For the second year in a row, the Golden State Warriors have been sputtering, and they hardly resemble the team they were just two springs ago when they won their fourth NBA championship in eight years.
But lately, there has been a glimmer of hope for them, as they have won eight of their last nine games and have a shot at moving from the Western Conference’s 10th spot into ninth place.
Many have doubted the Warriors’ ability to do anything of note should they make the playoffs, but Chris Broussard said on FS1’s “First Things First” that their ceiling is now the Western Conference Finals.
.@Chris_Broussard is putting a new ceiling on the Warriors — the Western Conference Finals 👀
“There’s Denver, and then a group after that. I’m putting Golden State in that group.” pic.twitter.com/oCyzOxAybj
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) April 10, 2024
Broussard pointed out how Golden State has the NBA’s fourth-best record since January 30 and how they have become one of the league’s best offensive rebounding teams as reasons he now believes in them.
In addition, Klay Thompson, who has struggled to regain his old form after his ACL and Achilles injuries a few years ago, is averaging 20.9 points on 46.8 percent overall shooting and 40.9 percent from 3-point range in his last 17 games.
What makes the race for the Western Conference interesting this year is the fact that, as Broussard alluded to, there is lots of parity outside of the defending world champion Denver Nuggets.
If the Nuggets get overconfident or complacent, there are several teams that could upset them at some point in the postseason.
If the Warriors keep doing what they have been doing lately, perhaps they could at least give Nikola Jokic and crew a run for their money sometime in the next several weeks.
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Darvin Ham Reacts To Lakers’ Loss To Warriors