BOSTON — The Golden State Warriors look unbeatable.
One year after winning their first championship since 1975, the Dubs have the best record in the NBA at 47-4 and likely will make a serious run at breaking the all-time best 72-10 record set by the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls.
The Los Angeles Clippers are sure to be one of the teams standing in the way of Golden State’s pursuit of back-to-back titles. The Clippers currently are the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference but probably won’t move any higher with the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs and Warriors holding down the top three spots.
The Clippers, barring a first-round upset, should play Golden State in the conference semifinals in a No. 1 vs. No. 4 series.
“They won the title, No. 1 and they are the team to beat,” Clippers head coach Doc Rivers said before Wednesday night’s game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. “They are playing at a record pace, so I don’t think I’m the only coach — every time they are on you’re watching because, you know, somehow, you have to figure them out. I don’t think any team in the West is throwing the towel in, I can tell you that.
“I think every team in the West is looking forward to getting to the playoffs and seeing if they can be the team (to beat the Warriors). But you are going to have to be really good to beat them because they have what all teams have after they win, they think they’re unbeatable, they have that swagger and they back it up with their play.”
The Clippers have struggled against the Warriors over the past season and a half, but Rivers noted his team should be confident in a potential playoff matchup with the defending champs based on L.A.’s recent postseason wins against quality opponents.
“Well, I don’ know if they are in anybody’s head. They’re just good, they’re really good,” Rivers said. “I still look at it — we are the last team to knock them out, that was us. We were the last team to knock the Spurs out, that was us. The last two champions we’ve beaten in the last two years in the playoffs.
“We have a lot of confidence — we have a lot of work to do, obviously we need to get Blake (Griffin) back and Austin (Rivers) back and everybody back on the floor, but we feel good about our team.”
Rivers also mentioned that Griffin’s absence since Christmas because of injuries has helped the Clippers find their effective small-ball lineup, which is essential to beating the Warriors, who have dominated that style with Draymond Green playing center despite being a more natural small forward.
L.A.’s next test is finding how to incorporate Griffin into that small lineup when he returns. If the Clippers fail to do that, they’ll have no chance of dethroning Golden State.
Thumbnail photo via Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA TODAY Sports Images
