NBA: Who Can Upset the Warriors?
The Golden State Warriors for the past four years have been to the NBA Finals, only losing once to the Cleveland Cavaliers. This year it seems they taken a step back from their dominance with a record of 57-25. Which is crazy to think about because that’s a great record but last year they had a record of 67-15 which was also a step down from there 73-win season. This year it seems like the Warriors were in cruise control waiting for the playoffs. Every year we try to decide who is capable of beating Golden State so let’s do it again. My picks on who has the best chance to upset the Warriors are: Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Philadelphia 76ers, and Milwaukee Bucks. Starting with the Rockets last year, they came close in the Western Conference Finals losing in seven games.
With almost the same team back, the Rockets seem like they are ready to play Golden State again with James Harden having one of the best seasons in NBA history, and a Hall of Fame point guard in Chris Paul. They still continue to be a great three-point shooting team. But will Harden carrying so much load in the regular season make him crash? Next team is the Thunder with Russell Westbrook and Paul George at the helm. They should be a three-seed instead of a six-seed but they have been playing inconsistent since the All-Star break. But when they are at their best, they seem unstoppable with George having one of his best seasons to date and Westbrook averaging a triple double for the 3rd straight season. Not to mention the addition of Dennis Schroeder.
He is one of the best back-up point guards in the league and the Thunder seem to have more depth, which they were lacking in years prior. We will see if the Thunder can get out their own way and meet the Warriors. The last two teams I believe can challenge the Warriors are the 76ers and Bucks. They would have to meet in the finals, but a team with Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, Jimmy Butler, J.J. Reddick, and Tobias Harris can compete with anyone. The 76ers are stacked if they can figure out how to find a more balanced offense. The Bucks were the only team in the NBA with 60 wins and they're one of the best defensive teams in the league with athleticism and length at all five spots. It still seems like the Warriors won’t lose, but they seem more vulnerable this year and one of these teams could pull an upset.
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