After three straight NBA Finals appearances, two championships, and the best regular season in NBA history, it should be no surprise that the Warriors are the team all other NBA teams aspire to beat. Golden State didn't add any major pieces this summer but are still overwhelming favorites to win the West and most likely the NBA championship.
Which teams have the best chance of dethroning the Warriors in a seven game series?
5. Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics made one of the biggest splashes of the offseason, trading point guard Isiah Thomas and forward Jae Crowder to the Cavaliers for star Kyrie Irving. Boston also added Gordon Hayward in free agency to create a truly star-studded lineup.
PG Kyrie Irving
SG Jaylen Brown
SF Gordon Hayward
PF Marcus Morris
C Al Horford
This starting five honestly has the ability to play toe-to-toe with Warriors and maybe even beat them on any given night.
But in a best-of-seven series? Forget about it. Even if Boston can win a game or two, it would likely be a result of a completely draining effort from these starters. Furthermore, most of their energy would have to be focused on defense, because the Warriors have so many different ways to score. The Celtics don't have the depth to both defend and score against the Warriors in consecutive games.
Key bench players include Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart, and Terry Rozier. While these players add valuable depth in the backcourt, Boston doesn't have enough firepower to keep up with the Warriors bench offensively.
Seven game series prediction: Warriors in 5
4. Oklahoma City Thunder
If the Celtics made a splash in free agency this summer, the Oklahoma City Thunder made a tidal wave. Coming off Russell Westbrook's MVP season, the Thunder traded for superstars Paul George and Carmelo Anthony.
Getting these three All-Stars on the court should do wonders for a Thunder team that had to rely solely on Westbrook last year. But there's one downside that stems from the fact these players were traded for, not signed in free agency.
Like the Celtics, the Thunder now lack depth.
In trades with Indiana and New York, Oklahoma City gave up Enes Kanter,Victor Oladipo, Doug McDermott, and Domantas Sabonis. All these players had significant roles with the Thunder, and now rotational depth becomes an issue.
Let's take a look at OKC's projected second unit:
PG Raymond Felton (6.7 PPG)
SG Alex Abrines (6.0 PPG)
SF Kyle Singler (2.8 PPG)
PF Patrick Patterson (6.8 PPG)
C Dakari Johnson (Rookie, 3.0 PPG in preseason)
And to top things off, starters Andre Roberson and Steven Adams are no offensive aces.
Sure, the Thunder's big three is sure to put many points per game. But just like with the Celtics, we're looking at the team's prospects in a seven game series.
Additionally, the Thunder need to be able to matchup on defense against Golden State. Westbrook can hold his own on Steph Curry, and Paul George could defend Klay Thompson at a serviceable level, maybe even Kevin Durant to an extent.
Anthony has been considered a defensive liability for some time now. But even if OKC's big three cancels out Golden State's (it doesn't), that would still leave the likes of Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala virtually unchecked.
Although the Thunder would have a better chance than the Celtics, I still find it hard to see them winning more than one game in a playoff series.
Seven game series prediction: Warriors in 5
3. Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are another team that added star power in an effort to beat the Warriors. And a star they got in point guard Chris Paul. Coming off an 18.7 points per game, 9.9 assists per game season, Paul teams up with James Harden and Trevor Ariza in Houston.
Rounding out the Rockets starting lineup are Ryan Anderson and Clint Capela. They're not sexy names, but both averaged over 12 points per game last season, and Capela can hold his own in the paint.
Even though Houston gave up a lot in the trade for Paul, their depth is much better than the Celtics and Thunder. At shooting guard, Eric Gordon is a great offensive threat off the bench. He averaged 16.2 points per game last season and shot 37% from three point range. Small forward P.J. Tucker can also knock down threes at a 36% rate. Nene is the backup center, and while he's past his prime he can still provide a spark off the bench.
The Rockets shouldn't have too many problems scoring, and will likely chuck up a lot of three pointers this season. But if they want to beat the Warriors, they have to focus on the matchups.
Chris Paul is a savvy defender so Steph Curry isn't as much of a problem as he would be for most teams. After that, things get a little shaky. Harden's defense has always been in question: I don't think it's bad, but it doesn't shift anything in Houston's favor. Trevor Ariza will likely be tasked with trying to stop Durant.
Overall, this would be an incredible series to watch, with two high powered offenses facing off. On a good night, when the shots are falling, the Rockets can definitely beat the Warriors.
Seven game series prediction: Warriors in 6
Overall, this would be an incredible series to watch, with two high powered offenses facing off. On a good night, when the shots are falling, the Rockets can definitely beat the Warriors.
Seven game series prediction: Warriors in 6
2. San Antonio Spurs
In the 2017 playoffs, the Warriors swept the San Antonio Spurs, beating them by as much as 36 points in Game 2. But the Spurs were missing two key players: Tony Parker missed the series and Kawhi Leonard only played in Game 1.
In a seven game series, with a healthy team, the Spurs have a real chance to beat the Warriors in the playoffs.
A healthy Spurs starting lineup would spell trouble for Golden State. Although 21 year old Dejounte Murray is projected to be the team's starting point guard to start the season, Tony Parker will eventually slide back into the role. Again looking at matchups, Parker-Curry is an interesting one. Parker can play on-ball defense with the best of them, but at 35 years old has lost some agility.
Going down the line, the Spurs have the luxury of both Danny Green and Manu Ginobli at shooting guard. Both are solid offensive threats, but if Parker is getting old, Ginobli is ancient at 40 years old.
Of course, a healthy Spurs lives and dies with small forward Kawhi Leonard. Many players put their best effort on Kevin Durant, but Leonard and LeBron James are the only ones who can truly go toe-to-toe with the scoring machine. Kawhi Leonard is an offensive and defensive star, and the key to the Spurs potentially beating the Warriors.
At power forward, LaMarcus Aldridge returns. Without him, the Spurs would still be a Western Conference contender. With him, they can emulate the days of having Tim Duncan on the court. 37 year old Pau Gasol starts alongside him, and even if he's past his prime, his height in the frontcourt should be valuable, and Zaza Pachulia shouldn't cause too much of a problem for him.
When we look at depth, Rudy Gay should be an interesting addition and it wouldn't be surprising to see the second unit run through him. In addition to Gay and Ginobli, Patty Mills and Kyle Anderson will play key bench minutes for San Antonio.
I've done nothing but praise the Spurs so far, but can they beat the Warriors?
Can they? Yes, absolutely. But I still would put my money on Golden State in a potential playoff matchup. The Spurs bench is good; the Warriors is better. The Spurs have one top ten player; the Warriors have two to three depending on who you ask.
Seven game series prediction: Warriors in 7
1. Cleveland Cavaliers
It should come as no surprise that the team with the best chance to beat the Warriors is the only team to beat Golden State in a playoff series over the last three years. The Cleveland Cavaliers.
If Cleveland stood pat with last year's roster, they likely would've returned to the NBA Finals in 2018. But for LeBron James and the Cavaliers, it's not about making it there anymore, ever roster move is geared towards beating the Warriors.
The Cavaliers lost Kyrie Irving and Richard Jefferson this offseason. They've added Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Derrick Rose and Jose Calderon. And then they signed Dwyane Wade.
No single addition alone make the Cavaliers capable of beating the Warriors this year, it's the sum of these additions that are important. Arguably, the Cavaliers are just as deep as the Warriors, if not even more.
Assuming everyone is healthy, Cleveland can roll out two lineups that could make the playoffs on their own. The starters are Isaiah Thomas, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Jae Crowder, and Kevin Love. The second unit would then be Derrick Rose, JR Smith, Kyle Korver, Channing Frye, and Tristan Thompson. This doesn't include SG Iman Shumpert, PG Jose Calderon, or PF Jeff Green.
Simply put, this Cleveland team is deep enough to compete with the Warriors in a seven game series. And they would have a great chance of winning. The Cavaliers second unit would matchup very well against the Warriors, which would consist of Shaun Livingston, Andre Iguodala, Nick Young, David West, and Javale McGee. That's still an incredibly good assortment of bench players for Golden State, but the Cavaliers would be able to more or less match it.
When considering if the Cavaliers could beat the Warriors, we can also look at the past three years for validation. Cleveland's best effort just might have been in 2015 when LeBron James and Matthew Dellevadova pushed the Warriors to six games despite the absence of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. Of course, the following season the Cavaliers battled back from a 3-1 series deficit to defeat the greatest regular season team in NBA history. 2017 was Cleveland's weakest effort, a five game series loss. However, the Cavaliers outscored the Warriors by 5 points over the last three games.
The Cavaliers have had the opportunity to beat the Warriors each of the last three seasons, but in 2018 they should have their best chance yet. Even without Kyrie Irving, the depth that they added this offseason is incredible, and will provide lots of flexibility in a seven game series. So much so that if these two teams met in the NBA Finals...
I think the Cleveland Cavaliers would win.
Seven game series prediction: Cavaliers in 7
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