As if last season wasn’t good enough, the Golden State Warriors appear even more focused and better than the club that won 67 games and a championship last season. Even when MVP Steph Curry has an off-night, the Dubs still win by 14 points, like they did Monday against Detroit. The results of their games have been so ridiculous, that two weeks into the season we’re left to ask: Is this the greatest team ever? You can bet on NBA odds at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.
LOOK AHEAD
The Warriors invade the Twin Cities after playing in Memphis the night before. But the back-to-back sets have no effect on Golden State because of the team’s age and depth. The Dubs played consecutive nights on the road at the end of October and destroyed Houston and New Orleans, winning by a combined 34 points and covering in both outings. They played at Sacramento Saturday in the second of a back-to-back and won the game by nine points, but failed to cover the 12.5-point spread. You get the feeling this club could play every night and not get fatigued.
It’s been an odd start to the season for Minnesota. Not only is the team still mourning the loss of former coach Flip Saunders, but the Wolves sit atop the Northwest Division standings after six games, tied with Utah, and all their wins came on the road. The Wolves gave us a glimpse of what they’re capable of by knocking off two Eastern Conference heavyweights in Chicago and Atlanta. A win over the Warriors would send shock waves through the NBA and alert everyone that maybe the time is now for these pups.
INJURIES
The Warriors avoided lengthy injuries to key players last season and the same has held true early this year. Center Andrew Bogut was cleared through the league’s concussion protocol to resume basketball activities, leaving the defending champs with a healthy roster. The team used its bench last season and likely preserved players over the course of the year. The same rotations are in place and the Warriors look even stronger.
The Timberwolves got leading scorer Kevin Martin back in the lineup after he left the club to take care of some personal issues. Also, center Nikola Pekovic has started running, six months after surgery on his Achilles. Once healthy, Pekovic could be trade bait as he’ll likely be buried in the team’s frontcourt rotation.
KEY MATCHUP
Golden State’s run-and-gun style is a perfect fit for the youthful Wolves, who’ll toss talents like Andrew Wiggins, Ricky Rubio, Zach Levine and Karl-Anthony Towns against the defending champs. With its core group of youngsters, the Wolves are similar to what the Warriors looked like a few seasons ago. They are a collection of names right now, but with a few years of seasoning and another important piece, they could be a factor in the Western Conference. Minnesota figured to be a year or two away from ending the league’s longest playoff drought. Of the 10 players averaging at least 15 minutes, six are age 25 or younger, but so far they’re defying expectations. The Wolves’ play early in the season shows exactly what the pieces they have can be, and how high their future ceiling is. The Warriors are right now what the Wolves aspire to be in a few seasons. Just over a year into the coaching regime of Steve Kerr, the Warriors’ key pieces have been together for about three years. And it’s way too early to draw conclusions, but for the third straight year, the Warriors have made an unprecedented leap in team efficiency metrics.
ODDS AND PREDICTION
It’s hard to imagine, but the Warriors just might be better this NBA season. And that’s saying quite a bit about a team that won 67 games and waltzed to the title. Curry is playing like he’s the best at this game and the other pieces are following suit. So it makes us wonder if Luke Walton is a better coach than Steve Kerr. Of course a coach is only as good as his players and I doubt that Kerr would have the same success manning the 76ers. But, who knows. Right now the Warriors are the best, I don’t think there’s any doubt about. But let’s remember, the season is only two weeks old and there’s plenty of basketball to be played and adversity to overcome. A stumble or a key injury could send the Warriors into a tailspin and with all good teams in the West, they could be had. Minnesota is playing with house money. Nobody expected them to compete for anything except maybe a lottery pick, so these are fun times. The Wolves will put up a fight, but the Warriors are just much better right now. Golden State won’t go 82-0, you can bet on that, but the Dubs aren’t losing to the Wolves either.
Golden State 109, Minnesota 99
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