There is no debate about the fact that the Golden State Warriors have taken off since the trade deadline, and Steph Curry has them on a playoff trajectory once again. The acquisition of Jimmy Butler has ignited a spark of all sparks, and the Warriors are presently in playoff positioning, and they don’t appear to be letting up anytime soon. That said, Golden State is not void of flaws. One flaw they are currently showing has progressed throughout the season and might become troublesome in the postseason.
One Warriors Flaw Could Bite Them In the Playoffs
Steph Curry and Golden State Warriors Need to Fix One Crucial Weakness Heading Into the Playoffs
Butler hasn’t exactly lit the scoreboard up since shedding his Miami Heat jersey for new Warrior threads. In fact, his offensive production has been largely underwhelming. He’s had far too many nights scoring less than double digits and a handful of other nights with less than 20. Yet, the Warriors have been on a 13-2 tear since he joined them. They’re are 9-1 in their last 10 games and on a six-game winning streak. That record could improve tonight when they welcome the New York Knicks to The Bay. Despite the exciting turnaround from a play-in team to the sixth seed in the West, there might be a weakness in Golden State’s overall game that could hurt them in a seven-game playoff round.
On a recent episode of The Athletic NBA Daily, Zena Keita expressed worry regarding the Warriors’ struggle to maintain big leads [17:00 mark]. They’ve blown five leads of 10 points and 10 fourth-quarter leads. Keita stated that this could be an issue come the playoffs and talked about the focus the Warriors need to be successful.
“You do what you’re supposed to do, coming out and stepping on the jugular of another team, 23 points up, against a team you’re supposed to be up by that many points, and because you’re focused on making sure Steph gets a 3, or you’re focused on making sure Quinten Post can score inside, or whatever the focus might be for that night, you get derailed, and teams take advantage of that and find a way to get points off turnovers. They find a way to get back into games they shouldn’t be in,” Keita said. “Right now, the Warriors have every tool that they could possibly need to be successful and make a splash in the West. It’s just going to be a matter of how focused are they on a given night?”
Discipline, Discipline, Discipline
Whether the Warriors fortunes had shifted significantly with the addition of Butler was questioned at the beginning. It was a huge signing, of course, but the Warriors traded for Butler because they wanted and needed “playoff Jimmy.” For the time being, those questions have laid low. How impactful the trade was will come to fruition in April, and further provided Golden State can advance. Nevertheless, the Warriors must get a handle on their focus and discipline when they’re up big in games. Blowing leads to the Denver Nuggets or Oklahoma City Thunder won’t cut it. Curry knows this, Draymond Green knows this, and Butler knows it. Will they fix this flaw? Time will tell.
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