In the aftermath of an impressive win over the Denver Nuggets on Friday, the Golden State Warriors are feeling good about their chances to make a run in the West. In a recent chat with the media, Stephen Curry explained why he’s so confident in his team as they approach the 2025 NBA playoffs.
“We’re playing like that. But I’ve been saying from the start that we have a lot of work to do. You are seeing our identity, night to night. We know how to win games,” Curry said, via ClutchPoints.
The Warriors fell as low as 11th in the standings this season and there was legitimate concern that the Warriors’ veteran core would spend their final years in NBA purgatory. Fortunately for Golden State, they’ve found new life in the form of a mid-season trade.
Now, they are 46-31 and one game back from the third seed in the West. As winners of four straight games, the Warriors are looking like true contenders right now as they dominate on both ends of the court.
“All the things that championship-caliber teams do, we’ve been doing. It’s different than two months ago. So it’s just the idea of ‘hold onto that energy.’ For us to be able to just get into a playoff series, we understand what we’re capable of.”
The Western Conference is a blood bath right now, with just a five-game difference between the second seed and seventh seed. The Clippers are currently 12 games above .500, and yet they are only eight in the West.
Despite the steep competition, however, Steph and his team believe they have what it takes to win it all — and, considering their track record for success, they may not be entirely wrong.
With four championships (and six Finals appearances) since 2015, the Warriors are one of the most successful teams of the modern era and Stephen Curry has been leading the charge with career averages of 24.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game on 44.8% shooting. He turned 37 in March.
The Warriors fell on tough times after their title run in 2022. As the West got deeper and the Warriors got older, their championship window was closing fast and they were in total free-fall as panic began to set in. It wasn’t until Jimmy Butler’s arrival that everything changed.
Unlike last season, Curry no longer has to carry the Warriors offensively. Jimmy Butler gives them another scoring option and even LeBron James has acknowledged that his addition has changed the entire identity of the club.
As one of the league’s premier two-way wings, Butler’s interior attack and defensive pressure gave the Warriors just what they needed to turn their season around. He’s averaging 17.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game on 45.6% shooting. The team is 20-4 with Jimmy in the lineup and is largely considered the biggest threat to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
If they can stay healthy and carry their momentum into the playoffs, the Warriors might be able to shock the world with an unlikely Finals run. Winning his fifth championship would put Curry in lucrative company but he believes the goal is within reach.
