Warriors are the 2nd best team in the West

[StrongLurk]

It's odd how many people and mainstream media just brushed over the Jimmy Butler trade. I said at the time that it was a huge pickup and exactly the type of player the Warriors needed this year.

Yes they still have weaknesses, but every team in the west does except for OKC (well, I guess their young age could be a weakness).

A revamped, highly motivated Warriors team with a healthy Curry is always a contender. It's exactly what happened in 2022.

[Full Court]

Jimmy Butler has made a career out of overachieving, and he still gets underrated.

[StrongLurk]

Jimmy Butler has made a career out of overachieving, and he still gets underrated.

Yep, He has FIVE playoff games in the top 39 playoff game scores of all time (7, 13, 24, 31, 39). All of these games came in the 2020, 2022, and 2023 postseasons.

Only Lebron and MJ have as many games that have a game score in the top 39 all time for playoff games...and they each have five as well.

Honestly a guy like Jimmy Butler at his peak is a better player than Westbrook was at his peak. Butler is literally the oppositive of "empty stats".

[Full Court]

Yep, He has FIVE playoff games in the top 39 playoff game scores of all time (7, 13, 24, 31, 39). All of these games came in the 2020, 2022, and 2023 postseasons.

Only Lebron and MJ have as many games that have a game score in the top 39 all time for playoff games...and they each have five as well.

Honestly a guy like Jimmy Butler at his peak is a better player than Westbrook was at his peak. Butler is literally the oppositive of "empty stats".

I would agree with this.

[Axe]

Yep, He has FIVE playoff games in the top 39 playoff game scores of all time (7, 13, 24, 31, 39). All of these games came in the 2020, 2022, and 2023 postseasons.

Only Lebron and MJ have as many games that have a game score in the top 39 all time for playoff games...and they each have five as well.

Honestly a guy like Jimmy Butler at his peak is a better player than Westbrook was at his peak. Butler is literally the oppositive of "empty stats".
Butler faced better competition in the playoffs than jordan. Dumbass casuals are going to fume and bleed over this big fact tho.

[tpols]

The only thing their missing is an athletic 7 foot center, but there's a lot of pieces outside Butler and Curry that could make a huge difference. Moody and Podz are awesome role players who can shoot and defend and Kuminga is an athletic monster. If they unlock him there's gonna be problems.

[StrongLurk]

The only thing their missing is an athletic 7 foot center, but there's a lot of pieces outside Butler and Curry that could make a huge difference. Moody and Podz are awesome role players who can shoot and defend and Kuminga is an athletic monster. If they unlock him there's gonna be problems.

Yeah very similar weakness to the Lakers. It will be interesting to see the matchups once again this year in the West. I will still be shocked if OKC doesn't make it out of the West assuming everyone is healthy, but there are so many interesting matchups outside of OKC.

[tpols]

Yeah very similar weakness to the Lakers. It will be interesting to see the matchups once again this year in the West. I will still be shocked if OKC doesn't make it out of the West assuming everyone is healthy, but there are so many interesting matchups outside of OKC.


The warriors have better defensive personnel than Lakers. Butler and Dray are all team defense guys, Lakers have nothing like that. It ultimately is just a 3pt contest between them though.

[hold this L]

Still a lot of question marks, but they look good. Steph and butler are banged up, so hopefully they finish 3rd and get to rest for a week. The young guys are unsurprisingly very inconsistent (Moody, Podz, JK, QP), so it's up to the main 3 to ride the wave.

[ImKobe]

I'd also give the Warriors the 2nd best odds to win the West this year. Curry's back to playing like prime Curry and Jimmy hasn't even been unleashed yet. Scary.

Curry in the last 22 games(since Jimmy's 1st game at GS): 28/4/6 47/42/91 splits. He's 37 years old.

[StrongLurk]

The warriors have better defensive personnel than Lakers. Butler and Dray are all team defense guys, Lakers have nothing like that. It ultimately is just a 3pt contest between them though.

For sure, and Butler coming to the team clearly re-motivated Steph/Dray. They have every right to feel like they can win.

[FKAri]

Feels more like they're in a 7-way for #2. OKC should cake walk to the finals.

[90sgoat]

Watching yesterday, I would say Lakers are going out 4-1 or 4-2 if they meet in the playoffs.

Jokic might beat them, because they don't have any real centers.

I think they have a chance against Celtics as well.