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The defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors are widely considered the best team in the NBA still so it’s no surprise they will be on several nationally televised games this year.
Tonight’s game in New York comes against a surprisingly competitive Knicks team. Stephen Curry is coming off a 51 point game against the Wizards in a game where he only needed three quarters to do so.
While the Warriors are clearly the better team here it’s always fun to watch a high-powered offense play in Madison Square Garden. As with most marquee players, there are rumors linking Kevin Durant to the Knicks.
Here’s what Durant has to say about Madison Square Garden, according to ESPN’s Ian Begley.
“It’s like a playground with walls. You walk outside and you’re right on the street,” Durant said. “It feels like you’re playing at Rucker Park, just indoors. And that energy, I remember my first game as a rookie. I can remember I played pretty well, I had 30 that night. My family came up and we stayed after the game so we celebrated a little bit. But that energy – it’s just pure, pure love for the game at the Garden.”
Warriors Projected Starting Lineup Against The Knicks
- PG – Steph Curry
- SG – Klay Thompson
- SF – Kevin Durant
- PF – Draymond Green
- C – Damian Jones
This lineup looks mostly the same as it has looked over the past few years as the Warriors rose to the top of the NBA.
The Warriors shocked the NBA by signing DeMarcus Cousins to a contract, effectively turning the Warriors starting lineup into the Western Conference All-Stars while healthy.
Lucky for the rest of the NBA and unlucky for the Warriors, Cousins is currently injured leaving the Warriors with their center position as the only weak link. There’s still no timetable for the return of Cousins and some reports say he might not be back until 2019 at the earliest.
Golden State Warriors 2018-19 Roster
- PG – Steph Curry, Shaun Livingston, Quinn Cook
- SG – Klay Thompson, Jacob Evans, Damion Lee
- SF – Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala, Kevin Looney, Alfonzo McKinnie, Marcus Derrickson
- PF – Draymond Green, Jordan Bell, Jonas Jerebko
- C – Damian Jones, DeMarcus Cousins
The Warriors are arguably the best team in the NBA this year and it’s no surprise why. The roster and its role players from the recent championship teams remain largely unchanged.
Once the Warriors get Cousins back and he is even 50 percent at what he could be the Warriors will be even more of a powerhouse.
The Warriors do have some more competition in the Western Conference this year as the Lakers are much improved with LeBron James. Yesterday we learned the Rockets have offered the Timberwolves four first-round picks to acquire Jimmy Butler. If the Rockets are able to add Butler look for them to challenge the Warriors for the Western Conference crown even more this year.