There is no magic pill to dethrone the Golden State Warriors

Unfortunately, there is no magic pill to beat the Golden State Warriors. Though, it’s not entirely impossible either.

The NBA has seen dynasties in the past.

The 1979-88 Boston Celtics, the 1990-98 Chicago Bulls, and the 1979-91, as well as the 1999-04 Los Angeles Lakers, have entrenched their name in the history books as one of the greatest teams ever to step foot on the basketball court.

The ongoing debate which is prevalent amongst NBA circles is whether the post-2014 Golden State Warriors have eclipsed this Mount Rushmore of championship caliber teams. Well, with their unrelenting dominance during the past half a decade, they are certainly in the discussion. Three NBA championships (probably four, come June 2019) and a Finals appearance in the past five years speaks for itself.

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This year, one can make the argument that the Warriors have been the most vulnerable since Durant came into the mix. Battling human nature, complacency, and an array of injuries, it’s been a rocky season, at least according to their standards, since they still ended with the second best record in the regular season and managed to scrape past the dangerous Rockets in the second round of the playoffs. As invincible as they might seem, the Warriors do have a few chinks in their armor.

There are three things which they are not elite at: Rebounding the basketball, taking care of the basketball consistently on the offensive end, and the depth in their bench.

With a rebounding efficiency of 72.7 percent (17th in the NBA) during the regular season, the Warriors give up 13.8 second-chance points a game (21st in the NBA.) They have also proven to be turnover prone, giving up 17.4 points a game off turnovers, which puts them in the bottom five of the league in this category.

Also, with their substantial investment in their starting five, it is understandable that they are bound to have a shallow bench, although, in all fairness, they’ve got vital contributions from the guys of the bench in pivotal moments.

All of these are areas teams are going to hone in and try to exploit, but at the end of the day, the Warriors have enough firepower and championship pedigree (considering a fully healthy squad) to get a win even if they get beat in all these categories.

It isn’t unrealistic for Golden State to get beat on the boards, have 20 turnovers, but still steal a win due to a Curry and Durant masterpiece. Even though they might lack depth, they still have two of the possible four Hall of Famers on the floor at any given time.

So what exactly can teams do to dethrone this juggernaut? Unfortunately, there’s no magic pill to beat the Warriors (ask the Houston Rockets). Of course, the prerequisites include at least a couple of superstars, a crew that matches up with their length and pace, and multiple threats from beyond the arc, but that is not enough. It all boils down to whether teams can sustain execution and discipline consistently with a small margin for error.

Here’s what teams need to double down on to stand a chance against the Warriors:

Physicality on the Defensive end

If you cannot match the firepower of the Golden State Warriors, there’s no other choice but to be the harder playing team. The Los Angeles Clippers in Round 1, have shown how physicality and toughness defensively have given the Warriors trouble. If you play with a chip on your shoulder, make them feel your presence by cutting off air space, win the 50-50 balls, communicate on the pick and roll, do not fall asleep on the back cuts, and make sure there is always a body on their shooters, you have done your job.

Despite this, the Warriors are still going to make shots, but it’s all about making them work for their shot and taking them out of their comfort zone.

Control the pace of the game

The Warriors are most lethal on the open floor when the defense has not yet set, which either gives their shooters wide open looks or opens up lanes for easy layups. This makes it all the more important for teams to keep the turnovers to a minimum and get to the foul line. By taking care of the basketball and getting to the free throw line, the Warriors are forced into a half-court set where teams can bank on their defensive game-plan.

Putting pressure on the Warriors defense and drawing fouls also slows down the game and can put a halt to the Warrior runs, which is inevitably bound to happen, because after all, basketball is a game of runs. Particularly, teams have taken a liking towards attacking Steph Curry defensively and put him in foul trouble. This has worked occasionally in breaking his rhythm offensively.

Take quality shots on the offensive end

With the barrage of 3’s that the Warriors put on display, teams tend to try to match up with that by hoisting 3’s even though it might not be the best shot available. Yes, basic mathematics says the best way to keep with 3’s on the other end is to answer back with the same, but the quality of shots define percentages.

Consistency is the key against the Warriors, and the only way that can happen is to take the best shot available and ensure that the scoreboard keeps ticking. Bad shot selection and getting into shooting ruts against the Warriors is a recipe for disaster. Hoisting up bad shots from beyond the arc also leads to long rebounds which can allow the Warriors to get on the break and punish teams with their perimeter threat.

Execution down the stretch

This is perhaps the most crucial. We’ve seen teams in the past who have been solid on the defensive end, controlled the pace of the game, and had an efficient night offensively, but the game tied with two minutes to go in the fourth quarter. The Warriors have too many offensive weapons which can take over late in the game, which calls for teams to be nearly perfect down the stretch to come out with the win.

This is where having a go-to guy and a definitive closer can pay huge dividends. Having guys on the same page who are not fazed by the moment is of utmost importance. A tactical edge from a coaching standpoint can help as well.

There is no unique system (Rockets), other-worldly talent (LeBron James), or even any gaping holes or weaknesses that can be the sole cause of Warrior’s demise. With a team that stacked, they are bound to have the edge against any team in terms of firepower. It all comes down to the execution of controllables and operating with a small margin for error, provided a team matches up well with them and have a comparable crew.

Does it require a historic effort and tremendous mental tenacity to do so? Absolutely. But it isn’t beyond the realm of possibility.