To some naysayers, the Golden State Warriors’ 18-2 start is the result of easy scheduling that's allowed a team missing its superstar guard and purported superstar-in-waiting center to waltz its way into the best record in the league.
However, recently-published data from Ed Küpfer, an NBA data analyst on Twitter, shows that while the Warriors might have had an easier schedule than over half of the league, there are plenty of teams who've had it even easier, and have not performed anywhere near as well.
According to the data, there were only nine other teams with easier contests than the Dubs through Nov. 29. That being said, there are supposed championship contenders within that group including the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers and Utah Jazz.
Accusations of the Warriors’ easy schedule have popped up enough that Dubs players have felt the need to respond. Klay Thompson, who the Warriors have been without all season, told Sports Illustrated he wants people to keep doubting them. Steve Kerr, also speaking to SI, jokingly compared himself to Arya from "Game of Thrones," noting that he's kept a list of all of the media personalities who doubted Golden State. And Draymond Green responded exactly how you’d expect him to.
“And boy, don't let us win a f—king championship because you got to f—king hear it from me,” he said on his podcast.
Obviously these guys are going to hype up their own team, but the extent of their responses looks a bit more justified when you consider how the "soft schedule" accusations have been singularly focused their way.
Take, for example, the Phoenix Suns. The Suns are currently on an impressive 16-game winning streak, yet the idea that schedule makers handed them a golden opportunity hasn’t come up much at all (the Suns' schedule has been slightly easier than the Warriors' schedule so far according to the aforementioned data).
This isn’t arguing in favor of more scrutiny for Phoenix. Instead, consider that like the Suns, the Warriors should be given respect for what they’ve shown with the schedule they’ve been given — and what they’ve shown is that while other teams have floundered (see: Los Angeles Lakers), the Dubs have won more games than anyone else.
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December 01, 2021 at 04:49AM
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'Soft schedule' talk surrounding Warriors' 18-2 start isn't backed up by data - SFGate
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