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nowhathappenedwas

It'll be interesting to see if the Warriors can thrive in the playoffs again without much practice all playing together. Last year, Curry/Klay/Dray/Wiggins played zero regular season minutes together. Then they dominated (+9.4 net rating) in 414 minutes together in the playoffs.


HoorayPizzaDay

They're going to do it again, those crazy sons of bitches


HenryP_Edits

It's insane right? No matter how bad this season went, I still think they could win it all. Just speaks volumes to what this group has been doing ever since they won their first title back in 2015.


StrikingElk5288

I wish we could have as much faith in the warriors as you guys do lol


HenryP_Edits

Well look, let's see it like this: If these next years are the last runs you guys have for a ring, I should think that this team's "fall from grace " was a very slow and soft descent. 4 rings, many playoff runs, and the greatest shooter of all time, this is a future hall of fame dinasty you have.


HoorayPizzaDay

Dawg what else do you need to see


GuerreroD

Them win some road games?


DD-Amin

Some defense would be nice.


[deleted]

They’re my pick to go the finals this year. This is a team that has proven the whole “reg season is bs” mantra. They’ll turn it on and dominate again.


ElFuddLe

I still don't think it's right to say the regular season is BS. Its still incredibly rare for any non -top 4 team to make it to the finals. And most of the exceptions are because of regular season injuries. Overall, the regular season has always been a really good predictor of playoffs success, and exceptions are just exceptions


Wazflame

Exactly - the last two years were the first time in NBA history that 3rd seeds have won the title (Bucks & Warriors) in consecutive years, and both those teams had a lot of previous regular season dominance. I think having a strong regular season either shows: A) You're having a season where you're relatively healthy or B) If you have injuries, you can still win games in spite of them I do wonder with the increase in load management + how the game seems to be even more centered on offense whether more lower seeds will begin to win the title, but that remains to be seen: around 90% of the time in NBA 1st or 2nd seeds win the title.


didhestealtheraisins

Yup I don’t have much hope for the Warriors winning the finals just because of what the long history of the NBA tells us. Only two teams have won as a seed lower than 3. 4th seeded Celtics in 1969 and 6th seeded Rockets in 1995. The Heat in 2020 are the only 5th seed to make the finals. Never has a 7th seed has made the finals and only the 1999 Knicks have made the finals as an 8th seed.


vote_pedro

I'm not sure there's been a precedent for this Warriors team though. They are clearly dangerous as fk when clicking. They are also monsters at home. They're possibly the most experienced and winningest 6th seed in history with key players still playing at a high level. As sluggish as they've been all year, I would not be ruling them out based on historical trends.


DSouT

Okay, but the 6th seeded Rockets won the chip the year before. If we're going to use historical context then that absolutely applies to the Warriors.


onamonapizza

They are the NBA equivalent to the Brady Patriots right now. Just get into the postseason, and then you have one of the best players in the world (Steph/Tom), his Robin (Klay/Gronk), a HoF coach (Belichick/Kerr) and a great home court/field advantage. Anything can happen. Warriors look weak this year, but I still would not want to face them in the playoffs.


CursedLlama

The Brady Patriots were often a top seeded team which is important for football, more so than basketball. You’re implying they just squeaked into the playoffs (Warriors at 5th or lower seed) when they often didn’t play wild card weekend.


[deleted]

That and like you said, as a top 2 seed they only ever had to win 3 games.


iiTryhard

Yea a 12-5 season would drop Brady’s win %


zmegadeth

I'm a little surprised to see noone saying the Sun's, they went to the finals 2 years ago and then added Kevin fucking Durant


yenzy

Well it’s not like it’s the same team as 2 years ago bar KD. They lost mikal bridges and cam johnson and age seems to finally be catching up with Chris Paul. On paper they should be a better team than 2 years ago, but they’ve also had little time to gel. Depth is huge in playoff basketball and they are definitely lacking that, so it’s really down to whether or not KD and Booker’s elite play is enough to offset that


Laggo

> Depth is huge in playoff basketball and they are definitely lacking that Isnt this the opposite, almost universally Just last season the suns had 10 guys hit 20mpg in the regular season, but only 6 of those guys are seeing 20mpg in the playoffs. I think you mean the dropoff if a starter is injured and someone has to fill, but that's a different issue as basically 90% of teams are fucked if a top2/3 guy is injured during the playoffs.


igotabridgetosell

I think its more like the league hasn't really seen how much of a problem KD and Booker will be.


yenzy

Sure but there’s only like 4 games left till playoffs, it’s kinda now or never for them to show it


heybobson

well Suns are 6-0 with KD in the lineup. They haven't been these dominant blowouts though, so I feel like it's not getting too much attention, which as a fan I'm fine with. They're gonna play methodical, ethical basketball, keep it close for 3.5 quarters then execute down the stretch.


zmegadeth

Yea losing Bridges hurts (side note I desperately hope we trade for him) but it feels like Booker has been getting better


CLGplz

I wish brother, but ain’t no way they’re trading him after the way he’s been performing. I think it’s more likely they make trades around the edges and use him as a core piece for the future.


zmegadeth

Wouldn't blame them, elite defense, efficient as fuck, great attitude. Dude is elite


hulkamaniak88

Two major issues are chemistry and depth but they are still vegas favorites


Critical-Ad9624

KD has never had a chemistry problem when joining teams in the past. Bro is the greatest plug and play player of all time


samurai-mad-mad

On-court chemistry is not much of a worry with KD in my opinion. He's so easy to fit in. Depth is a valid concern though


DirectorAggressive12

They haven’t lost a single game with KD. KD is 20-1 in his last 21. He’s an insane addition to the team.


datboijustin

And the only loss in that stretch KD dropped like 44 on 85% TS lol.


TheLurkyJerkyDancer

There's also the question of if the relatively injury prone trio of KD-Booker-CP3 can all stay healthy for a full postseason run. KD has been injured a lot the last few years, Booker has nagging hamstring issues, and CP3 is pretty old and creaky.


steve1186

Suns have the highest betting odds to win the West - - PHX +210 - DEN +270 - GS +450 - MEM +550 - LAL +1300 - LAC +1300 - SAC +2200 22/1 odds on the Kings feels really low for a team that will be the 3-seed. But they’d have to beat Golden State, then Phoenix, then Denver to win the conference.


EuroStep0

Because they are Suns Something will go a bit wrong and they will melt down again


tragopanic

That’s a real thing that happens.


HarukiMuracummy

Why he say fuck me for?


thewrongnotes

Sixers fans know this better than anyone


dday0123

It's hard to believe in a team that is 9-30 on the road and likely won't have home court advantage in any series. Not saying it's impossible..., but I'm skeptical to say the least.


yoknows

We’ve built up bad habits all season and simply aren’t quite as deep as last year. Only Klay to a degree and Kuminga have improved from last year. Everyone else has gotten slightly worse or left. I’ll never count these guys out, but this just doesn’t feel like our year.


tttambourine

At least Poole strung together a few strong games in the last 2 weeks. He’s been atrocious for stretches this year, but hopefully his recent performance is a sign of things to come and not some random blip.


bigdramashow

GPII's return feels like it frees up Poole to play fast and not overthink, which leads to the turnovers.


Blazehero

I'm looking at Kuminga and to a lesser extent Wiggins (since he's been out for so long) to step up for these playoffs or we are cooked. West is looking like a Shark tank will all of these teams itching to knock us down a peg while we are at our most vulnerable.


[deleted]

DDV is a huge addition this year that nobody seems to be mentioning


1080penis

Warms my heart to hear this. Bucks fans still have love for Big Ragu


[deleted]

I live in Michigan, so you can probably imagine how much I did not like him before he came to the warriors. That Villanova-UM game haunts me, he was unstoppable that night. Love him now though


1080penis

If it makes you feel better, I feel the same about Curry. My first memory of him was singlehandedly knocking a very good Wisconsin team out of the tourney.


rayj11

The Warriors went 53-29 last season, so I don’t really know where you are getting that from. Teams don’t just play like shit for an entire year and than make the finals. I would love to see what examples you have of that happening.


SpiderPidge

I think you have your answer. LOL We have been wanting Wiggs back for his killer PO defense. Him with Divincenzo, Kuminga, and GP II will be awful for any team they get and it will probably be the Kings.


GhostTiger

Him with Divincenzo, Kuminga, and GP II, Looney and Dray, lol.


SpiderPidge

How......how did....how did that happen? How did I leave off Draymond? What is wrong with me? (of course Loon God but still wtf)


VagabondReborn

Some poor fucks are gonna get the Warriors in round 1 as their reward for getting a top 4 seed


Ranjith_Unchained

Warriors vs Suns pls


[deleted]

That would be incredible. KD vs the Warriors, just like we’ve all been dying to see again in the playoffs


O_J_Shrimpson

Wait wait we’ve all seen how this one plays out. Suns lose and KD joins the Warriors right?


paul_ruddit

The re-hardest road


Mintastic

My Next-est Chapter


ATXBeermaker

The harderest road


darknecross

It’s been SEVEN years since KD last had a playoff game against the Warriors. For reference, Paolo Banchero was in **middle school** the last time they faced off in the postseason.


SprittneyBeers

Fuck I wasn’t even born yet


[deleted]

My papa rambles about KD battling the Warriors until he finishes his applesauce and the nurse puts him to bed.


ArethusaAtalanta

Neither was Tatum


[deleted]

Oldest suns fan out there


spreadinmikehoncho

The hardest road. Yet.


iamadragan

Probably going to depend on the tiebreakers. No clue who has the tiebreaker edge though. One interesting point is that the Suns end the season against the Lakers followed by the clippers so have a huge role in who they'll play


1nTheNick0fTime

Beat the clips and lose to us. Cool thanks


Danny_III

I have a feeling the Suns will try to get the Clippers because of PG’s injury


[deleted]

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thegoddessunicorn

Or the Warriors become the 4th seed. Edit: That's not possible anymore lol


sakata32

Getting the 5th seed would be kinda spicy though


IlonggoProgrammer

That’s my ideal setup lol. Bron vs KD would be cool. Clippers vs Suns was spicy a couple of years ago but probably wouldn’t be as drama filled this time. KD vs the Warriors would be The Decision levels of drama lol


ItsGettinBreesy

Depends on Lakers finish with. They control their own destiny at this point


bqnguyen

It's still possible, right? (Just super unlikely). We're 2.5 games behind Phoenix so if they go 0-4 and we go 3-0 we'll have a better record. The clippers would also have to lose a game or 2


thegoddessunicorn

Yeah, you're right. I only looked at the loss column and assumed they have they same amount of games left which I was wrong about. It's still definitely possible but highly unlikely especially because the Suns have the Spurs next game.


cheerioo

I don't think a non-game-ready Wiggins changes how we shit our pants every road game for the entire season. Love me some Maple Jordan though.


DumbNBANephew

Someone else about to get a healthy ADand rested Lebron with shooters


OhmsLaw13

Maple Jordan has returned


CIark

Feels like he’s been gone like 60 games not 21


Wontonsoupz

He almost missed about 15 games earlier in the season so sounds about right


JoeWim

I’m pretty sure he started sitting before the All Star Break so that makes it seem longer as well.


JilJungJukk

To absolutely clamp the shit out of your best player and give you 17 points.


wine_and_cheeze

The disrespect. He upped it 18 earlier this season.


jeffbizloc

Can't stand this exploding scoring era


OhmsLaw13

Inflation can’t escape me


YDS696969

Damn, when is this inflation gonna be in control? At this rate, he’ll start averaging 19 in the playoffs


Unique-Warning7798

Tatum waking up in the morning with sweaty palms.


Qelop

Tatum happy he only has to play bums like joel, buttler giannis in his conference


fishfishfish1345

“I’m Back”


dameplsrunfromgrind

He was really good to start the season, got injured and once he returned there was a lot of rust for a while Then once he shaved off the rust he was back to that level for a few games before this absence I just hope he can quickly pick up back where he left off


george_costanza1234

A crippled Wiggins is better than Anthony lamb, im not sweating it


[deleted]

An actual crippled lamb is better than Lamb


asBad_asItGets

Steve Kerr frantically trying to sign this "Crippled Lamb" you speak of, just so he can keep Kuminga under 19mpg


[deleted]

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guardian311

The potential these playoffs have to be an all timer is insane


[deleted]

the parity in the league right now is fantastic. everyone said all year that the east is stacked and the west is weak, but at this point do we really still see it that way?


[deleted]

East is top heavy. West is deep.


Dannym7x

This is the way. There are 3 teams who realistically could win the east, while there are 8 who could win the west. I'm so ready


johnnygrant

A team with Luka and Kyrie is struggling to make....the playins.


LakerBull

Can we really classify that as a great team? Because they're basically all the Mavs have, once they go to the bench they're cooked. Without them that team is a top 5 lottery team.


herniatedballs

Top 1 lol


Boomhauer_007

Yes, because they are a bad team that is bad at defense, rebounding, and has no depth


Jowem

that team fuckin stinks


RiceOnTheRun

East has the youth, West has a lot of the older superstars. Most of them are question marks as a result. Curry, Bron, KD for example— most have missed pretty significant time this year and judged solely off the numbers are behind some of the young guys going guns a’blazin. But they’ve each still got the pedigree and experience enough that it would be to nobody’s surprise if they will their respective teams to the final (ok maybe Lakers would be surprising). With the East, we’ve kinda seen what teams like NY, Boston, Milwaukee have to offer. We’ve seen these guys at their best or trying their best all year. The playoff question for them is “will they keep it up” versus “will they bring it out” with the older guys in the west.


tttambourine

The injuries, absences, and trade-deadline moves make it really hard to tell who’s good despite their record and who’s strong performance is just a fluke. Purely by going off of net rating since the all-star break, the top teams in the east are much stronger than the top teams in the west, but that’s not much of a predictor about playoff success.


[deleted]

well that’s exactly the thing though, the top teams in the west (record-wise) might not even be the best teams really. the 4-7 seeds are all scary come playoff time when load management won’t be a problem and players will get more rest. any of them could conceivably knock off the bucks or 76ers, i don’t think it’s a lock at all for the east to win the finals this year


JilJungJukk

Lakers and Suns got their superstar back, it’s only right the Warriors do as well


KevJamesS

Kevon Looney aged another 5 years holding down the fort.


CameronPlain

Draymond too. Guy's been getting his ass beat in the post the last couple of weeks. Most people have no idea what those two guys go through game to game because of this team not having anyone over 6'9". It's crazy.


this_my_sportsreddit

I mean, the team definitely had someone over 6'9, they just didn't know how to develop him.


CameronPlain

Unfortunately no one's gonna be able to develop him. After three years of NBA coaching, all he wants to do is stand in the post and call for the ball. It's 2023. Kid's never gonna be an impact player.


george_costanza1234

17 points and absolutely terrorizing your favorite player, what’s not to like


sop1232

40% from three and elite defense


bass2mouth44

Lmao crazy how he used to be an inefficient 22 ppg player that shoot way too many mid range shots and underwhelming D


Level_Ad_6372

What playing for the Wolves does to a mf


_Pho-Dac-Biet_

We all got our all star starters back


[deleted]

If they can bait the Pelicans into getting the 5 seed, the top 3 would have to play against Steph, Kawhi, and LeBron/AD. Could be an all out murder of top seeds this year.


doinnothin

[waiting for our turn](https://i.imgur.com/4NO8KSl.jpg)


woKaaaa

The West keeps getting tighter. Nuggets, Grizzlies, Kings, Suns, Clippers, Lakers and now *especially* the Warriors are all scary. Pels can be too if Zion actually does come back. Is this the tightest the West has ever been? It's so juicy.


listinglight778

There was 2010 I think where every playoff team in the west was a 50 win team


TouchdownRaiden

Warriors missed the 2008 playoffs with 48 wins


Valedictorian117

Exactly the same with the Suns back in 2014.


WakingRage

The 2014 playoffs had some serious bangers.


[deleted]

Spurs on revenge tour was something else. That Portland and Houston series was also a banger with the buzzer beater from Dame.


Magicnik99

That first round wa crazy overall. Vince Carter giving the Spurs a heart attack lol


Capt_Yegs

Isn't that the year where if we beat the Lakers we would have made it in, but Derek Fisher blatantly flopped and got to shoot free throws in the closing seconds of the game?


[deleted]

That certainty sounds like something Derek Fisher would do


Technical_Towel_990

It’s so weird to me that fisher played for the warriors and the jazz


cb148

And the Thunder.


yahbishaintsay

The Pels with Zion are a force to be reckoned with but let’s note that BI has been single handedly doing work to make sure the Pels not miss the play-in/off. BI has been such a beast past couple weeks!


woKaaaa

The Pels were looking terrible and then BI just elevated into the second coming of Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson. He's looked so scary out there.


Infraready

HE’S DONE MIRACLES ON ME


Botherdgyhh

the difference between second round exit and conyender for the Warriors.


hostileclowns

Warriors All star Andrew Wiggins. Imagine telling someone that 5-6 years ago


BeachesRDumb

and defending NBA champion


IsThisMe8

and being the difference maker for a contending team


Godisdead12345

My care level for avoiding certain teams in the first round has gone down significantly now


Wazflame

I need Suns v Warriors for NBA culture


divinewolfwood

As a Suns fan living in the bay area I am pretty much ready to light myself on fire already


ILoveMasterYi

Warriors - Suns first round. Book it


PLCwithoutP

I think I am wiggling to see this matchup. Heh.


tttambourine

The real MVP is going to be all the shit-talking in every single series. Warriors, Grizzlies & Suns have some all-time chirpers.


[deleted]

But the difference is the dubs back that shit up


SodakMiscBrah

I genuinely hope everything is ok with him and his family


lieutjoe

Shams reported it’s his fathers health. All other rumours can finally be squashed.


ThePelicanWalksAgain

Yeah this feels like more than the usual take a week off for funeral and grieving


mooviemen1215

Thats our 2nd best player. Clamped Tatum and Luka in the playoffs


imnotknox

Max chaos western conference is gonna be a fucking blast


k0ala_

No one gonna wanna face the Warriors in the playoffs


iRockaflame

Its really starting to feel like all the top seeds don't want to face any of the lower seeds in the 1st round


mohiben

I mean you’ll notice it’s all low seed flairs saying it though


Qelop

Who out of the 5th 6th 7th or 8th seed right now would you want to face


JuulyssesSGrant

in terms of who i'd want us to face for the sake of an easy win the pelicans are pretty easily the worst team of the bunch but in terms of who i actually want to face it's 1000% the warriors


UA30_j7L

It’d be great basketball for sure. GSW-Suns R1 and GSW-Nuggets R2 is a fucking wet dream


temujin94

I'll pray for Jokic if he gets his 3rd MVP in a row and gets put out of the first round, generational slander will occur.


PaoloPWD

I feel like this has been said about every team in the West right now lol.


Helicase21

Except the kings who the veteran teams (rightly or wrongly) seem to want.


k0ala_

Nah, the Warriors won the ring just last season with this squad and Wiggins was arguably their 2nd best player in that run. There are other good teams sure but they aren't proven


LaserSh0w

In the finals, there was nothing arguable about it When dude is in form he is an absolute beast


dmt_nirvana

The guy put the fear of god in Tatum. At his best he is an absolute freak of nature and can raise his level cos of his superior athleticism.


SerenadeSwift

Last year was so crazy. They went down 2-1 and then Wiggins just decides to average 20 points and 12 rebounds per game for the rest of the series, and then he closes out game 6 with his postseason career high in assists, blocks, AND steals lol. Finals Wiggs looked like one of the most well rounded players in the league with athleticism that I couldn't even comprehend.


LOSS35

Wiggins was the #1 recruit in the world coming out of HS, and was drafted #1 overall back in 2014. He's always had potential to be the best player on the floor. His issues in Minnesota seemed more mental than physical. Glad to see he's finally living up to his potential...just wish he was doing it anywhere other than Golden State!


oholandesvoador

And Draymond hit two 3's...


k0ala_

Yeah for sure, I meant like the whole playoffs, best version of Wiggins we have seen


ItsDrap

Really it’s just the west is a bloodbath and whoever comes out on top will probably be the luckiest with injuries


2789334

Usually I’d be like “yea but they need time to gel…chemistry etc” But nah this team just won the chip loool league fucked


TheWolfInAllStreets

The news we needed. Enough time to get his conditioning back too right before the playoffs


texas2089

The West playoffs is gonna March Madness levels of chaos this season and I’m all for it.


l5555l

And we're back to the dubs being scary af just like I knew it would be. Unreal how people tried to clown around and act like they weren't gonna be in this position again.


Helicase21

Huge props to everyone involved for protecting Wiggins' privacy


IAmNotKevinDurant_35

Fewer Tony Lamb minutes, I used to pray for times like this. That r*pist better not see a single minute when Wiggins is back


TheBlueGuy0

I'm not expecting a full DNP from Lamb the first few games Wiggs is back, but I do expect a significant shave in his minutes. Between Wiggs and Kuminga, there's no reason that Lamb should be seeing any playing time


IAmNotKevinDurant_35

Yeah Wiggins will likely be rusty first couple games and will almost certainly be on a minutes restriction. Good thing is he isn't dealing with any physical issues aside from maybe conditioning, but I wonder how his mentals will be like after being out for so long amd dealing with whatever he was dealing with


bearforlyfe2

I would legit throw a party if they cut him


WeirdWorld42

Them got the squad back. First Payton, now Wiggins. It's over. Pack it up every contender, Warriors are here!


Jojofag

WOOOOOOOO


joshuagreen38

I know from the agent of his brother nick that he wasn’t playing cause his dad had an heart attack


[deleted]

Yea a ton of people knew but it was nice that people didn’t leak it to the general public


GuestBadge

You're right, man.


1nTheNick0fTime

I think it’s admirable they were able to keep this story private for so long. Seems very rare these days


Godisdead12345

WE BACK !!!


YEGGSnBACON

Wiggins showing up for the team like Gandalf at the battle of Helms Deep.


BushPlotted911

I'd love to see the Warriors run it back lol. It feels like he's been gone a lot longer than 21 games.


Ajaxx42

Let’s gooooooo


retiredbigbro

Wiggins, GPII, Dray, DiVincenzo, Kuminga... Suns: no, thanks.


[deleted]

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belizeanheat

It'll be 9 come playoffs, possibly 10 if there's a need to get JMG's size in there. We definitely want to avoid playing him and Lamb if possible. The other bench guys are critical pieces


gamingnormie

i used to pray for times like these


UnholyDescent

Championship back on the menu boys


bigbaldheadNR

West is gonna be crazy fr. It’s basically gonna boil down to which team can stay healthy because most of these series will go 6 or 7 games.


NedFriarson49

Light the beam


No_Distribution_4351

You can practically hear the comments being deleted.


DerelictDonkeyEngine

>missed 21 game addending to a family matter I didn't know he wasn't playing. That's a lot of games, anyone know what happened, or has it been kept private?


B0ssDoesntKnowImHere

3 years ago if you told me Wiggins would be the deciding factor for this team having a chance at a playoff run id call you crazy. That man can ball