The Golden State Warriors are the best team of the young 2021-22 NBA season. The Warriors are 14-2 and look like they did during the early part of their dynasty days. Right now, they are third in offensive rating and first in defensive rating, according to NBA.com. Their biggest star, Stephen Curry, is the clear-cut MVP favorite and is playing out of his mind. All of this is without Klay Thompson, who is set to come back in December and perhaps before Christmas.
However, there are still doubts about this team and their championship pretensions. Thus, here are three reasons why the Warriors aren't the championship favorite just yet.
Warriors aren't the favorite yet
1. Playing away from home
The Warriors started their season with a ton of home games at San Francisco's Chase Center before finally going on an extended road trip, so things have evened out a bit in terms of home games (9) vs. road games (7). Still, the Dubs had the benefit of finding their rhythm on their home floor to start this season.
Now, it is important to mention that Golden State is 6-1 on the road, which is impressive. But it's still important to mention the home/road splits as the Warriors have a massive home-court advantage with their fans in the stands. In their best stretch, from 2015 until 2019, they had a home record of 173 wins and just 32 losses.
That impressive record does omit the last two seasons, obviously, which were played in different conditions and with a different set of circumstances. The overall point remains that the Warriors with Steph Curry are a dominant home team. Their only loss at home this year is against the Memphis Grizzlies, and that came in an OT thriller decided by three points.
If the Warriors can prove they can consistently beat good teams on the road, this narrative will change in a big way. But they still need to prove this.
2. Strength of opposition
The Warriors have played some good teams this year. They beat both Los Angeles squads to start the season. They blew out the Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls, and Atlanta Hawks. But they've played one of the easiest schedules to start this season, and even some of those good wins had some caveats because of the circumstances involved.
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That being said, there is a chance that the team simply beats even the best of the best in the league. However, due to the strength of schedule up until this point, that can go either way. There are still a number of contenders the Warriors need to prove themselves against.
If they can get these games done without problems, the Warriors will definitely look like real contenders.
3. Matchups against the best
While the first two reasons can still be changed, this one cannot, unless there are some big roster moves made. The Warriors do have Curry, Thompson coming back, and a deep roster of other pieces. However, certain matchups will be difficult, especially against top contenders.
If we look at the Bucks, they have a plethora of defensive options for Curry, and Golden State could have some issues scoring if he struggles. Meanwhile, Giannis Antetokounmpo is looking like a totally unstoppable freak of nature. While the Warriors have Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, Andrew Wiggins, and others leading an elite defense, slowing down Giannis will be a tall task no matter what.
Looking at the Nets, it's true that Golden State won the first matchup handily. But Brooklyn hasn't found its groove yet and still is on top of the East. Once the Nets really start rolling and perhaps even get Kyrie Irving back, their talent will be overwhelming, and it will be tough for the Warriors to slow down Kevin Durant and Co. Brooklyn is also looking better than expected defensively.
There are other contenders (we can't rule out the Lakers) that can make life difficult for the Dubs on both ends. Even with Steph playing at an MVP level and Thompson coming back, they'll need others to step up offensively when games slow down and get tough in half-court settings.
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While the season is still young, a lot of people are putting forth the Warriors as the new championship favorite. Judging teams in the first couple of weeks is always difficult, especially given all the different factors involved. Once again, it is worth mentioning that they could disprove everything here, but before the championship is handed to the Warriors before even finishing a quarter of the season, we need to wait and see a lot more before anointing them.
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