The Week that Was:
Depending on your perspective on the Oklahoma City game, this was either a very good week or a great one for the Warriors. Last Tuesday, I talked about the challenge of a road/home back to back immediately followed by a trip to Texas. Coach Kerr ended up making the decision to sit Andrew Bogut and Andre Iguodala against the Thunder and the Dubs actually kept it somewhat close against OKC on their home floor for a while.
Beyond that game, the outcomes against the Jazz, Heat, Rockets (yes, the Rockets in Houston) and Nuggets were not really in doubt after halftime. Great teams win the games they should win and going three for three on those made the week a success. Putting a beatdown on the Rockets fueled by that insane third quarter took much of the sting out of the team’s only loss.
The Soapbox: Ducking the Spurs
Inspired by another nice San Antonio performance, over the weekend I tweeted that if the situation presents itself, the Warriors should do what they can to get on the opposite side of the bracket from the Spurs. Considering I got a few strong responses, I decided it would be worth exploring here.
Under most circumstances, the idea of deliberately losing is abhorrent to me and the incentives can be murky at best. This season is different than that because a healthy Spurs team is by far the greatest threat to a Golden State Finals run due to their talent, coaching and playoff experience. While the 2013 playoff series lingers a little, I think more about how the Spurs dominated the Warriors at Oracle in November during one of their few largely healthy moments.
The other big reason I am OK with sliding down if need be comes not from San Antonio but from how little (comparatively) the other teams at the top of the Western Conference should scare the Warriors. They have already won in Dallas, Portland and Houston this season and should have the faith to take a Game Seven on any of those floors. In fact, a full strength Dubs team should be able to use the 2-2-1-1-1 format to their advantage and be able to finish those teams off at Oracle in Game Six.
It all boils down to something best articulated in a Reggie Bush Nike commercial: Whose better can be better than Golden State’s better? To me, the only teams that can claim a spot on that list in the West are the Spurs and possibly Oklahoma City. If they can ensure that the soonest they can play the Spurs would be the Western Conference Finals, it would give two talented teams a shot to knock off the champs. That makes enough of a difference to justify and shame or scorn that comes from some tactical movement. Winning a title should take precedence over such trifling and temporary points of contention.
The Week to Come:
After the strange travel over the last week, the Warriors get another full stretch at home. In fact, their next game on the road comes January 30th in Salt Lake City (against a team they just beat in SLC by double digits).
Going back to the coming week, the Dubs face the Rockets, fading Kings and Celtics. While Houston has a great team, the Warriors just walloped them on the road and have plenty of advantages.
I’m going to go with a 3-0 week though the Rockets have plenty of motivation to avenge their 25-point drubbing.