Although the Golden State Warriors have been a fairly dominant team in recent years, winning their seventh NBA title just two seasons ago, last season however, they lost in the conference semifinals to the Lakers and this season has not seen them looking particularly dominant. This article will touch on recent news that makes it seem even more unlikely that the Warriors will even reach playoffs this season.
Are the Warriors’ recent performances a cause for concern?
In a word, yes. There are definite signs of life in the side and a chance that they could reach playoffs is still alive, but things are not looking great. While you might find the best introductory betting offers are still offering reasonable odds on the side, recent news should lend grave doubts as to whether they can make a recovery. That being said, a good introductory offer could let you lay a bet almost for free if you find the right offer at any one of a number of reputable betting sites. What started so promisingly for the Warriors, a sweet 6 – 2 start, turned into a losing streak with only Golden State’s golden boy Stephen Curry able to hit the scoreboard consistently.
On-court confrontation
We’ve mentioned recent news a couple of times now, if you’re a Warriors fan you can probably guess that we are talking about the recent confrontation that occurred on Tuesday the 14th during the Warriors’ game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. It was still early in the match, neither team had scored, and a shoving match erupted in the middle of the court.Â
Jaden McDaniels of the Timberwolves and Klay Thompson of the Warriors exchanged some words and then exchanged some tugs at each other’s jerseys, in what he later asserted was an effort to de-escalate the situation Timberwolves Center Rudy Gobert attempted to step in and keep the other players off each other. He found himself with the arm of Draymond Green, Warriors power forward, around his neck. Gobert allowed himself to be dragged backwards, holding his hands high to show that he was doing everything he could not to escalate. Soon afterwards other players and refs swarmed the area.Â
The fallout
The upshot of the confrontation was that Thompson, Green and McDaniels were all ejected from the game and Gobert was awarded 2 free throws. Considering that Stephen Curry is out for injury, this left the Warriors in a poor state, eventually losing 101 to the Timberwolves 104. While the punishments for the other players were fines, probably hefty ones, the real punishment was meted out to Green, who faces a five-game suspension. This leaves the beleaguered Warriors in a poor position for the crucial games to come.
Upcoming match-ups
Speaking of those games to come. Their star Stephen Curry is still a question mark with a seemingly not-too-serious knee injury and as mentioned Green is out for 5 games. Both of their next match-ups are likely to be tough games. Oklahoma City Thunder are sitting at a comfortable 7 – 4 and have been playing like they mean it and after them, the Warriors need to contend with the Houston Rockets, who have also been playing well and are sitting at 6 – 3. Neither of these opponents are likely to be push-overs and both will likely want to take home a big skin and defeat the Warriors while they are seemingly weak.
To conclude, the Warriors’ playoff potential is still there, but the question mark hanging over Curry and the tough opposition ahead paints a difficult picture for fans of Golden State. One silver lining is that the rest of the team seemed to find some sort of spark on Tuesday after Green and Thompson were ejected and still managed to make the game an exciting contest. Warriors supporters have to hope that they can bring that same energy forward to their matches against Oklahoma Thunder and the Rockets.
