Over the next two weeks, The Post will be running through 10 of the hottest issues around the NBA heading into the 2015-16 season. Today’s entry is on what could stand in the way of the Golden State Warriors repeating as NBA champions.
It’s hard to win an NBA Championship. It’s even harder to repeat.
That’s the challenge facing the Warriors this season, after they stampeded through the NBA last season to win their first title in 40 years. Stephen Curry and Co. won 67 games, had the league’s second-best offense and its best defense. They never really were threatened as they rolled to the championship, falling behind 2-1 against both the Grizzlies and Cavaliers before winning three straight games to claim each series.
But can they do it again? Here are three things that could prevent a repeat from happening:
1. Health
The Warriors were remarkably healthy last season. While so many of their competitors for the title suffered significant injuries – the Spurs (Kawhi Leonard), Thunder (Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka), Grizzlies (Mike Conley, during the second round), Cavaliers (Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving in the playoffs), to name a few – the Warriors had seven guys play 76 or more games and had no injuries of consequence.
Though it’s possible that luck could repeat, odds are the Warriors will suffer at least one serious injury — and that can derail any team, no matter its talent level.
2. Ego
The concept of teams struggling to repeat after winning a championship was perfectly defined by Pat Riley in his book, “Showtime,” when he said that players can fall victim to the “Disease of More.” They want more money, more playing time and more recognition.
Last season, Golden State was an exemplary example of a team full of players sacrificing for the greater good. First-year coach Steve Kerr went to Andre Iguodala before the season and asked him to come off the bench because Harrison Barnes was a better fit with the starting five. David Lee spent most of the season watching from the sideline as Draymond Green took his playing time, despite Lee having been a fixture with the team for years and a favorite of fans and owner Joe Lacob. Andrew Bogut sat during the NBA Finals because he had become a liability against the Cavaliers, a move that wound up ensuring Golden State would win the title.
Already we’re seeing signs of discontent. Barnes and Festus Ezeli might be playing for new contracts if they don’t receive contract extensions this month, and Iguodala – coming off being named NBA Finals MVP – has been chirping a bit about again having to play behind Barnes.
3. Competition
The Warriors haven’t gotten enough credit for how amazing they were last season. They were truly dominant from beginning to end, and despite Doc Rivers grumbling recently in an interview with Grantland the Warriors were lucky to win the title, they were anything but.
But the race to get out of the Western Conference this season should be insane. You can construct an argument for five other teams – Thunder, Spurs, Rockets, Grizzlies and Clippers – to emerge from the West, almost certainly to face the Cavaliers in the Finals.
That murderer’s row of competition turns the playoffs into something of a crapshoot – even for a team that won 67 games and posted historic team stats last season.