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Celebrating into the New Year?With each passing game, it seems like the Golden State Warriors will never lose a game. No matter the opponent, they seem to have an answer or scoring ready to go that has allowed them to win 23 straight games to start the season, by over 14 points a game.Last night was no different, as they took on an Indiana Pacers team attempting to replicate the Warriors’ small ball brand of basketball, and the Warriors proceeded to score 79 points in the first half and keep the Pacers at bay the whole game.They are getting contributions from everyone, including Brandon Rush, who has stepped in admirably for the injured Harrison Barnes, and back-up point guard Ian Clark. They are making the game look fun and easy and, most surprisingly, solved, like they know what every next move should be and then they go out and execute it.If the Warriors do win out they will enter the new year 32-0, just two wins from breaking the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers record of 33 straight wins.
#1 Boston Celtics
@ Boston
The Warriors take on the Celtics and their genius young coach, Brad Stevens, this Friday in the sixth game of a seven-game road trip. The Warriors are no doubt getting a little tired after traversing the Eastern part of North America for the past week.
The Celtics boast a top five defense and play with waves of players, something that could affect the Warriors who could be without Klay Thompson, who sprained his ankle mildly on Tuesday, and Harrison Barnes. The Celtics move the ball well on offense that could take advantage of the Warriors tired legs and lead to a multidude of threes that the Celtics knock down.
Will they actually lose?
3.5 out of 10. The Celtics could be said by some to be the Warriors’ style play without nearly the same talent. As the Warriors showed yesterday vs the Pacers, you can’t be a pace and space team and beat the Warriors, they are better at that than you.
Even if Klay is out, I don’t see who Isaiah Thomas guards when the Celtics are on defense. He is too short to greatly affect the Warriors tall guards, especially Steph Curry who can just shoot over him without thinking. The Warriors seem to have their own young coach to counter Stevens in Luke Walton, and he will match wits well with Stevens.
#2 Milwaukee Bucks
@ Milwaukee
The Bucks are in some disarray right now, as they aren’t playing good offense and the defense that was supposed to carry them is abysmal. They have had trouble fitting in and getting productive play from Greg Monroe and Jabari Parker, while Khris Middleton and Giannis Antentokounmpo aren’t able to carry a team that is trying to work new parts into the fray.
Jason Kidd is working hard to find the right lineup combinations to turn the season around, even inserting veteran OJ Mayo into the starting lineup for Parker. The Bucks will need to conjure a facsimile of last year’s top five defense and get monster games from their top three scorers in Middleton, Giannis, and Monroe.
Will they actually lose?
1 out of 10. I don’t care that this is the second night of a back to back for the Warriors at the end of a long road trip, they are not losing the streak to a team like this. Their defense will pack the paint and dare the Bucks to make shots they haven’t all year. I don’t see this game being particularly close.
#3 Phoenix Suns
vs Phoenix
Another team that is looking like a somewhat seeking ship, who saw the Warriors drop 22 threes on them less than a month ago. Over the last month, the Suns are 6-10 and just have not been able to close out seemingly close games.
They definitely have a team that can puncture the Warriors on offense with multiple scoring options at the 1-4, but it hasn’t transferred into consistent play this season as they sit just outside the top 10 in offensive efficiency, per NBA.com. Their defense is another story, where they have been generally a mess on that end, something that is a no can do versus the Warriors.
Will they actually lose?
2 out of 10. They have the personnel at the guards spot to potentially take advantage of a hobbled or sidelined Klay Thompson, playing the Warriors as close to a stalemate as possible in that matchup.
But as I stated before, if you aren’t clicking when you come to play the Warriors, they will find the flaw in your game and exploit them. Or they will just overwhelm you with their talent and win while beating you at your strength too. This game won’t be particularly close.
#4 Milwaukee Bucks
vs Milwaukee
Now they get this non-shooting, bad defensive team at home. Not fair.
Will they actually lose
.5 out of 10. I have already said everything I need to say about the matchup in the above breakdown, and now that the game is at home, it only amplifies the Warriors advantages. They have ample rest heading into the game, only playing once in the preceding five days, so the hope of tired legs that the Bucks will hold onto in hopes of beating the Warriors on Saturday will be absent.
It could get ugly for Milwaukee on this one and an ugly homecoming for coach Kidd.
#5 Utah Jazz
vs Utah
The Jazz are a decent team and they become a potentially really good team when Rudy Gobert is healthy, something that is not the case right now. They have the type of players that can give the Warriors some problems, including a mobile power forward in Derrick Favors who can do a potentially decent job of hanging around with Draymond Green as he moves all over the floor.
Gordon Hayward is capable of putting up a point total that can carry the Jazz to a big victory, and they have several other athletic wings who can match the Warriors length and athleticism.
Will they actually lose?
3 out of 10. If Klay is out, this is the final game I would expect him to sit out or this number would be lower. The Warriors will no doubt treat this like a revenge after the Jazz and some of their reporters made comments that the Warriors weren’t gracious champions and for laughing at the Jazz.
The Warriors are the type of team that manufactures slights and uses them as extra motivation, and after the comments in Salt Lake City, the motivation will no doubt be there. The Jazz played the Warriors close a week and a half ago, but now the Warriors are pissed off.
#6 Cleveland Cavaliers
vs Cleveland
The NBA Finals rematch. Will Kyrie Irving be back by then? What about Iman Shumpert and Harrison Barnes? These questions will be answered soon. Right now, the Cavs are playing up and down basketball, winning ugly and losing close.
They don’t look like the juggernaut they were at the end of last year, but, then again, they aren’t at full strength right now. Even if they end up being full strength come Christmas Day for this tilt, Irving and Shumpert most assuredly won’t be in game shape and that could affect them against the Warriors’ All-Star backcourt.
Will they actually lose?
3.5 out of 10. If it is a healthy Cavs team, this number might jump to 4. If Harrison Barnes doesn’t play this number will jump to 4, but as it stands now, the Cavs aren’t in the same class as the Warriors.
That’s not the end of the world as the potential matchup in June is more important than a Christmas Day game. Now LeBron could definitely put up a monster game, using this as a statement that he is still the alpha dog in the NBA, but I just don’t see the Cavs being able to pull this upset on the road off.
#7 Sacramento Kings
vs Sacramento
Speaking of disarray, that should be the Kings’ new nickname. Last week against the Boston Celtics in Mexico City, it seemed like the team didn’t even make the trip, sleep walking through the game. Then yesterday they notched a mildly impressive home win over the Jazz and the Jekyll and Hyde season continues.
They have some talent, but the pieces just don’t seem to fit, namely multiple big men to clog the lane for center DeMarcus Cousins and perimeter players who play inside the three point line and also clog the lane. Their defense has been especially porous, ranking 28th in the league, per NBA.com.
Will they actually lose?
1 out of 10. The Warriors love beating up on their rival just to the north of them and with a defense as bad as the Kings, it should be an easy home win for the Warriors. They have done a great job with their defensive game plan to throw off Cousins, and when that happens to the Kings, they tend to go off the rails. Hopefully we get a Curry vs Curry shootout, Steph’s brother Seth plays backup guard for the Kings.
#8 Dallas Mavericks
@ Dallas
After a day off, the Warriors head to Dallas to start a road back to back. The Mavericks are just outside the top 10 in offensive and defensive efficiency, but have been exceeding the expectations given to them at the start of the season.
Coach Rick Carlisle is a warlock, cooking up schemes and lineups to get the most out of his players, and Dirk is helping lead a pretty offense once again. Deron Williams has played better than expected and Zaza Pachulia has stepped into the starting center role and anchored down the middle.
Will they actually lose?
3 out of 10. The Mavericks have enough vets who can stay within themselves and slow the game down in order to give themselves a chance to win. Plus they have a coach who can actually make a difference in a pinch, drawing up a crucial play or make a perfect substitution that can push his team over the edge.
But the Mavs have too many hobbled or slow players with which to adequately stay with the Warriors. I can’t see Dirk surviving a game against this frantic offense and defense, and the same goes for still hobbled Wes Mathews and Chandler Parsons.
#9 Houston Rockets
@ Houston
The Rockets are THE disappointment of the league, sitting at 10-12 and looking nothing like the title contender people thought they would be. They have already fired their coach, but they still don’t seem to be turning the proverbial corner, despite putting together some wins.
None of the wins have been particularly inspiring, and the team is still playing hideous defense, lead by the matador James Harden. Despite shooting a lot of threes, they haven’t been any good at knocking them down outside of Trevor Ariza and Dwight Howard isn’t quite the same player who could carry the offense when his teammates’ outside shots aren’t falling.
Will they actually lose?
2.5 out of 10. Just like the Warriors have the Clippers’ number, so do they have the Rockets’. The Rockets try and play Warriors basketball, except they can’t shoot, defend, or pass as well as the Warriors so it usually turns into a futile effort.
Maybe if the Rockets were playing like we thought they would, they could get a 4 out of 10 win probability, but as another team in some disarray, they get no such benefit of the doubt.
#10 Final Prediction
I see the game on Christmas against the Cavs as the most likely place for a loss. Now I don’t think they will lose that game, but any team with LeBron James is going to have a shot to win. I would peg the next game they could potentially lose as the Mavericks game who will have a day off before and a home game before that day off.
Rick Carlisle could cook something up that confuses the Warriors just long enough to squeak out a victory. All the rest of the games should be relatively easy wins. I can’t believe it but I actually think the schedule sets up pretty nicely for the Warriors to enter 2016 undefeated.
