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Golden State Warriors 2014-15 Preview: Have They Hit Their Ceiling?

Dec 15, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Golden State Warriors center

Andrew Bogut

(12) in congratulated by teammates forward

David Lee

(10), guard

Klay Thompson

(11), forward

Draymond Green

(23) and guard

Stephen Curry

(30) in the second half of the game against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. The Suns defeated the Warriors 106-102. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports

As we continue our NBA Preview Series, we take a closer look at the Golden State Warriors

More from Golden State Warriors

Golden State Warriors 2013-14 record: 51-31

Golden State Warriors 2013-14 MVP: Stephen Curry — 24.0 points, 8.5 assists, 42 percent 3PT%

Three Things I Think I Know About The Golden State Warriors…

  1. I don’t really know what to expect from Steve Kerr in year one.
  2. The Warriors won’t win more than 51 games this season.
  3. Andrew Bogut looks really good in preseason.

Key Additions:

Key Losses:

The Golden State Warriors will be a playoff team if…

They can maintain their level of play that they’ve been showcasing the last few seasons. With that said, I’m not sure that’s a forgone conclusion. With a new coach, the Warriors may find difficulty at first which could easily translate to a slow start. That slow start can snowball into missing the playoffs later in the year.

Though, that seems highly unlikely at this point. The Golden State Warriors should be able to make the playoffs this season.

Team Strengths:

Guard play. The Golden State Warriors have elite guard play, and possibly the best backcourt in the NBA. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson — who are both still getting better — should have even better seasons than last year. Add in veterans like Shaun Livingston and Leandro Barbosa, and you can see why this position will be a strength for the team this season.

Team Weaknesses:

Defense and unfamiliarity. They both go hand in hand. During the past three seasons, the Golden State Warriors have improved mightily on the defensive end. In 2011-12, the Warriors had a defensive rating of 106 (26th in the NBA). That improved to 102.6 (13th in the NBA) in 2012-13. Finally, in 2013-14, they cracked the top-3 with a 99.9 defensive rating.

However, much of that improvement needs to be attributed to Mark Jackson, the Warriors head coach that was just fired. It’ll be interesting to see if Kerr can emulate Jackson’s defensive improvements. They’ll need to. If not, the Warriors may take a step back this season.

The Golden State Warriors 2014-15 MVP will be…

Stephen Curry. He’s still the best player, easily, on this ball club.

Season Defining Question:

Have the Golden State Warriors hit their ceiling?

Best Case Scenario:

51-31

Worst Case Scenario:

41-41

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