At the halfway mark of their season, the Golden State Warriors have emerged, once again, as one of the favorites to win the NBA championship.
The team which dominated the league during the latter half of the prior decade has thrust itself back into contention after two frustrating years plagued by injuries and roster reconstruction.
Despite a recent slump, the Warriors enter play on Friday 32-12 - the second best record in the NBA trailing only the reigning Western Conference Champion Phoenix Suns, which boasts a 34-9 mark.
The championship core of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson which - with help from Kevin Durant along the way - guided the team to three championships in five years from 2015 to 2019, remains intact and for moments has looked to be at the peak of its powers. Curry is the betting favorite to win his third Most Valuable Player award, while a rejuvenated Green is favored to secure Defensive Player of the Year trophy. Meanwhile, Thompson has returned from a two and a half year absence after suffering two devastating knee injuries.
That trio, combined with a blend of savvy free agent pick-ups and young talent has pushed the Warriors back into the championship mix.
While Thompson is still working his way back into superstar form, the former All-Star guard has shown flashes of his former self.
“To me, the return of Klay Thompson is a symbol of their return to championship contention,” Warriors beat reporter and senior writer for the Athletic Anthony Slater said on KCBS Radio's "Bay Current" on Friday. "Even though they kind of looked like a contender without him the first 45 or so games, in the playoffs they're going to need a sturdy Klay Thompson."
Slater joined KCBS Radio's "Bay Current" host and Warriors public address announcer Matt Pitman for an in-depth discussion of where the team stands after playing just over one half of its schedule.
Slater said that if he had to pick one key which had stood out to him and has vaulted the Warriors to success this year, it's their return to playing championship level defense.
"They are the number one defense in the league," he explained. "Within a week of the season starting, (it was clear) they're leaps ahead of the Jazz and all the other great defenses (in the NBA)."
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