Can anyone stop Golden State Warriors?

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  • Out on his own: Point guard Steph Curry is averaging 33.9 points per game this season.

    Undefeated Golden State Warriors look head and shoulders above the rest of the league at present, but can they keep keep up this rich vein of form as the season progresses?

    Our #360debate today is: Can anyone stop Golden State Warriors from winning the NBA title?

    JAMES PIERCY, Deputy Editor, says YES:

    The Golden State Warriors are undoubtedly the best team in the NBA at present. If anything, their record still doesn’t quite emphasise just how good they’ve been, or just how much better they are than the rest.

    And that’s the point, as while Steph Curry and co look even better than last term, their rivals in the West and those they’ll have to beat in the Finals from the East, have so much more to give.

    The Western Conference may be the deeper of the two in terms of quality but outside of the Warriors and a Portland team coping admirably with multiple departures, everyone else has been a huge disappointment. That will change.

    For starters, Oklahoma City simply cannot be this average come playoff time.

    Billy Donovan is still getting to grips with the team and vice versa, which is no surprise given Scott Brooks presided over OKC for seven years. But Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook look in good shape and if Serge Ibaka can stay fit, with a fine group of role players, OKC should be a force. They’ve also never lost a playoff series when Durant, Westbrook and Ibaka have all been healthy.

    San Antonio too are still figuring things out with LaMarcus Aldridge’s introduction into such a settled roster. While, after an indifferent start, the Rockets are starting to fire with James Harden hitting the scoring trail and with Ty Lawson in a small ball formation have a backcourt that can, theoretically, go toe-to-toe with Curry and Klay Thompson.

    There is a reason why, since 2002, only two teams have won back-to-back titles. It’s hard. You have to stay hungry, you’re there to be shot down and you have to ensure all the ingredients from the previous year are there plus more. Including luck with injuries, something the Warriors virtually won the lottery with last season.

    We then switch over to the East and while Atlanta and Toronto look strong, neither are probably good enough to beat Golden State over a series. But then there’s Cleveland. With LeBron James keeping his powder dry until the playoffs, Kevin Love returning to form and Kyrie Irving yet to even take to the court, they’ll be stronger, more cohesive and more potent than last year come the playoffs.

    That’s a lot of obstacles to cross.

    JAY ASSER, Reporter, says NO:

    Proclamations this early in the NBA season hardly ever hold water, but there’s been no evidence as of yet to show that the Golden State Warriors aren’t overwhelmingly the odds-on-favourite to repeat as champions.

    The Warriors are the only undefeated team remaining in the league at 7-0, but their flawless record doesn’t even do justice to show how dominant they’ve actually been.

    Last season, Golden State finished with the eighth-best average margin of victory ever at 10.1 points per game. That number has bloated to a ridiculous plus-18.3 point differential this campaign.

    Seven games is obviously a small sample size and considering the best differential for an entire season in history is plus-12.28 by the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers, the Warriors’ current mark is sure to even out some. But it’s hard to deny that Golden State look even better so far than they did in their historic title-winning run.

    A major reason for that is Steph Curry, who’s somehow on pace to easily surpass his MVP year.

    The baby-faced assassin is undoubtedly the best player in the league right now – hardly a given considering LeBron James still lives and breathes.

    There’s just no answer for how to defend Curry anywhere on the court and he’s improved his finishing at the rim, converting 76.7 per cent of his shots from less than five feet, compared to 65.6 per cent last season.

    The biggest difference though, is that Curry continues to be incredibly efficient while upping his usage and volume, which is why his scoring average has jumped 10.1 points from last season despite attempting just 3.3 more field goal attempts in 0.6 more minutes per game.

    By the way, Curry and the Warriors are doing all of this without the NBA’s 2014-15 Head Coach of the Year, Steve Kerr. Because they’ve kept nearly their entire championship-winning roster, their continuity and chemistry is unmatched.

    It’s early and other contenders like Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Cleveland and more could eventually round into form, but that’s all hypothetical at this point.

    The Warriors, meanwhile, continue to be the real deal.

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