uniform demands.
His arrival has also enhanced Curry, who had 37 goals that February 6 against Lakers, but then he has had performances of 56 on the 27th of that same month against Orlando, 40 against Brooklyn on March 6 and 52 against Memphis to start April (days after having turned 37), facing less double brands.
But beyond, from Butler, Curry and Green, the young people of Golden State have also taken a step forward, Moody, 22 years old and has improved the attack, Jonathan Kuminaof the same age contributes 15.6 units and the post -rookie also gets minutes thanks to its defensive.
Although no one has grown more since February than Podziemski, who stayed with the place of guard with Curry and that in his second year he has improved his annotations (from 9.2 to 11.5), after joining the headlines by coinciding with Butler’s arrival to the dressing room.
“Brandin is the biggest beneficiary of Jimmy change, they have a great connection, Jimmy makes everyone better, but above all he has done with him, Brandin is playing with the confidence that arrives by having more than 30 minutes every night in your second year in the league,” Kerr said after an performance of 28 Podziemski points in La Victoria against Lakers on April 3.
The other Warriors reinventions
Since the Warriors claimed the throne in 2014-15 they have found a way to make the necessary adjustments to maintain prominence, with movements that made the difference, as they hope it will happen with Butler to get the fifth championship in a decade.
After the title of 2014-15, in which Andre Iguodala left his post in the bank to be a starter and be the most valuable by beating the Cavaliers in the finals, the Warriors suffered the revenge of Cleveland, which was down 1-3 in the decisive instance of the NBA, but found a way to keep the ring.
During that preseason of 2016, they signed Kevin Durant As a free agent, for two years and 54.3 million dollars, to have another weapon, although that meant the goodbye of Harrison Barnes and win the antipathy of the rest of the association for attracting a piece of one of its rivals in the west, the Oklahoma City Thunder.
With KD they won two consecutive scepters, both of Cavs and still had a trip to the finals of 2019, in which they fell to Toronto Raptors, after suffering the injuries of Durant and Thompson during that series; With Kevin’s departure to Nets, a couple of campaigns without playoffs arrived in the bay.
For the 2021-22 they finally had Klay Thompson back, after an absence of 31 months and that freed a team that had added Wiggins in February 2020 (in 2022 it was All-Star) and that had recruited in the draft to Kumina and Moody, all to defeat in the finals the finals to the Boston Celtics.
For the 2023-24 they lost to Iguodala, who retired and got to Chris Paul In a exchange for Jordan Poolewith Washington, although the veteran Movedor did not work and the Warriors were left without postseason; While this summer left Thompson, in December Schröder arrived and in February he left for Butler’s arrival.
Jimmy’s landing is the last great movement of the Warriors, who refuse to stop fighting for the title in the NBA, who are not afraid to make great changes because they know that the moment of reconstruction will begin until Curry and Green leave, meanwhile they are a threat to the rest.
