How it's possible for the warriors to win the Championship this year.

by MAZarate21 on Mar 28, 2008 10:57 AM PDT Comment 29 comments

Most would agree that the warriors are missing a few pieces from being a championship contender, but with a little luck, it is possible for them this season.

The worst possible matchups for the warriors in the playoffs are obviously Utah and San Antonio and then the Lakers. Looking at the standings, the warriors can avoid these teams if they eliminate each other.

Currently, todays standings are as follows:

Team      GB
1.     * New Orleans     --
2.     * LA Lakers     1.0
3.     Houston     1.0
4.     * Utah     3.0
5.     San Antonio     1.0
6.     Phoenix     2.5
7.     Dallas     5.0
8.     Golden State     5.5
9.     Denver     6.0

The warriors can definitely play with New Orleans, Houston, Phoenix, and of course Dallas so if we played the Hornets in the first round, we can upset them despite David West's size because Nellie's so good at exposing superstar vulnerabilities and will do so with Chris Paul the same way he does with Nash and Dirk.

Therefore, the perfect playoff scenario at the end of the regular season for the warriors would be as follows:

Team
1.     New Orleans
2.     San Antonio
3.     LA Lakers
4.     Utah
5.     Houston
6.     Phoenix
7.     Dallas
8.     Golden State

(Let's hope that Denver gets eliminated since we matchup better against Dallas)

-Golden State beats New Orleans in the first round.
-Dallas beats San Antonio with a healthy Dirk back and Kidd finds his groove in the Mavs system.(This is an even year so don't expect the Spurs to repeat as champs.)
-Phoenix beats LA and Shaq gets his revenge once again.
-Houston avenges last years elimination to beat Utah and T-mac finally loses his 2nd round virginity.

Rnd 2 would look like this:
Golden State vs Houston
Dallas vs Phoenix

Golden State can play with Houston who would've been lower in the playoff seeding had they not had their 22 game win streak full of easy teams and tough teams with missing superstars.

A Dallas and Phoenix series would be interesting after both made blockbuster trades, but for hollywood's sake, let's say Dallas takes it in 7 for a rematch against the Dubs in the Western Conference finals.

Western Conference Finals looks like this:
Golden State vs Dallas

Real NBA fans know the main reason why Phoenix traded for Shaq. They had no answer for Tim Duncan with their current roster so Shaq was worth the gamble. That is the exact same reason Dallas went after Jason Kidd. Their old roster with Devin Harris couldn't match up with the Warriors. With J Kidd, they can now handle Baron's strength at the Pt. Guard position.

Similar to last years playoffs, the Warriors can still beat Dallas but it would take them 7 games this time since Kidd's there.

Ideal Championship would then look like this:
Warriors vs Cavs (After LeBron eliminates the Celtics in the east finals)

Warriors defeat Cavs in 5 the same way they won against the Bullets in the 70s. Against all odds and to prove to everyone in the world that...

WE BELIEVE!!!

This FanPost is a submission from a member of the mighty Golden State of Mind community. While we're all here to throw up that W, these words do not necessarily reflect the views of the GSoM Crew. Still, chances are the preceding post is Unstoppable Baby!

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Nice work!

Now I finally know who to root for in the games ahead! (aside from the dubs of course)

by silence da haters on Mar 28, 2008 11:02 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

beautiful...

well done! Also, the only team I'm really worried about is Utah. While I disagree with them, Sports Illustrated had the Spurs as the best matchup for the Warriors because they couldn't slow us down. we're unstoppable baby against everyone, baby!

by bradyk2 on Mar 28, 2008 11:08 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Bill Simmons

said the same thing, that the Spurs are a good matchup for us. I think there might be some truth to it because they can't guard Baron and Jax as well as the Lakers (Kobe, Odom) and Jazz (Deron, AK47), but I wouldn't go so far to say that the Spurs are a "good" matchup for us. Any team with a legit low-post threat gives us problems. It's probably more like Spurs aren't a good matchup for us, but a lot better than Lakers or Jazz.

It's almost like the Warriors have 6 guys out there... they always have a guy open! - Jon Barry commentating game 3 last year

by gsw4life on Mar 28, 2008 3:33 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

We had a chance to win the Championship last year

We had a chance to win the Championship last year as well, but Tracy McGrady ruined it all for us. T-Mac and his Rockets had home court against the Jazz for Game 7, had the lead late in the 4th quarter, and still lost.

Imagine if the Warriors played the Rockets in the 2nd round instead of the Jazz. The Rockets had no depth that season and the world would have witnessed the Warriors running Yao out of the building. I think the Warriors would have won a series against the Rockets. We would have made the WCF and no one would be calling us a fluke. Instead, we lose in the 2nd round to Utah and people start saying that the Warriors can only succeed in the playoffs if they play against Dallas. That would have changed if we played against Houston, because if we beat Houston then people would notice that this "fluke" team advanced all the way to the WCF and that their small ball made a 7'6" player almost irrelevant. It would have proved that the Warriors are really good, and that it doesn't matter how tall their opponents are.

If we met the Suns in the WCF then damn, I like the chances of GS going to the Finals. If it's the Spurs then who knows, Baron and Jackson owns Parker and Ginobili. They would have just had to worry about containing Duncan.

And I think the Warriors would have beaten the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. An 8th seed winning the championship!!!!!! WOO!!!!!!

by Five Ten Entertainment on Mar 28, 2008 11:13 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Problem with that is

Spurs owned us like Utah last year. Yeah, they are showing some age this year, but last year I don't think we did very well against them.

One can wish though.

by WilliamVanLandingham on Mar 28, 2008 12:26 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah I know

But it still would have been an accomplishment to have an 8th seed make it to the WCF. People wouldn't be calling us a fluke like they do now. There would be no shame in losing to a dynasty in the WCF.

Instead, we beat the best team in the league but lost to a team that many people were considering to be a mediocre team. Many people were thinking, "Man, how in the world does GS beat the best team in the league and lose to the Jazz? The Warriors are a fluke, they can only succeed if they go against Dallas".

If anything, it would have been great if the Warriors faced the Rockets and advanced to the WCF to lose to the Spurs. They would have at least proved that they can beat teams other than Dallas and go far in the postseason. It's not even that much of a stretch, the Rockets were only 1 win away from advancing to the 2nd round to face Golden State. Oh well.

by Five Ten Entertainment on Mar 28, 2008 12:43 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Don't forget about the Knicks...

The Knicks were an 8th seed in the late 90s and went to the championship. They struggled early as they needed time to mesh with their new players like Sprewell and Camby, but over time, they started playing better than their record really was.

That's the same way the warriors were last season. Their record didn't really reflect how good they were because half of that record was the result of the murphleavy days.

by MAZarate21 on Mar 28, 2008 12:51 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

So you've got every favorite losing every time?

Yeah, that seems likely. As evidenced by our record against everybody except Utah, we won't really care who we play. LA might be tough because they should have Bynum/Gasol back. Other than that, it's the same old story from all season. We can beat anybody. We can lose to anybody.

Also, we weren't exactly playing powerhouses in Jan to mid March. You know what? We lost to a lot of bad teams in there (Minny, Indy, Chicago, Atlanta, Charlotte), so discounting Houston's winning streak is stupid. Additionally, they still had to play a tougher sked than us the rest of the season with 4 games against each of San Antonio, Dallas, and New Orleans.

As for the Warriors' chances in the playoffs? I dunno, I'm hoping for at least 6 games.

by Dubs fan in Boston on Mar 28, 2008 11:29 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

There's no such thing as a favorite in the west.

With the west being such a tight race, no team is a clear cut favorite so the seedings don't really represent how strong that team really is.

Everyone thinks the Lakers are the team to beat with Pau, but one thing they're forgetting about that's really important is chemistry. Bynum and Gasol have yet to play together. Why do you think the USA squad has struggled in the olympics as of late? Why do you think Phoenix and Dallas struggled after their blockbuster trades?

Chemistry is one thing the warriors do not have to worry about.

by MAZarate21 on Mar 28, 2008 12:09 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yes, things are close in the West

But the diary writer has EVERY single lower seed winning. Every one. The higher seeds have home court advantage (except Utah, I think, somebody help me out here). If you take a look at the standings, many of the teams have significantly better home vs. road records. So it stands to reason that the team with more home games is likely to win at least one of the 7 series. It's not as unreasonable as predicting the Celtics to lose in the first round, but it's still highly, highly unlikely.

My other point was that it doesn't matter who we're playing. We "match up" against everybody except Utah and maybe LA.

by Dubs fan in Boston on Mar 28, 2008 12:26 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Playing devil's advocate is good for discussion

It's true that home court advantage plays a huge difference in the playoffs, but less of a role when teams are all so close in level of play.

It is highly unlikely to expect the road team to win every series in the west, but noone expects a ~50 win team to miss the playoffs either.

Anything is possible if WE BELIEVE!!!

And we don't match up well against the spurs. We beat them twice. Once without Duncan and the other was an overtime thriller. In a 7 game series, their matchups will prevail.

by MAZarate21 on Mar 28, 2008 12:39 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Fine...

It's also possible that we buzzsaw through a healthy (both physically and chemically healthy) Lakers team, Utah, and San Antonio on our way to sweeping the Celtics. Likely? Not really.

by Dubs fan in Boston on Mar 28, 2008 12:54 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

And I think Phoenix and Dallas stuggled...

Because they were dumb trades. Let's see...

Phoenix: A jack-of-all-trades guy who's our best defender and best rebounder for an old guy who's been riding the bench for 3 weeks because of an injury. Let's do it!

Dallas: A lightning quick young guard who plays good defense and fills his role of a distributor and spot scorer, a guy who's going to immediately return to us (oops, did I say that out loud? Crap.)... err... I mean... $20M in the form of this guy we picked off the street, and a few draft picks for an over the hill PG who's too slow to be a great defender anymore and can't shoot a jumpshot to save his life? Yeah baby!

On the other hand,

Lakers: You want to give us an All-Star PF (when we just lost our center for most of the season) for that rookie riding pine and 2 high 20s draft picks, and this expiring contract? HAHA... You're joking right? Really? OK, thanks!

by Dubs fan in Boston on Mar 28, 2008 12:34 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

hehehe

in a nutshell...

by RubberDubDubs on Mar 28, 2008 11:54 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Why we might not make it

The few pieces we're missing are:

A Good and Reliable Post Threat
Defense
Rebounding
Consistency
Slow Tempo Game

We don't have any of these. I find it hard for us to make it to the WCF. 1st Round is a possibility, but if we play the Lakers, Jazz, or Spurs then it'll be tough for the dubs to get through.

by ejdacanay on Mar 28, 2008 11:59 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

what are you talking about

biedrins provides all of that.

by Iggy_Zohn on Mar 28, 2008 12:12 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

lol

so because of 1 guy we have all of those? -_-

once a team slows down the temp via Lakers, Jazz, Spurs, Celtics then we give it to Beans? c'mon man be unbiased and reasonable.

by ejdacanay on Mar 28, 2008 12:19 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

LOL!!!

You obviously don't know Iggy very well.

by Dubs fan in Boston on Mar 28, 2008 12:22 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Your answers still aren't any better

EOM. Beans is our best option down low. A rookie is not going to be any better next year, and all of the viable Beans replacements are locked up long term at $10M+ on other teams. Unless you want to trade Beans for Rasho Nesterovic (he makes $8M this season)

by Dubs fan in Boston on Mar 28, 2008 12:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Heh...

I left EOM there. Ignore that part.

by Dubs fan in Boston on Mar 28, 2008 12:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

NO I disagree

Kevin Love is what we need, right Iggy? Big, SLOW, unathletic, who can throw a good inbounds pass

Pray for the guy

by B Randon on Mar 28, 2008 1:55 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Whooo-eeee!!

Man, can that kid throw an inbound pass. Did you see that game on January 3rd, 2003. His inbound passing was what really saved his AAU team in the championship. I've never seen such dominant inbound passing, it's like the defender wasn't even there.

by Dubs fan in Boston on Mar 28, 2008 2:11 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Despite all of that

You can't really argue that we will be huge underdogs against any team besides the Lakers, Jazz, or Spurs. We do some stuff well too, ya know.

Will we have to play one of those 3 teams if we expect to make the finals? Probably. But in the West any team can beat any team, so it's certainly not impossible for us to get lucky with the matchups, especially if you're just talking about reaching the WCF.

It's almost like the Warriors have 6 guys out there... they always have a guy open! - Jon Barry commentating game 3 last year

by gsw4life on Mar 28, 2008 3:44 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ahh man

I love this post, its pretty borderline Homer stuff. Don't forget that Kobe is a KILLER in the playoffs, he will do everything and anything to win. I can't see them losing to Phoneix. I actually have the suns catching the Rockets, and having them take out the Jazz in the first round.
But hey I still BELIEVE!

Stephen Jackson says..."I make love to pressure." and i say "COLD-BLOODED!"

by 3 The Hard Way on Mar 28, 2008 12:28 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Well...

While your scenario is pretty unlikely, I guess anything can happen in the west this year. The diffence between 1 and 8 isn't nearly as big a difference as most years. We could very well see more than our fair share of upsets in the postseason.

Having said that, the chances of a W's championship are slim to none.

by olympicmike on Mar 28, 2008 3:57 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

lolcats

this is really really funny. there has never in the history of the NBA been 7 vs 8 in a conference finals before, you undervalue good teams and overrate lesser ones, and you make unfounded assumptions and you have all the underdogs winning...

but applaud you for being a true fan. never stop believing!!

TGIB

by RC650 on Mar 28, 2008 4:11 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Warriors actually won that series in 4 games,

not 5

"Monta is the MAN." -Bob Fitzgerald

by WarriorForLife on Mar 28, 2008 7:11 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I like this post a lot!

Of course its not likely but its fun to think about. I was thinking through some of these same things last year. We had a legit shot at taking out houston had they beat the jazz in 7 and that would have put us in the WCF with a chance to play Phoenix who we could have beat in a seven game series (they also lost).

So while it is way far fetched its not impossible with the high level of competition in the WEST this year. In the East this is more idiotic to look at a 7 or 8 seed making it but in the west 5 games separate top from bottom. The LAKERS are my largest fear to win it all as well but they keep getting hurt and Gasol might not be 100% and neither will Bynum. The Suns are playing well and have a chance to knock them off if the Lakers slide in the standings.

All that being said there are a million possibilities for the playoffs right now. We really need to win this game tonight to sure up our chances to get in.

THE HEART AND SOUL OF THE W'S