The Golden State Warriors are on a streak of five straight wins, climbing to the 10th position in the Western Conference standings. The Warriors had been struggling to keep up their form in the league for most of this season. However, the Dubs seem to be back on track and are currently contending for a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
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In this week’s latest episode of Bully Ball, host Rachel Nichols was joined by former NBA stars DeMarcus Cousins and Rajon Rondo to discuss the Warriors’ new winning ways on the show. Cousins was part of the Warriors roster during the 2018-19 season and therefore, has witnessed the Dubs showcase the best of their talents during the business end of the season. Furthermore, the 33-year-old has played alongside Stephen Curry, whom he regards as an all-time top five NBA player.
Though the Warriors might be facing long spells of difficulties this season, Cousins remarked how the team could never be discounted as a legitimate contender before the postseason. When Nichols asked the former Dubs center about the Warriors contending for a top six spot, Boogie replied,
“I think so…This is the Golden State Warriors. They do have a Top 5 All-Time Player in Steph Curry. You can never count these guys out. All it takes is them getting hot. This is a team that’s more than capable of doing that [contending for a top seed]. Once they are rolling, they are one of the toughest teams to beat in the league.”
Rajon Rondo also agreed with Boogie’s take, adding how almost every NBA team fears matching up against the Warriors, especially during the playoffs. Agreeing to Boogie’s take on the Warriors’ new winning form, Rondo added, “Yeah, no team, one through four, want to match up with the Warriors…The shot they hit the other night against Phoenix, those type of plays make or break a playoff series. Kudos to the Warriors right now, how they’re playing, all the negativity they’ve had, all the trade rumors to make the move; they stood tall. I want to see what they do in the playoffs.”
To play in the Play-In tournament, the Warriors must finish the next few games over .500. However, to avoid the Play-In tournament, the Dubs must somehow climb up the standings to the top-six spot in the Western Conference. For this, their starting lineup needs to stay relatively healthy.
Players such as Andrew Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga are showing up in their best form for the team, with Kuminga easily emerging as the second-best player in the team ahead of the likes of Klay Thompson and Draymond Green on the roster. If the Dubs continue playing the remaining games with their current fervor, perhaps a playoff berth could definitely be on the cards for the franchise this season.
Draymond Green reflected on the depth of the current Warriors team
Since Draymond Green‘s return to the league, the Golden State Warriors have started turning their season around. The Dubs have been on a hot streak of five straight wins, recently capturing the game against the Utah Jazz 129-107.
As absurd as it may sound, Green believes his suspension was a major factor in the resurgence of the Bay Area side. The veteran forward credits himself for the recent success of the Warriors but not for his on-court contributions. In a post-game conference following the win against the Jazz, Green explained the Dubs’ newfound depth, saying, “Honestly, I think me getting suspended helped in a weird way. Since I got suspended JK’s taken off. And that has kinda set the stage for this team. Bona fide number 2 option on our team.”
The Warriors forward also believes that as players such as Gary Payton II and Chris Paul return from their injuries, the team will have its missing pieces back in place. Both CP3 and the Young Glove returning would give the Warriors a reliable set of players who could help the team maintain their current winning streak to contend for the playoffs.
