NBA: 5 Reasons Why The Golden State Warriors Could Be Dethroned

It's inaccurate to say "we are living in the era of the Golden State Warriors" when in actuality it's the Houston Rockets (44-13) that have the best record in the league. Yes, it's only a half-game lead but facts are facts, there's no asterisk to that. And even if both these teams end up with identical records at the end of the regular season, it would be the H-Town franchise that will top the West, courtesy of their 2-1 head-to-head record against the defending champs in the season series.

The Warriors' 14 losses so far are the most they've had at the All-Star break through their four-year run of contending for titles. That isn't the concern though, it's their recent form heading into the break that forced head coach, Steve Kerr, to take a day off of coaching while the team squared up against the Phoenix Suns last Monday (Feb. 12).

The team is gone 4-4 in their last eight games. It's easy to push off any debate regarding them given the talent on their squad but here are 5 reasons why we should be worried about the defending champions:

#5 Mental fatigue

Unlike previous seasons, the Warriors have been very inconsistent this year.

It's not easy playing from October to June four years in a row. While there is the obvious physical aspect of the grind, it's the mental exhaustion that really costs such teams championships towards the end of their dynastic runs.

There's a reason, only one team has made it to four straight NBA Finals since 1987 [Boston Celtics] - the Miami Heat from 2011 to 2014. It's not just about getting there. There's a reason, only one team since the turn of the millennium has won three championships in a row - the Los Angeles Lakers from 2000 to 2002.

As the years have rolled by, teams' medical staffs have found different ways to prolong players' careers and overcome the physical stress of competing year in and year out but the answer to the mental wear-and-tear has not been found yet.

#4 Rise in Competition

Houston Rockets

Many might still pick the Warriors in a postseason matchup with the Rockets but it's unfair to say that Houston isn't a contender. Golden State hasn't collapsed or anything like that this season, so the Rockets ought to have done something right in order to get the No. 1 seed. Not to mention, their 9.5 game lead over the third-seeded San Antonio Spurs.

Also, with their three biggest stars - Chris Paul, James Harden, and Clint Capela - the Rockets are 28-1. That's one trio, then there's the trio that the Rockets signed during the season - Gerald Green, Joe Johnson, Brandon Wright - players that bolster an already strong bench.

Now, to head to the East.

Leapfrogging the headline-grabbing Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers are the team from the North - the Toronto Raptors. While their offensive production still relies on their All-Stars DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, the team has bought into a new offensive system where the ball moves a lot more than it ever has with this current core. They hold the best record in the East (41-16).

The Raptors still have to defeat LeBron James and with his new teammates, that he acquired at the trade deadline, they have their task cut out for them. It's a small sample size but with his teammates, James and the Cavaliers have looked excited, motivated, energized and most importantly, unbeaten.

Is Cleveland a legitimate threat to the team coming out of the West?

#3 Possible suspensions from technicals and ejections

Draymond Green

The technical fouls and ejections might be a result of a league-wide unrest between the players and referees this year but unfortunately, the Warriors have led the charge. They rank third in team technicals (48), only behind the Oklahoma City Thunder (57) and the Phoenix Suns (52). While that's some consolation, when it comes to ejections, they top the charts with 9 (the second-ranked team has 4).

Within the team, it should come as no surprise who leads the band. Reigning Defensive Player of the year, Draymond Green has 14 technicals (leads the league) and 3 ejections (second in the league) to this name, that's two technicals away from a suspension. That's not all. Every technical after he receives his 16th forces another one-game suspension. Everybody knows what happened the last time he got suspended for a game due to too many technicals - the Warriors blew a 3-1 lead.

Reigning Finals MVP Kevin Durant isn't far behind too. He leads the league with his 4 ejections and is currently tied-third with Dwight Howard for technicals (11).

There are still 24 games to go in the regular season and then there is the postseason. This might not affect them in the regular season but come Playoff time, they have to keep their composure and fight through adversity rather than costing their team with their reactions towards the referees.

#2 Are the Warriors one key injury away from collapsing?

Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Green, Andre Iguodala.

If any of these five players were to suffer an injury, will the Warriors be able to defend their title? It's a question worth contemplating. The league, or rather the Rockets, in particular, have gotten so used to Golden State's dominance that they've gone out of their way and stacked their roster to give them the best chance possible to beat a healthy Warriors squad, let alone a team that would one key player short. For Houston, an injury is a slight crack in the wall that they can exploit.

It would be unfair to bring the Warriors' record in the season so far without when any of these players have not played. The regular season is not the litmus test, it's the Playoffs.

The Warriors still have the largest margin for error, however, they have been so sloppy and inconsistent the past couple of weeks that it's worth debating as to whether they can handle the pressure and load if, god forbid, one of their key players was to go down.

#1 Bench

Iguodala - the floor general of the Warriors' second unit

Almost every championship team of the past has had a very reliable and deep bench. The Warriors have been no different over two of the past three years but this season it just seems different. There is no doubting their depth, as they have plenty of serviceable players but the issue, this season, has been fit and consistency.

Other than Jordan Bell, none of their new guys (Omri Casspi and Nick Young) have provided any spark or boost. Iguodala looks gassed and Shaun Livingston seems to only be an asset when they have a favorable matchup.

Over 100 possessions, that's what the NBA.com/stats ratings are based on, Golden State's reserves are doing just fine. They have the best offensive rating (111.3) in the league, their defensive rating is the sixth best (103.1), resulting in a net rating that is second best (8.1). All of that is fine but when you have a look at the numbers (average and totals), they are in bottom half of the league in a majority of the vital stats.

Now, because the Warriors' reserves rely a lot on the team's system to get them good shots, they lead the league in field goal percentage (52.3%) but that's the only thing they have to boast about. Here are some of the key stats, where the team's second unit ranks in the bottom 10 of the league:

Points - 33.5 (20th)

3-point FG% - 33.4% (25th)

FT% - 67.4% (29th)

Turnovers - 6.2 (25th)

Personal Fouls - 9.5 (22nd)