The Golden State Warriors are growing tired of the noise coming from detractors who’ve clamored all season long that their title window has passed them by.
Steph Curry made an appearance on the Friday, March 31 edition of Steiny & Guru, during which he acknowledged Golden State’s struggles throughout the 2022-23 regular season before reiterating that this squad remains more than capable of making a run at a fifth championship in nine years.
This year we’ve had guys in a lot of different roles, some newcomers. For us to be the champs and have to take everybody’s best shot all year, some self-inflicted wounds that we’ve had, games we should have won — with all that said, absolutely [we can make a title run].
I feel like we are a team that’s a force and when we’re locked in on the specific test of trying to beat a team four times in a playoff series — obviously we need to get there and finish this year strong and hopefully stay out of the play-in [tournament] — that remains the same.
Warriors Still Have Shot at Home Court in West Playoffs
GettySteph Curry of the Golden State Warriors.
The defending champs struggled for much of the season to put any distance between themselves and the .500 mark, as Curry dealt with injuries and the team played abysmally on the road even when their leader was on the floor.
Yet despite a 9-29 road record to this point in the season, the Dubs stand at 41-37 and occupy the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference as of Saturday, April 1. Golden State holds a half-game lead over the Los Angeles Clippers and is 1.5 games back of the Phoenix Suns in the battle for home court in the first round of the playoffs.
The Warriors have four games remaining on the schedule, three of which are on the road against the Denver Nuggets, Sacramento Kings and Portland Trail Blazers, with a home game against the Oklahoma City Thunder wedged between the matchups against the Nuggets and the Kings.
Warriors’ Title Hopes Rest on Availability of Curry, Wiggins
GettySteph Curry (left) and Andrew Wiggins (right) of the Golden State Warriors.
A strong argument can be made that the sixth seed is the more favorable position for the Warriors if the Suns end up holding their current place at No. 4. Phoenix has suffered through its own unique set of struggles this season, but a healthy Kevin Durant and a healthy Devin Booker make the Suns a tough draw for any team.
That said, the Warriors have among the best opportunity of any franchise in the West to take out Phoenix’s star-studded and top-heavy lineup — assuming Golden State has the entire arsenal at its disposal.
Curry has missed a total of 26 games, playing in just 52 over the course of the year. Andrew Wiggins, who played a crucial role in the Dubs’ run to a title last season, has missed 41 games and has not played since February 13 due to an undisclosed personal matter.
When Wiggins does play, he is averaging 17.1 points, five rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game, according to Basketball Reference. He is also regularly taking on one of the toughest defensive matchups every night.
If Curry stays healthy and Wiggins returns to action, the Warriors can win it all — just like Curry said Friday. But if those two things don’t happen, it is hard to see another title for Golden State in 2023.
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Curry Sounds Off on Title Run as Warriors Climb Standings