Houston Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni is a realist. He knows the championship goes through a Golden State Warriors squad that has won three of the past four titles. Despite adding Carmelo Anthony to the mix this summer, that belief is as true as ever.
Fresh off yet another title, Golden State added All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins to the mix. It now has an All-Star at all five starting positions. That’s next level stuff, especially considering former MVPs Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant is among this group.
In talking about a way that his team can beat the Warriors, D’Antoni offered up a brilliant quote. Just eliminate the Warriors from the NBA.
That's one way to compete with the Warriors, Mike D'Antoni 🤣 pic.twitter.com/ixeX029mGP
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) September 30, 2018
It’s true. If the Warriors were no longer part of the NBA, it would open up a ton of opportunities for other teams to win the title.
Houston did take Golden State to seven games in the Western Conference Finals last season. In fact, the team held a 3-2 series lead before Chris Paul was forced from action to injury.
Even then, the Warriors are odds-on favorites to win their fourth title in five seasons and third in a row. Based on the make up of the conference, it’s pretty much up to Houston to knock this team off.