Even though they’re far from the dominating team they were a couple of years ago, the Golden State Warriors are the last team you want to meet in the playoffs.
They’re peaking at the right time and Stephen Curry looks like a man on a mission. To make things even worse for their rivals, it seems like they may not be at full strength when they face them, assuming the Dubs end up with the 8th seed.
That’s why Nick Wright recently said that the Utah Jazz should be quite concerned if they have to meet them in round 1, as Donovan Mitchell would be out of rhythm:
“I do think the Warriors could absolutely upset Utah in Round 1,” Wright said. “And I’m old enough to remember when I was a casual and a bad basketball fan because I didn’t love Utah’s ball movement and respect the Stifle Tower. But at the end of the day, we all know Utah’s a regular-season team, not a playoff team. Their best offensive weapon is going to be coming off getting back from injury right when the playoffs begin.”
Moreover, Wright broke down Utah’s defense and how Stephen Curry could dominate Rudy Gobert if he just stays in the paint, reminiscing what Jamal Murray did to them last year:
“And if Golden State end up the 8-seed, which I think they likely will, that is a disaster for Utah. There’s almost nothing to gain, everything to lose, and they’ll be a 1 vs. 8 where the 8 has the best player in the series. I also do think, that while Draymond Green at this point in his career is not a super useful regular-season player – as Draymond has said before: ‘there’s 82-game players and there’s 16-game players, I am a 16-game player’. I think Draymond is incredibly useful in the right matchup in the postseason. And if we remember Utah – who looks like will be the number 1 seed after Phoenix’s lost last night – if we remember Utah last year in round 1, Jamal Murray dropped 50 points every other game. Why? because legendary Defensive Player of the Year stands within 3 feet of the basket at all times and he just gets free shots from the perimeter. Try that against Steph Curry,” Wright added.
The Warriors don’t have Kevin Durant or Klay Thompson anymore but they still have Draymond Green and Stephen Curry. You should know better than to bet against those guys in the playoffs.
"I do think the Warriors could upset Utah in Round 1. … If the Warriors end up the 8-seed, which I think they likely will, that is a disaster for Utah. … Draymond is a 16-game player & useful in the right matchup. And Steph will dominate Gobert." — @getnickwright pic.twitter.com/d8i7tPBdwJ
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) May 12, 2021
