Three big reasons why the Golden State Warriors could end up winning the 2025 NBA Championship.
Less than two weeks away from the official end of the regular season, there's one team that continues to make unexpected waves via a strong second-half surge. After a pretty unmemorable first half of the season, the Golden State Warriors have looked like a completely different team down the stretch. Since the big move for Jimmy Butler at the NBA Trade Deadline, it's been difficult to ignore just how good this team has been.
With both Jimmy and Steph Curry in the lineup, the Warriors are 18-2 on the season. Since the trade deadline, the Warriors are 18-5. Over the last six weeks of the season, the Warriors have successfully played their way out of the NBA Play-In Tournament bubble to a team that could end up finishing as a top-4 seed in the Western Conference.
The Golden State Warriors are a scary dark horse contender
Whether they can make up two games against the Los Angeles Lakers with just seven games left in the season is irrelevant. No matter where the Warriors finish in the regular season standings, it's become quite clear - they're not just going to be a problem in the Western Conference playoffs, but I'd argue they're very much a strong contender. With how the team has been playing of late, it'd be impossible not to consider the Warriors as a real threat to make a deep postseason run.
As the start of the NBA Playoffs quickly approaches, we take a closer look at three big reasons why the Warriors could end up winning the 2025 NBA Championship.
Reason No. 1: The Golden State Warriors have an elite defense again
The Golden State Warriors' defense wasn't all that bad for most of the season. Entering the NBA All-Star break, right around when the team's level of play began to shift, the Warriors still managed to have a borderline top-10 defensive unit. However, since the trade for Jimmy Butler, Golden State has taken their play on that end of the floor to an entirely different level. Since the All-Star break, the Warriors have the second-ranked defensive rating in the league - even better than the Oklahoma City Thunder.
That's notable, considering the Thunder have had one of the best defensive seasons in recent history. The fact that the Warriors have been able to flip a switch on that end of the floor should give this team the confidence they need heading into the postseason. As the old adage says, "Offense wins games, but defense wins championships." If the Warriors are going to make a deep run in the postseason, their defensive dominance is likely going to play a big role in that.
Looking back to when the Warriors were winning championships, they always seemed to have a strong defensive unit. Sure, their excellent flow on the offensive end always seemed to garner the headlines, but they wouldn't have been as successful if they were equally as good on the other end of the floor. The addition of Jimmy at the NBA Trade Deadline has certainly helped the Warrriors improve as a team on various fronts; defenseively, he's absolutely given this team a much-needed boost.
With their work cut out for them heading into the NBA Playoffs, I don't think we understand just how much of a luxury it's going to be for the Warriors to be able to lean on their defense. If Golden State can keep this high level of play on that end of the floor, it's going to do wonders for this team's chances of making a significant run in the postseason.
Reason No. 2: Jimmy Butler takes significant pressure off Steph Curry
Not only has the acquisition of Jimmy Butler made an impact for the Golden State Warriors defensively but he's also played a big role in helping take significant pressure off of Steph Curry. It should come as little to no surprise that Curry has become more productive and efficient with Jimmy in the lineup. Jimmy's presence on the floor helps free up Curry from being the primary objective of a defensive game plan and gives him more space to operate - both with and without the ball in his hands.
Since the addition of Jimmy, Curry is averaging 27 points and six assists on 46 percent shooting from the field and 39 percent shooting from 3-point range. Those numbers are improved from the first four months of the season, in which Curry had to carry the Warriors' offense without Jimmy in the lineup. From a macro perspective, the Warriors had just the 19th-ranked offense in the league before the Jimmy trade. Since February 6, the Warriors' offensive rating has jumped all the way into the top 10.
While part of that could be attributed to the Warriors finding some rhythm as the season has gone on, you'd also have to give a good portion of credit to the acquisition of Jimmy. One of the most underrated parts of Jimmy's game is that he finds ways to fit in with whatever supporting cast he finds himself with. That's one of the strongest parts of his play that doesn't show up on the stat sheet.
With the Warriors, we've seen that play out while being under a microscope. If Jimmy can remain healthy heading into the postseason, I'd imagine we're going to see this duo continue to click. They will keep playing and feeding off each other. Where will it take them? Who knows. However, they could end up being one of the most overlooked dangerous duos in the Western Conference playoff field.
Reason No. 3: The Western Conference is wide open
There haven't been many consistently great teams in the Western Conference this season, with the exception of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Oklahoma City, from start to finish, has arguably been the most dominant team in the NBA. However, if there's one "weakness" for the Thunder heading into the postseason, it's probably their "lack of playoff experience." Even though the Thunder made the postseason last year, this is not a team that has extended experience when it matters most.
If there's a path for the Warriors, you'd have to believe in the idea that their overwhelming championship experience will give them the upper hand in a potential playoff series with the Thunder. Whether that will actually be the case if these two teams were to face off in a postseason matchup remains to be seen. But, it's one thing the Warriors could have working for them if they were to see each other down the road.
Aside from the Thunder, the Warriors' biggest threats in the West will be the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Lakers. Even though both teams have had their moments of impressiveness this season, both have also struggled with inconsistencies throughout this season. Neither of those teams will be an easy path for the Warriors, especially if they have to face one of them in the first round of the postseason, but, at the same time, I also don't believe there should be any fear for Golden State.
With the Warriors having played down the stretch, there's probably only one team that would be considered a heavy favorite in a potential playoff series - and that's against the Thunder. But, even then, the Warriors may like their chances against a much less experienced team in a seven-game playoff series. The more you think about it, the more it becomes a possibility that the Warriors could end up winning the 2025 NBA Championship.