We Were Wrong About These Golden State Warriors

Well, I want to move on to the Golden State Warriors. You know, they're playing as we record this tonight. So I can't say if their enormous win streak is going to continue. But man. They look phenomenal and they're beating all comers with a confidence that we haven't seen in a while. You know, I've been saying that the Golden State Warriors, when you look at their dynasty years, obviously the skill of their players, defensive players and the three ball, you know, the shooters that they had, that's what dominated the headlines. But there is no doubt that this team also ran on swag. I mean, Steph Curry is the nicest guy in the league and he will shimmy in your face. This team ran on a lot of confidence and you haven't seen that certainly since Jimmy Butler got hurt. And I feel like Yaxel Lindenberg has sort of opened those doors again. And as a result, everybody is playing better. I mean, I want to give you Steph Curry's last five games. He's scoring more than a point a minute. In overtime, when they played the Magic, I think Saturday night, he scored 17 of his 41 points in the final seven minutes. And I mean, Yaxel has obviously become not just a scorer for them in a way they didn't expect, but a playmaker in a way they didn't expect. And it just takes such a load off of Steph if he can create. Yeah, 1,000. Also, Yaxel has become an alpha. I think when you sit there, you hear Steph and Draymond, most importantly, talk about him. It's like, nah, like, what's different than last year? It's like, we got Yaxel. I think anytime you have players like that on the court, it gives you so much more confidence, and one guy can reinvigorate that energy and that emotion. I think at the beginning of the season, Steve Kerr was talking about We had a dynasty run, but now we have to reimagine ourselves and what we can be. And it goes from being like, hey, worried about 26 game win streaks and breaking records to saying, hey, by the time February hits and Jimmy comes back, we want to make sure we're hitting our stride and we put ourselves in a position to make some magic happen. The only difference is they've been able to make it happen in November. You know, seven game win streaks has been crazy, but even the fact of four of those games, they've been down by 10 plus points and been able to come back. Not only has it been skill, swagger, but it's been grittiness and blue-collar basketball. And sometimes that identity is hard to find in old horses, like we've seen the past couple years with the Warriors. So this has been perfect. They have to stay healthy, you know, obviously stay energy, you know, free energy running. But, man, Steph Curry, like those numbers you're saying, like he's, what are we, I'm 38, he's 39 years old. That is absolute. He's been going since 0-9. The fact that you just said he scored 17 in seven minutes is, that is, that is, that is, man, that's crazy. That's absolutely wild, bro. That's wild. And then he's playing with a bunch of young kids. It's unique, man. I can't believe that's a real thing. Wow. Yep. It is kind of stunning. And it's funny, I remember back to over the summer before Steph signed his extension and there was just sort of some people, not myself, not you, Evan, were saying, oh, he should ask out because, you know, he needs one more thing to like, shouldn't he go out a winner? Steph Curry is going out a winner no matter what. If this team falls off a cliff later in the season, Steph Curry, whenever he decides to retire, will be going out as one of the most elite players in the history of basketball. And you can see it in these games in a way to me that even if they don't have a ton of playoff success, he is still showing everybody all of the things, all of the things, Evan. And it doesn't take much. I always believe in stuff like every year I'm always like Western Conference Finals Warriors, Western Conference Finals Warriors, because even before he got injured with the Nuggets, with the hamstring, and he had a crazy first round, I think his last real good playoff run. I mean, he was on fire then. The only thing that stopped him was the hamstring injury that stopped him in the playoffs. But I think Steph has a natural gift. He has a natural, you know, talent. He's competitive, but, you know, he's taking care of his body and he still looks 28, 29 the way he's playing. So I feel as though it doesn't take much for him because he's won with Lesser. That 2020-2022 championship was not filled with... All-star players or anything, like, Klay was aching, Draymond was off, and he was relying on a young Jordan Poole and, you know what I mean, Gary Payton and a Wiggins. So, I don't think it takes much because once he shows up in those playoff games, I think his aura, his energy, and his gravity really overtakes that. And you add Jimmy Butler, you add a dog like Draymond, but then you add some Lindenburg, like. It's the first time you've seen him forever. They just cleared out a side in a Warriors offense. Literally, like, hey, two or three times a game, clear this whole thing out and go get a bucket. When Jimmy comes back and he's so locked in, Jimmy's a dog, he's going to hit the ground like he hasn't missed anything. I already know that psychopath is ready. So it's going to be dangerous, and you're going to have to... It's going to be, it's going to, man, when they get back, it's going to be problems. And we're not even talking about Podziemski. Warriors are shooting, what, their second best three-point shooting team in the league. They're shooting 38, 39%. Like, yeah, good. Hey, good for them. And they play versus some killers. So it's tough. Good for them. I mean, I think it's interesting that a lot of people, when they come out with their preseason picks and everything, there are a lot of people who didn't even think this was going to be a play-in team. And I think that the just emergence of Kuminga, both on the court and off, as you said, it doesn't take much. It has opened the doors for Steph to be Steph. And I think that they are going to be dangerous when Jimmy comes back. I don't think there's any question about that. I mean, Kuminga has been razor sharp from three. Nobody expected that, and I think part of that confidence I'm talking about, the swag, does come from the fact that he's 24 years old, and there's been a real sort of shying away in the NBA from picking older rookies, you know, for bringing guys in when they're a little bit older. The idea is like, oh, you know, old saying, the idea is that, oh, they've already reached their potential, so an 18- or 19-year-old, you can still develop them. A 24-year-old already reached his potential if he's coming out of college. I don't think that's the case with this kid. He started playing basketball late and the Warriors who've made so many draft mistakes in the previous few years and the whole two timelines, Joe Lake up ridiculousness. I think this is sort of a interesting middle ground. It's not two timelines, but it is a younger guy who's still not young, who still doesn't need to be super developed to be effective right away. I think it's turning out to be one of the picks of the draft. 1,000%. I think the number one thing is he's had a history of success that you want to see. He has size, but he's also a winner. He showed up, won a national championship, and he won a championship in the summer league, I believe, like, balling out. I think one thing I saw when he argued with Luka, I was like, ah, that's kind of a little different. But his teammates had his back. But I think how Draymond and Steph responded to it was like, hey, we got a young dog with us. We got something with us. And I think besides being a three-point shooter, he's so good with playmaking. He's so good playing inside and out. And I think it's so when Jimmy Butler comes back and you start picking that offense up, he can play in any type of system. And mentally. He has the right mindset. He's just excited to go out and play and compete. He literally has a champion's mindset. So I'm excited. I think he's playing like a man. Whenever you're 24 years old and you come in or you're a late draftee, it's like, all right, bro, you been here before? You ain't got all day. I think he's comprehended that. He knows his game, and he's a very high IQ player. No, I mean, look, obviously all of this also depends on health, right? If Steph is out for two months with a hamstring or something else, ankles again, look, that's going to put too much burden on Jaxson, and then he's going to burn in different ways than he is right now. Right now, he's being allowed to sort of develop into his first year. Not slowly. He's coming in like a moving bullet train, but at the level of weight that he is sort of able to continue to develop. Steph goes out for a couple months. I think this team will be in trouble. I think Jaxson will not be able to do what he's doing now. And then it might be another lull waiting for Jimmy. We're waiting for Jimmy. We're waiting for Jimmy. But let's say they're healthy. How do you see the top four in the West breaking down right now? You got to go. Obviously, I'm going Rockets. I'm going Spurs. I'm going to go East See, I know there's five in your head, and that's why I asked you to name four. That's what I'm saying. I like Thunder, but I'm gonna see in that game of night that Thunder Blazers game, because I like Blazers as a wild card, too. I like that versatility, but I'm definitely going Rockets, Spurs. I'm gonna be wild to go Warriors. I'm gonna throw, man, I like the Blazers. I'm not going to lie. I like the Blazers a lot. Who would you throw in? Who do you like? Minnesota's been looking good, but. I mean, Minnesota, I think we have to wait until Ant comes back. Yeah. The Lakers aren't getting any top four love from you? Man, I'm. The Thunder? No, no. So Lakers for sure, because it's like the Steph effect. I mean, if Luca stays healthy, he's producing, what, 60-something points a night, 65 points a night? Feels like it. Yeah, it definitely feels like it. I mean, he's averaging 40. No, that is, like, who does that? Like, who, like, it's cool, but now it's getting to become, like, tacky. Like, who even averages 40 in it? Like, you know what I mean? Like, who does that? Well, you know what I mean? Like when it was 35, 36, cool. And I was like, wait, this is 40. Like, and he's going to do it the rest of the year. I'm with, I'm one of them people where I believe like you kind of chose in that sense. And I believe Luca has a championship on the way. Not too sure if that's when Jokic comes over after this year or whenever, but. Don't be starting stuff. Don't be starting stuff. I would love it. Hey, that would take over. I would love for that takeover. Europe and L.A., that would be so lit. That would be so dope, such an advancement. But there's so many teams in the West to choose from. I just think the realest one right now is the Houston Rockets. The Spurs are legit, but the Rockets have everything, in my personal opinion. So I would give it to those two, and the rest have to – you got to see how it plays out because OKC is still – You got to see if they're still going to stay healthy and how they're going to continue to develop with that culture and, you know, through injuries.