The Golden State Warriors are the current NBA defending champions but their start to this season has been poor. This can be put down to a number of factors, but what is costing them the most right now?
The Warriors were certainly allowed little time to take their foot off the pedal in their championship pursuit last season, the Dallas Mavericks and the Boston Celtics put up strong fights in the latter fixtures of the playoffs.
The Celtics have in fact begun the current season impressively and are now the 9/2 favourites in Paddy Power’s betting UK alongside the Milwaukee Bucks to win the Championship at the end of this season. The Warriors are lacking in terms of quality on the court right now and look to be playing at a level below their championship rivals. In the NBA online betting tips, there is less confidence about their championship credentials, but don’t expect them to be written off unless the current form lasts for a large chunk of the season. What are the biggest issues that the Warriors face right now though?
Championship hangover?
Facing somewhat of a hangover following a championship win is not at all uncommon in the NBA. Many teams struggle to go again so quickly after winning the ultimate prize in basketball. It takes a strong mentality to create the desire to win over and over again, and it may take some time for the Warriors’ key stars to rejuvenate and regain the urge to become an NBA Champion yet again.
Aside from the mental factors, fatigue could also come into play as key players such as Klay Thompson played more minutes than a majority of players in the NBA and certainly played at an intensity higher than most so will perhaps take a period of time to reach peak form again.
The Warriors have set an NBA record this season in being the first defending champions to begin with six defeats on the road to open the season. And the team as a whole certainly lacks the intensity to begin strongly and silence an opposition crowd at present.
Issues with personnel?
Steph Curry has been the one player who has been consistently impressive this season but his fellow stars have been hit-and-miss in terms of producing good and bad performances. Many of the main starters are hampered by the prior mentioned championship hangover as well as fatigue and are struggling to play a significant amount of minutes besides Curry. As a result, players that are not necessarily ready to play basketball at the required intensity to win games on the road are being thrown into the deep end.
The Warriors need their main stars to be in the right mindset and physical capability to compete at the top level in terms of their intensity and amount of minutes as soon as possible. Golden State has a huge amount of impressive talents but placing too much responsibility on them too early could be detrimental to their development.
There is always a strong reputation carried by the defending champions, the Warriors must turn around their form quickly to meet the expectations set on them prior to the season.
