The time is now for the Warriors.
Do the Warriors have a great future ahead of them? Perhaps.
They certainly have all the pieces in place to contend for the next decade, but you could have said that about the 2012 Thunder as well.
At the time, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were both 23 and James Harden was 22. Find me a person who thought the Thunder wouldn’t be back in the Finals after that defeat to the Heat.
While Warriors’ owner Joe Lacob seems like a better, less frugal owner than Clay Bennett, nothing can be taken for granted in this league.
Trading James Harden will always be a cited as one of the most controversial trades in league history, but the Thunder have also dealt with a plethora of injuries in the years following the Harden trade.
2013- Russell Westbrook. 2014- Serge Ibaka. 2015- Kevin Durant.
Had Derrick Rose not torn his ACL in 2012, the Heat may have not even made it back to the finals. Rose was the reigning MVP heading into those playoffs and led the Bulls to a 2nd consecutive #1 seed. This is the 1st year the Bulls have had Rose in the playoffs since then.
10 days ago, the Cavaliers seemed like a sure bet to win the Eastern Conference. A freak Kevin Love injury and foolish move by J.R. Smith now have the Cavs in a precarious position, down 1-0 at home to the Bulls.
The Clippers current team has been together 4 years now. There is a reason that series against the Spurs felt like the Finals- it’s because the Clippers are feeling the heat. Chris Paul turns 30 tomorrow and he’s never made it out of the 2nd round.
Win a championship this year and the pressure is off for the Warriors. Fall short and who knows what the future holds.
