“Steph is not Steph.… What if Luka and company carry this momentum?” - Skip Bayless says he has reservations about the Golden State Warriors, mentions the 2016 pre-Durant Warriors
The Golden State Warriors lost their chance to sweep the Dallas Mavericks last night. Skip Bayless expressed his concerns about the strength of this Warriors team.
Success for the Warriors is often tied to Steph Curry's shooting and Bayless believes the all-time three-point scoring leader is not himself. Granted, Curry has not had the best shooting display in the 2022 playoffs, but he can still get hot on any given night.
The Warriors will return home to host the Mavericks on Thursday night and will be looking to get the job done. A win on Thursday night would secure their berth in the NBA Finals for the sixth time in eight years. They would then await whoever advances from the East between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat.
On "Undisputed: Skip and Shannon," Skip revealed that the first win for Dallas is enough to renew his belief in them to win the series. He likened the 2022 Golden State Warriors team to that of 2016, where they collapsed with a 3-1 lead before Kevin Durant's acquisition. Bayless said:
"It's not so much about Luka and company. My reservations are always about Golden State.
"I'm not sure about this year's Golden State. I was not sure about the 2016 Golden State Warriors without Kevin Durant, who was about to join them and push them right back over the top with back-to-back finals MVP.
"From three to one down, obviously, Kyrie (Irving) and LeBron (James) came all the way back to win a Game 7 because Steph Curry came up even smaller than he is in Game 7 in his house."
Bayless believes the Memphis Grizzlies could have beaten the Warriors if they had been fully healthy and Dillon Brooks hadn’t been suspended, stating:
"Steph has not been Steph. He's been strangely, oddly, weirdly, missing free throws and looking around like, 'what am I doing? What is happening to me?'
"What if Luka and company carry this momentum that they built in the second half into Game 5. All you need to do to make this very interesting is to go quote unquote steal a Game 5 in a building that in Game 2 they were up by 19 late in the second quarter. They were up by 14 by halftime."
.@RealSkipBayless doesn't trust Golden State and is giving the Mavs a chance to upset them:
"I'm not sure about this year's Golden State. I wasn't sure about the 2016 Warriors without Durant. Steph has not been Steph, he's been strangely missing free throws." https://t.co/WDtZvqxi5H
Skip concluded by pointing out that Dallas has shown what they can do in a Game 7 even in hostile territory. He cited their conference semifinals win over the top-seeded Phoenix Suns. Nonetheless, the Mavericks will have to take it one game at a time, just like Luka Doncic said.
Can the Golden State Warriors end the series in Game 5?
The Warriors have the personnel to close out the series in Game 5 in front of their home fans. However, they need to have short memories and forget their ridiculous display in Game 4.
Their perimeter defense was nonexistent and, fortunately for the Mavericks, Dallas' shots were falling. The Warriors need to be a lot more aggressive if they are to end the series at Chase Center on Thursday night.
Back to the bay, one win away.
#DubNation, we’ll see you there. https://t.co/YvMpPDGaGS
To achieve success, Klay Thompson needs to contribute more offensively. Although he has had several good games, he needs to be consistent and help out his Splash Brother.
The Warriors are yet to lose a game at home, which tips Game 5 in their favor. However, Dallas has shown that they are capable of stealing big wins on the road.