Are Warriors that unbeatable?
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 28 Sep 2018
For sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers in their NBA finals encounter last season, reigning titlist Golden State Warriors are odds-on picks to repeat this coming 2K19 and win their first three-peat of what could be a multiple three straight championship conquest.
Fans, in fact, have already written off the opposition as early as when the free agency was barely over and training camp just started on way to the season opening mid-October.
The Warriors have won three of the last four NBA plums and with the addition of of DeMarcus Cousins to their murderous 2018 roster, coach Steve Kerr and his boys are seen to continue collecting titles for as long as they want to.
That seems to be the view from where one sits.
The debate going on is not whether which team is capable of taking the Warriors away from their throne but rather which of the rest of the field can salvage a victory or two against Steph Curry, Kevin Durant and company.
Based on the activities that went on this summer, there are still a few experts who believe the opposition can pull the rugs from under the Warriors? feet. They?re not unbeatable. They could be upset.
Not a few, for instance, believe that had it not for Chris Paul?s injury, the Houston Rockets could have beaten the Warriors for the Western Conference finals last season and represent the division against the Cavs for all the marbles.
The Rockets, however, lost Trevor Ariza and Mbah a Moute in the pre-season and although they added Carmelo Anthony, it is doubted if he can fill in the void. Houston still has reigning MVP James Harden, point guard Paul and the up-and-coming Clint Capela.
It?s been said that making it to the finals in the East is a lot easier than advancing in the West. This makes the Warriors? road dangerous to tread. For the simple reason that the Boston Celtics are tagged the beast of the East.
And should, as expected, the Celts make the finals and Gordon Hayward and Jayson Tatum continue getting better, expect, too, coach Brad Stevens? genius to get in the way of the kids from the Bay Area.
If breaks go the Philadelphia way like Joel Embiid staying healthy to become MVP candidate, Ben Simmons learns to shoot and Markelle Fultz contributes as he?s expected to, the Sixers will have has as much talent as almost anybody.
Anthony Davis is amazing and considered by as the best player in the NBA today or, if not yet, as soon as this season. He?s a stud, and he could carry the Pelicans to as far as beating the Warriors. Tricky, but possible.
The Los Angeles Lakers? Well, they?re LeBron James? team now. Never mind Rajon Rondo, JaVale McGee, Lance Stephenson joining him. LeBron is still LeBron. He only managed to best the Warriors once with Cleveland. A second time is not that remote a possibility.
Kawhi Leonard is, hopefuly, healthy and could regain the status of being a top-five player in the NBA at his best as a Raptor. With Kyle Lowry at the point, Toronto could be as deep as any team in the league.
Depth doesn?t matter much in the playoffs, but maybe new Raptors coach, Nick Nurse, can figure out how to use his bench to his advantage against Golden State.
To complete the list of 10 teams that, maybe, can give the title defending Warriors a scare the coming season, include, too, the Milwaukee Bucks, the Utah Jazz, the Denver Nuggets and the San Antonio Spurs.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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