The GSW fanbase has a history of lifting their team beyond the odds and willing them to victory. Is this the year it happens again?
I really can’t tell what people believe the Golden State Warriors are going to do this season. Depending on who I talk to, the Warriors are either BACK with a bright future ahead, or wasting Stephen Curry’s prime trying to develop young players and relying on a rehabbing Klay Thompson.
So I’m trying to gauge a pulse on Dub Nation’s prospects for their squad this season. We can start with a question like are you folks ready to bet some money on the Dubs winning a title?!
Caesars Sportsbook has released the expected win totals for every team, and for those looking to wager some money, there are some high expectations for these Dubs:
The team with the highest win total that missed the playoffs is Golden State at 49.5, obviously presuming the healthy return of All-Star guard Klay Thompson after missing the past two seasons – although Thompson might not quite be ready by opening night.
Oddsshark reports that Bovada has the Warriors with the fourth highest odds to win a title, right behind the Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Lakers, and Milwaukee Bucks. Draft Kings echoes that, giving the Dubs the fourth best odds to win it all.
Now, we all know that trusting casinos to guide our expectations is a dangerous game as they’re in it to bait people into moving money. But it does give us a clue that these Dubs may be closer to being a major threat than the old “THEY’RE WASTING STEPH’S PRIME” crowd would have you believe.
Moving away from the danger zone of gambling, Kevin O’Connor from The Ringer apparently sees the Dubs as a title contender, judging from this video after the draft entitled “The Golden State Warriors Are Back To Being Title Contenders”.
If you find a YouTuber that has a video about why the Warriors are not contenders send it my way. I have yet to find such content.
— Evan Zamir (@thecity2) September 8, 2021
Hmmm there seems to be some bubbling optimism outside of the Bay about Golden State’s chances of regaining the throne and bringing the Golden Empire to new heights. Can you imagine how satisfying it would be to watch the Dubs rise from the ashes of Kevin Durant’s departure and take over the basketball world again?
But we must not let our dreams take away our objectivity. Wait, maybe we should, I mean Dub Nation is the same fanbase that literally We Believed the 8th seeded Baron Davis squad through the MVP Hall-of-Famer Dirk Nowitzki’s Dallas Mavericks. Do we have special powers that go beyond spreadsheets and conventional basketball wisdom to fuel the Warriors in a way no other fanbase can?
Absolutely. That’s why I need to check in with the gang: do you think this roster as currently constructed has a legit championship ceiling?
I will be taking receipts…