After four NBA titles in five seasons, the Golden State Warriors are aiming for a historic ‘Three-Peat’ in 2019 and despite some trials and tribulations along the way, they look in good shape.
There was talk at the start of the season about a possible reduction in their bench strength, exacerbated by the fact that their main signing, DeMarcus Cousins, was set to miss a big chunk of the season with an ongoing injury problem. There has also been a well-publicised spat between Kevin Durant and Draymond Green, as well as lingering speculation about Durant’s future.
But despite the controversy and some less than spectacular performances, they have shown along the way that they are still the most dangerous team in basketball and the team that was rated as overwhelming title favourites according to the implied probabilities on the bigbetbookmakers.com site before the season began, are still on target to top the Western Conference.
In the East, the Boston Celtics were widely tipped to dominate, with the return of Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, but it hasn’t quite worked out that way, as finding the best way to utilise the NBA’s deepest squad has so far proven beyond coach Brad Stevens. The weakness of the Eastern Conference means they will have little trouble making the play-offs, but so far the pace in the East has been set by the Milwaukee Bucks, who have been a team transformed under Mike Budenholzer, and the Toronto Raptors, whose capture of Kawhi Leonard has transformed them into genuine contenders, with a solid defence and multiple scoring threats.
The other big team in the East, Philadelphia 76ers, have had a turbulent campaign so far. After a strong start, they strengthened by adding Jimmy Butler to the squad, but although Butler has undoubtedly added something to the Philly game plan, integrating his outspoken personality and his particular skills into a team that also features Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, has not been easy, and Embiid’s lingering back injury is also a concern for 76ers fans.
In the West, much of the attention has been on LeBron James and the Lakers, but they haven’t been consistent enough to challenge the better teams. Last year’s top side in the West, Houston, had a nightmare start, but have slowly recovered, thanks to the exertions of James Harden, though asking him to single-handedly drag his team to the Conference Finals this season might be too much, particularly given their much-weakened defence this time round.
The main challenge to Golden State in the West appears to be from Denver and Oklahoma. The Nuggets continue to be underrated, but they are built around one of the league’s most remarkably versatile centres in Nikola Jokic, and play some of the most exhilarating basketball in the NBA. And Oklahoma are once again making a charge, driven by the irrepressible Russell Westbrook and the rock-solid Paul George. In a wide-open Western section, the Thunder look a good bet to make the Conference finals at least.
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