Portland at Golden State on NBATV right now. Golden State's defense looks shoddy and easily broken down with ball movement, and their shot selection is as horrible as it's ever been with quick, contested threes. Portland up 19-6 early.
I know you're a Warriors doubter, jpotter, but wait for the regular season. What they are, we've never seen it before. There will be lulls (like right now), but they're going to obliterate everyone. The only things that could possibly derail them would be 2 catastrophic injuries or a complete Draymond meltdown.
People underestimate how important chemistry and fit are for a team, which is weird given that we're better than the sum of our individual talents due primarily to chemistry and fit. They also devastated their depth and hurt their defense to sign Durant, which was a big reason for their domination last year. I think people just see the big names and get all excited without actually considering how those part fit together both in playing style and attitude.
They'll be good, but they won't be as dominant as last year. They'll go through some growing pains in the beginning, too, and I'm betting we put a beating on them in their like 12th game of the year in Boston.
Depth: Iggy, Livingston, West is a stellar trio off the bench. If one other guy emerges for them (McCaw, McGee, Looney, Clark), they'll have the best bench in the league.
Defense: Draymond (one of the two best defenders in the league), Klay (excellent), Iggy (amazing), Livingston (very solid), KD (dominant when he has to be), Curry (fine in a team concept). They do seriously lack rim protection. It's their only on-court weakness.
Fit: This is not the Heatles. This is not developing a system that will fit 4 of the top 20 players in the league. This is taking the one of the best teams in history, one with one of the most devastating offensive systems in history, and inserting one of the most dominant shooters/scorers of all time. This is taking Harrison Barnes and replacing him with an all-time-great.
Chemistry: This is the only thing that could really destroy them. Rim protection
will be an issue, but they'll survive it. Chemistry, on the other hand, could prove catastrophic. Ethan Strauss's piece may have been slightly sensationalized, but Draymond clearly causes some real problems. If he loses it, which he seems capable of, the consequences could be extreme. Maybe Draymond makes life hell for KD and he leaves next year, maybe he's so bad that Curry leaves. I can foresee scenarios in which chemistry proves disastrous. However, I think the winning will likely be enough. They'll win...all the time...and everyone will be happy.