The Golden State Warriors find themselves in an underdog position once again. With just 12 games left on their season schedule, Dub Nation is currently at the 10th spot in the Western Conference with a 36-34 record. The current placement in the West assures the Warriors a spot in the play-in tournament. However, this NFL legend believes that the Houston Rockets will turn out to be the dark horses of the West to qualify ahead of the Warriors.
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NFL legend Keyshawn Johnson made a compelling case for the Golden State Warriors during the last few games of the season on the latest episode of Undisputed. The former NFL star broke down the downfall of this Warriors squad and how they’ll probably miss the play-in tournament.
Keyshawn Johnson started in the offseason when the Warriors brought on Chris Paul. At first, many were expecting Golden State to move CP3 for some other assets during the offseason itself. But the front office decided to keep Paul, marking their first big mistake.
Keyshawn highlighted the suspension of Draymond Green when he got into an altercation with Jordan Poole. That suspension and new addition to the team gave head coach Steve Kerr plenty of lineups to experiment with.
The third point Johnson brought up was the team watching their franchise shooting guard Klay Thompson’s decline in front of their eyes. Long-time Dub Nation fans saw Thompson coming off the bench and Chris Paul dealing with injuries midseason.
Throughout the 2023-24 NBA season, the Warriors went on to experiment with numerous various lineups in the hopes of finding the perfect sweet spot. But according to the NFL legend, in the whole process of switching starters and bench players, the Warriors may have lost their identity.
Keyshawn Johnson saved the most daunting news for Dub Nation fans for the final bomb. The NFL player turned analyst believes that the Houston Rockets will knock out the Golden State Warriors from the play-in tournament.
The Houston Rockets are at the 11th spot in the Western Conference with a 35-35 record. The young Rockets squad is only one game behind the Warriors and has been on somewhat of a roll lately, having won their last eight games.
So, if Houston continues to keep their foot on the pedal, the Rockets will have no problem surpassing the Warriors in the West and maybe even the Los Angeles Lakers, who are in the ninth spot, just one ahead of Golden State.
Can The Chef salvage the Golden State Warriors season?
The 2023-24 NBA season will soon come to an end as teams take part in their last stretch of games on their schedule. But with the current standings, the Golden State Warriors may find themselves out of playoff contention.
The Warriors have been struggling to string together wins to generate a cushion for the team. But the squad has been struggling extensively on the offense, often leading Stephen Curry to load the burden of the entire team’s offense. After the Warriors dropped their last game to the Indiana Pacers, the All-Star point guard opened up on the team’s struggles.
“It’s hard because, in the starting lineup, you don’t know if you’re going to get 8 shots or 15 shots or 20 every once in a while. But being ready, being aggressive, not playing on your heels, for us that’s when we’re at our best. We haven’t always done it, so that’s why we have been inconsistent, why our record is what it is, but the top end of how we play and when it’s clicking, it’s still a potent offense.”
The 35-year-old also inadvertently expressed the requirement for a consistent scorer on the team to shoulder the load. But by then, will it be too late for the Warriors and their championship aspirations?
