The NBA Playoffs Are NOT READY For The Golden State Warriors

Here's Steph with the ball. He's bringing the ball up in transition. There's five blue jerseys, all of them looking at Steph. And there's literally only one other warrior who crossed half court. But what does Steph do? He's gonna move a lot of bodies. That's a one! Sheesh, guys. That was cold-blooded. And you know what follows next? And this, ladies and gentlemen, is how you destroy teams. The NBA playoffs are simply not ready for the Golden State Warriors. The Denver Nuggets are the first team to realize it, but they aren't gonna be the last. The 3.0 death lineup of Steph, Poole, Klay, Wiggins, and Draymond are just too much. There's just too much firepower. I mean, how do you stop something that just cannot be stopped? Here's what I mean. In game one, with four minutes, 23 seconds left to go in the first half, the score is 41-40 for the Nuggets. Then, this is what Steve Kerr does. The Warriors can't miss. And they end up going on an 18-6 run to close out the half. Then in game two, with six minutes, two seconds left in the first half, the Warriors are down 35-43. But what does Steve Kerr do? You got it. He does the same thing as he did in game one. And then what happens after this? The Warriors go on a 22-8 run to close the half. The offensive firepower of this lineup is no joke, because you have four elite scoring threats, and then you have one of the best point forwards in the game, who absolutely excels at setting up teammates. Then with all the screens, switches, and split action that the Warriors run as a team, it's almost impossible to defend. There will either be an open three ball, an open cut to the basket, or something else. Don't believe me? Check out these advanced statistics yourself. So far in the playoffs, when these five players are on the court, they've been able to shoot 77% from the field, 87.5% from beyond the arc, and collectively as a unit, they've been outscoring the opposition by 14.5 points per game, in the limited time that they've shared the floor together. Now, that's what you call a death lineup. But enough about statistics, let me show you really quickly what this looks like on the actual floor. Here's Draymond running the floor in transition as the point forward. He signals to Poole to run the floor quickly. Now, check this out. Draymond here simultaneously dishes it to Poole, and sets up a screen for Klay to shake his defender off. The defender cuts off the lane for Poole, but Klay is right there. Another day, another dollar, my friends. And here's another example. Here's Jordan Poole with the ball. Look at the corner here. This must be a nightmare for defenses when the Splash Brothers are moving and switching with each other. But anyways, number 11 here knows the Warriors are gonna switch, so he's ready to switch off of Curry and onto Klay. What he doesn't realize though, is that while he's focused on the switch, the screen from Draymond comes. Nikola Jokic is so far out. I mean, he really is being exposed in this series. Anyway, Klay Thompson, one of the best shooters in NBA history, now has an open three. He's in rhythm, and it's just a practice shot at this point. Another splash. Mike Malone, in his post-game press conference, was asked the question of how to stop this death lineup. His response was, well, the challenge is you have three guys that are capable of putting up 30, 40 points. I mean, Jordan Poole had 30 points in game one. He had 29 tonight. Steph Curry is the greatest sixth man ever in the playoffs. You know, to bring a guy off the bench like that, 34 points, five threes. And then Klay Thompson. So you have three players that can get it on their own, and they do such a great job of passing, cutting, moving, and making plays for each other. The most dangerous guy on the floor is a guy that just passed the ball. And Steph Curry is the embodiment of that, and he's been doing it for years. He gives up the ball, you relax, and he's flying off another screen, and he makes you pay. And Jordan Poole is understudy, has paid attention and done his homework, and is playing the same way. So those three on the floor with the Wiggins and a Draymond Green is very, very effective. Anyway, I wanna move off of offense for a bit and just talk about defense. In particular, that one thing that the Nuggets have over the Warriors in terms of matchups is an MVP center. The Nuggets have a seven-foot Nikola Jokic, who is the reigning MVP and who's also a finalist for the 2022 MVP Trophy. In the regular season, he's an unstoppable beast. I mean, for this 2022 season, the Joker averaged about 27 points, 14 rebounds, and eight assists, while shooting 58% from the floor and 34% from beyond the arc. But against the defense of the Warriors in the playoffs, so far he's averaging just about 25 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists, while just shooting about 47% from the field and 0% from beyond the arc. Sheesh, talk about being clamped down. In addition, in the plus-minus column, he's currently a minus 22.5. The Nuggets' best player on the floor is being exposed, and I wanna answer the question of how is the Warriors' defense doing this to him? Well, to answer this question, it all starts and ends with Draymond Green. He knows how to defend every position effectively, and although he might not be the best on-ball defender, he's the best defender in the modern NBA, and let me show you why. Here's Draymond defending Jokic in the paint. Jokic is deep, and once he catches the ball, it's almost a sure bucket at this range, and Draymond knows that, so he battles hard and gets his length in to bother Jokic a bit. Barton snakes around the screen. Good defense by Poole, and... And here, Draymond forces the turnover without following. Here's Draymond defending Jokic again, but this time, Jokic receives the pass. Draymond's only 6'6", but he's strong, and more importantly, he has a really high basketball IQ. And in this defensive sequence, he stands his ground and puts his hands up. And without following, Green makes the shot as uncomfortable as possible for Jokic, who misses a shot that normally is automatic for him. Here's one more example. Draymond is guarding Jokic on the elbow. Jokic forces his way in and goes for the spin, but Draymond must have studied really hard on how Jokic brings the ball up, and here, he gets the strip. Another turnover for the reigning MVP. Clearly, Draymond Green has been making basketball extremely tough for the Joker, and although he's not stopping him, he's nullified his effectiveness. And I'm sure he'll be able to do something similar with just about every other center in the playoffs. After the Warriors run through the nuggets, they'll face either the Timberwolves or the Grizzlies in round two. Both teams play hard, are young, and they're starting to learn how to play together, but let's get real. In the playoffs, neither of these teams are going to be beating a healthy Warriors team. The coordination and marksmanship of the Warriors offense is going to be too much for their defense to handle. Then, on the defensive end, Draymond Green is officially back. The Suns, on the other hand, despite having the best regular season record, are showing chinks in their armor. I mean, in the regular season matchup against a depleted Grizzlies team in April, through grit and sweat, the Grizzlies, without Morant, Baines, and Jackson, were able to beat a fully-loaded Suns team. Then on Christmas Day, without Poole, Klay, and Wiggins, the Warriors were able to beat Phoenix on their home court. They might have the most well-put-together team in the league, but if Draymond can nullify the effects of DeAndre Ayton, and if the Warriors play hard and strong, that'll be the series. I mean, look here. At one point in the fourth quarter against the Pelicans, it was a six-point ball game. If the Suns can barely stop the Pelicans, then for sure they won't have an answer for the offense of the Warriors' death lineup. Then after that, it'll be back to the finals for Golden State. And if either the 76ers, the Bucks, or the Nets reach the finals, do you know what that'll mean? Home court advantage for Steph Curry and the crew. From there, under the NBA's brightest lights, you'll see for your own eyes just why exactly the NBA isn't ready for the 2022 Golden State Warriors. Anyway, onto a slightly different topic here. Did you all know that players actually trash-talked Kobe Bean Bryant, the Black Mamba? He was my inspiration, not only for how he played basketball, but how he conducted himself in the face of adversity. And let me tell you, these players who trash-talked him all got their rear ends handed to them. If you want to know what I mean, then click this video right here. It's a big video, guys, and trust me when I say you're gonna love it. So click the video, and like always, I'll see you on the other side.