The Golden State Warriors can be beaten.
In a seven-game playoff series, it's not likely. But it's possible, and there are a handful of teams who believe — rightly or wrongly — that they can dethrone the defending champs.
As the postseason nears, USA TODAY Sports' Jeff Zillgitt, Martin Rogers, AJ Neuharth-Keusch and Matt Eppers take a look at which teams the Warriors should be most afraid of.
Note: This roundtable first appeared in our weekly NBA newsletter, which is delivered to inboxes every Wednesday. Want more content like this early and delivered directly each week? Then sign up for NBA Click & Roll, which also features the biggest moments, quotes and news you may have missed from throughout the Association.
Zillgitt: Oklahoma City is fading. Denver doesn’t have the experience despite such an outstanding season. The Los Angeles Clippers could present problems, and Jusuf Nurkic’s season-ending injury hurts Portland. The Milwaukee Bucks have to prove they can win a series, let alone get to the NBA Finals (plus, they're entering the postseason banged up). I’m not sure the Warriors are afraid of any team, but the team they should be most worried about is Houston.
While this isn’t the same Rockets team that took the Warriors to seven games in last season’s conference finals, this isn’t the same Warriors team, either. Yes, the Warriors are more vulnerable this season, especially defensively, and they would have to contend with James Harden, who is putting up historic offensive numbers. But it’s also not a one-man show for the Rockets, who not only have Chris Paul, Eric Gordon and Clint Capela, they have depth, too. Not that regular-season meetings are always meaningful, but the Rockets are 3-1 against Golden State this season, with two victories in Oakland. The Rockets are confident they can beat Golden State in a playoff series.
Rogers: The Clippers. This is a matchup that could easily happen, too, either as a 1 vs. 8 or a 2 vs. 7. The reason isn’t so much that I think the Clippers could beat Golden State in a seven-game series, but that I think they could take a lot out of them. The Clippers have been hot, playing as well as anyone in the league over the past three weeks. Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell are monsters of differing sizes coming off the bench, Danilo Gallinari has a hot hand and the team as a whole is menacing defensively. They are tough and rugged and exhausting to play against. And while the Warriors are a modern phenomenon and bring their best at playoff time, I can see the Clippers extending this series to six games, or even seven. That, combined with the effort needed to get past them, could potentially put Steve Kerr’s team in a compromised spot, especially if they then head straight into a second-round clash with Houston.
Neuharth-Keusch: In the West, it has to be the Rockets. Houston had the Warriors on the ropes in last year's conference finals, and *if* Paul didn't miss the final two games of the series with a hamstring injury, and *if* the Rockets didn't have a historically bad shooting night in Game 7, we probably would have seen a Houston-Cleveland NBA Finals. The Rockets are peaking at the right time, and the trio of Paul, Harden and Capela is as dangerous as any.
As for the East? Toronto. This isn't the same Raptors team that couldn't get over the postseason hump year after year. Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green are NBA champions. Serge Ibaka has played in the Finals. Marc Gasol is a seasoned veteran with loads of playoff experience. They also have length, a few elite and versatile defenders, a handful of players who can hit shots from the perimeter, and, though it doesn't mean much, they swept the Warriors in the regular season. The Warriors are by far the better team, but should these two squads meet in the Finals, Toronto has enough to make it a series.
Eppers: Golden State doesn’t fear anyone, but if there’s one team that should cause some worry, it’s Houston. That’s not a particularly groundbreaking or out-of-the-box pick, but the Rockets have the pedigree and still have enough talent to challenge the Warriors. They also still have Harden, arguably the league’s best all-around scorer and someone who can take over a series. Health is always a concern – as it is with Golden State, too – but Capela hasn’t missed a beat since returning from injury and Paul appears ready for the playoffs after a manageable workload down the stretch (knock on every piece of wood within reach, Rockets fans).
No other team in the West inspires as much confidence. Denver’s young core is certainly talented but lacks big-game experience. Portland didn’t have enough even before Nurkic’s injury. Oklahoma City’s defense could pose a problem, but the Thunder are reeling. In the East, Milwaukee has a superstar in Giannis Antetokounmpo, but can he continue to dominate when teams can scheme to slow him over a seven-game series? For all the additions, Toronto remains a believe-it-when-I-see-it team, and Philadelphia and Boston have been too inconsistent to know which version will show up in the playoffs.
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