Following a run of five losses from their last eight games, it appears that the Golden State Warriors have hit something of a bump in the road following an impressive start to the season, and the question is whether the Chase Center side has it within them to mount a genuine push for the NBA title.
Steph Curry played his part in helping the Warriors to three titles in four seasons between 2015 and 2018 and is still a crucial part of the efforts of Steve Kerr’s team to get back to those dizzy heights.
The current NBA Championship odds show that the Golden State Warriors are now second favorites, behind the Brooklyn Nets, with odds of (+475) to clinch the NBA crown and the timely return, after a hugely prolonged injury absence, of Klay Thompson may provide the impetus needed to get their form back on track.
This run of average displays has led to some questioning the resolve of his team, but Kerr is seemingly unperturbed, stating after their 118-99 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks;
“To be honest, I’m not concerned,”
“We’re just in a rough patch of our season. It happens to every team every year, pretty much. We’re in a bit of a rut. … We just have to get back on track.”
“I think we’ve lost a little confidence as a group. You could see we had a lot of open shots that weren’t going, and we were kind of hanging our heads, and then they’re making everything. It was just one of those nights.”
It is, of course, correct for Kerr to look to downplay losses, for fear of exacerbating matters, and perhaps his approach is the correct one, but it is essential that the Warriors keep up their run of form, even though they are firmly on route to the playoffs thanks to that fantastic start to the season.
Let us not forget that Golden State was 19-3 after their win over the Phoenix Suns back in early December, but since that point, they’ve gone 13-9, and that’s not Championship form.
The return of Klay Thompson should help push the Warriors back into gear, and the timing of his return is handy as Draymond Green is now out of action with a back issue that could see him sidelined for a few weeks.
Kerr will now need to see his other squad players step up the plate and has already seen rookie Jonathan Kuminga start to show early signs of promise with his 25-point score against the Chicago Bulls.
Clearly, the Warriors are going to be there or thereabouts come the end of the season, and their good form has helped the team set a new attendance record.
Earlier this month, they recorded a 400th consecutive sellout of their Chase Center home, a run that dates back to December 2012 (but clearly doesn’t take into account those games shut out by the coronavirus).
