The Golden State Warriors have looked like the most dominant team in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Part of that is due to the emergence of Jordan Poole.
The third-year budding star averaged 18.5 points per game throughout the regular season and increased his points per game to 24.3 during the first four games of his first career playoff series.
Poole has been in the starting lineup this entire series as Golden State is easing Stephen Curry back with a minute’s restriction.
Poole looks like a younger version of Curry, with his elite shooting and electric play. The former first-round pick will eventually return to the bench when Curry is fully healthy and he will be relied on for big production as the sixth-man.
The Golden State Warriors take a 3-1 series lead back to Golden State where they look to end the series on Wednesday. Based on the first-round results it is hard to not look at the Warriors as the favorite to come out of the West.
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Other than the emergence of Poole, another reason why Golden State should be the favorite is due to their playoff experience. Their big three of Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green have more playoff experience than some entire Western Conference teams. They have taken their play to another level in the playoffs and they will only be more dialed in the deeper they go.
Also, the Warriors seem to be the best/healthiest team in the West. The number one seeded Phoenix Suns lost their best player in Devin Booker and are now fighting for their lives to beat the 9th seeded, New Orleans Pelicans.
That series is 2-2 and a Pelicans upset will greatly improve the Warriors’ odds to win the West. If the Suns do move on, Booker must return to give them any chance against the Warriors.
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The two-seed Memphis Grizzlies have been outplayed in three of four games against the Minnesota Timberwolves despite the series being tied at 2-2. I believe that even if Memphis survives the first round, they will be no match for the more experienced Warriors in round two.
Although, the only factor that could hold the Golden State Warriors back is their lack of size. They do not have a true center than can play meaningful minutes. Green is one of the best defenders in the NBA but he is undersized against most centers.
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Even though that did not seem to matter against the Nuggets, they had no trouble beating a team led by one of the best centers in the NBA in Nikola Jokic.
After three straight years of injury-ravaged seasons, Golden State is finally one of the healthiest teams in the league and looks poised to return to the NBA finals.
