There remains an undercurrent of skepticism about the suddenly streaking Warriors, but it won’t take much to get the bandwagon rolling downhill.
Beat the Boston Celtics Sunday afternoon at TD Garden and the believability factor rises considerably. The Warriors will go from a play-in hopeful to the kind of opponent no one wants to face in the playoffs. One that has veteran superstars in Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, a cagey veteran in Chris Paul and an intriguing young supporting cast that appears to be blossoming before our eyes,
A 3-0 roadie through Washington, New York and Toronto has given the Warriors an eight-game win road win streak, and at 32-27 their hopes of climbing from the No. 10 spot to somewhere near No. 6 in the crowded West playoff race don’t seem nearly as remote.
On the other hand, a one-sided loss at Boston would indicate the Warriors remain a paper tiger that can beat inferior teams but isn’t up to a championship challenge.
Look no further than last Sunday for evidence.
The NBA champion Denver Nuggets came to Chase Center, a perfect opportunity for the Warriors to take their new-found confidence for a test drive. They played well at the outset, but just before halftime Denver went on a run and the Warriors never recovered in a 119-103 loss.
Nikola Jokic dominated inside and out, transition defense was a rumor and the gulf between a legit title contender and the Warriors appeared to vast to overcome over the space of 26 games before ethe end of the regular season.
Since then, the Warriors have beaten Washington, New York and Toronto. The Wizards are one of the two worst teams in the NBA, the Knicks are decimated by injuries and the Raptors came in with a 22-37 record.
Boston, on the other hand, has the best record in the NBA at 47-12, is 28-3 at home and on a 10-game win streak. A win on a national Sunday afternoon stage would soften even the most hardened skeptics.
Winning 13 out of 16 NBA games is impressive no matter the opposition. The Warriors are fairly healthy and confident. Beating the Celtics would suggest that maybe the Denver debacle had more to do with Curry, Thompson and Green all having poor games at the same time — which would seal the Warriors’ doom regardless of the opponent.
If there was one constant theme during the first three games of the road trip, it’s that the Warriors like their chemistry and togetherness a year after those qualities imploded the moment Green punched Jordan Poole at practice.
Without mentioning Poole, coach Steve Kerr indicated the way Green has responded to two separate suspensions this season has made a huge difference.
Warriors’ forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) has given his team an explosive presence inside around the rim. Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group
“I think the key is the chemistry and these guys are committed to each other and winning,” Kerr said. “I think Draymond has done an incredible job of walking the line the way he needs to, being competitive and fierce but not going over the line. We need him, and he knows that, and he’s been fantastic.”
Green has been saying and doing all the right things.
“Guys are pulling for each other,” Green said. “It’s not going to be that way every night. I’m not going to sit here and act like through the course of an 82-game season and the playoffs you don’t veer from that. But it’s our job as a whole to make sure whoever veers from it that you pull them right back to it.”
Whether it’s Moses Moody stepping while Andrew Wiggins is away with a personal or rookie Brandin Podziemski filling up a box score and hitting the deck while taking charge after charge, the Warriors have developed an identity around their Big Three.
Kerr will need to do some lineup shuffling when Wiggins returns assuming Podziemski’s knee bruise is minor, but so far the Warriors’ personality has been to adapt to change.
“It took us awhile, frankly, just to figure out our team,” Kerr said. “We wer eleaning on what we were two years ago when we won the championship. That wasn’t working, and we eventually changed things up. Between that getting Draymond back and our young guys taking a leap forward, we’ve got a bit of momentum and we’re going to try and keep it going.”
Two big reasons the Warriors can still be a dangerous postseason opponent are third-year forward Jonathan Kuminga and veteran point guard Chris Paul. A month ago the 6-foot-7 Kuminga was the subject of trade rumors with the Chicago Bulls. Now he’s untouchable.
“J.K. has changed our team, really,” Kerr said. “His ability to get to the line, get to the paint and get us easy baskets has really balanced our our team in a dramatic way. He’s put our team in a much better position.”
As for Paul, the 21 games he missed with a fractured left hand could be a blessing in disguise. He returned this week showing no signs of rust and providing instant stability whenever he’s on the floor. Paul has been known to wear out in a protracted postseason, and that won’t be the case this year.
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“We’ve competed against CP for so many years,” Green said. “CP is a winner — he knows how to win. Just having that steady presence tha the is on and off the court has been huge for this team. And it’s been a joy to have him here this year.”
Has the Warriors’ recent run been real or a mirage? We’ll find out how real it is Sunday against the Celtics, and if that doesn’t provide enough evidence, the Milwaukee Bucks come to town Wednesday night.
Win or not, the Warriors can prove to themselves and their fan base they can do some postseason damage with competitive games of playoff intensity rather than the malaise that struck a week ago against Denver.
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