NBA 2018-19: The Warriors look more unstoppable than ever
Nearly every superhero origin story starts out with the hero accessing their powers for the first time. Just as Peter Parker was bitten by that fateful spider, the Golden State Warriors unleashed Steph Curry on the Knicks at Madison Square Garden in February 2013 and officially discovered they didn't have a normal NBA player - they had the NBA equivalent of a superhero.
Later in the movie, the hero usually figures out they have more powers than they even realized, maybe they fly for the first time, and they become unstoppable. This is like when the Warriors signed Kevin Durant and made sure they would never lose a playoffs series again with this core group.
This year, they have gone a step further. They've discovered their powers with KD over the last two years, but this year they have officially figured how to use all their powers at their highest level.
Let's take a look at a timeline of the Warriors' first two and a half weeks this season:
October 16: Opened their season with an unconvincing win over the Thunder.
October 19: Jonas Jerebko hits a game-winning putback layup against the Jazz, the team who didn't want him.
October 21: Lost to the Nuggets in Denver by two points, their only loss so far.
October 22: Defeated Phoenix by 20 points, their last 'normal' win.
Now, this is where something changed. That win over Phoenix was the last time we saw a normal Warriors team. They have been polarizing, spectacular, and unstoppable on and off the court since then with everyone getting in on the action. Look at that normal sequence of games and events, and compare it to everything that has happened since October 22.
October 24: Stephen Curry scores 51 points in three quarters against Washington and it barely feels like a big deal, it just feels like he played a bit better than usual.
October 26: Kevin Durant scores 25 points in the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. The Warriors trailed 87-81 early in the fourth quarter, they won 128-100. DeMarcus Cousins gets in on the action by getting his first technical foul as a Warrior, when he was not even playing. They are just mocking the rest of the league at this point.
October 26, post-game: Warriors players dance to a remix of Fergie's meme-worthy national anthem. The video is posted on Instagram by multiple Warriors players including Curry and instantly goes viral among NBA fans. The remix is phenomenal, do yourself a favor and watch the video if you haven't already.
October 28: Curry and Durant combine for 69 points in a win over the Nets - an incredible two-man performance which has become so common it doesn't even seem spectacular anymore, but it is.
October 29: Playing the Bulls, Klay Thompson breaks Curry's record for most three-pointers made in a game. He made 14 threes, scored 52 points, and only played 26 minutes. To add insult to injury, Klay added a headband to his uniform for his last two threes - the shots which tied and then broke the record. Thompson went into this game having hit just five threes for the entire season from 36 attempts and scoring fewer than 20 in every single game.
Klay hit 14 threes in 26 minutes and it's still only his third greatest performance! He is every bit the legendary shooter that Stephen Curry is, and at his best, he's even better. His best heat check game was his 37-point quarter, his second greatest was his 60 points in three quarters, 14 threes in three quarters is third, and 11 threes in game six of the Western Conference finals facing elimination is fourth.
How crazy is it that he attempted 24 threes in just 26 minutes? Larry Bird only attempted 52 threes for the entire 1981-82 season. He played 77 games at 38 minutes per game.
Imagine if Steve Kerr didn't bench guys after three quarters. How many times would Steph and Klay have hit 60? Would Klay have surpassed Kobe's 81 if he'd played the fourth quarter of his 60-point game? Would they both have at least a 70-point performance next to their name?
October 31: Golden State knock on the Pelicans' door for some friendly Halloween trick or treat, New Orleans opt for a treat but the Warriors play a trick on them anyway. Steph Curry scores an effortless 37 while Anthony Davis gets smothered by Draymond Green and scores just 17 in 41 minutes.
So, to recap: They have completely made a mockery of the Wizards, Knicks, Bulls, Nets and Pelicans
They may not lose again this year. They may not lose again ever. Stephen Curry might break his own record for three-pointers made in a season, he might even win MVP despite playing with two other guys capable of taking the reins and scoring 50 on any given night. Nothing is impossible for this team of All-Stars.
This is the best basketball team you will probably ever see, and now they are playing at their absolute best and most enjoyable. Enjoy it, at least until they crush your favorite team, because you will never see anything like this again.