By Sean Kennedy
The NBA’s best team (both record-wise and by sheer odds-defying entertainment) will play host Monday night to an exciting Golden State Warriors with title aspirations in a very difficult Western conference. There are so many fascinating parts to the Warriors’ story but one of particular interest to Philadelphia fans is the franchise’s offseason free agent signing of former Sixers star Andre Iguodala.
Iguodala was brought in to provide his potent brand of defensive intensity and jack-of-all-trades versatility to a squad flush with great scorers. His playmaking ability allows the Warriors to play Steph Curry off the ball for long stretches and take some pressure off the young Warriors superstar. The arrangement has worked for both parties thus far, with AI9 averaging 6.7 assists per game, and Curry averaging a bonkers 5.3 made three-pointers per game on the young season. The other member of the Splash Brothers, Klay Thompson, has also started the season on fire, averaging 25.0 ppg and 3.0 3PM per contest.
This will be Iguodala’s second trip back to Philadelphia as a member of the opposition. Last year, Denver traveled to Philadelphia in the season opener, and Iguodala appeared to be pressing, shooting 5-13 for just 11 points and committing 4 turnovers. I would expect a more composed Andre Iguodala this time around, with some additional time removed from his stint in Philadelphia, as well as the fact that he’s just counted on to be a piece of a loaded Golden State roster.
Through 3 games, the Warriors have beaten the Lakers and Kings, with both opponents having played for the second consecutive night, and lost to the Clippers in a wild shootout, when they were on the tail end of a back-to-back themselves. This contest will be the first for them with both teams rested and obviously the first against a team of the Sixers’ vaunted caliber. The Warriors have the best effective FG% in the league at 60.5%, two spots ahead of the 76ers at 56.0%, not surprising given the shooting prowess of Curry and Thompson, in addition to the effective mid-range game of forward David Lee. Additionally, Philadelphia and Golden State are #1 and #2 this season in terms of pace, so expect a track meet and plenty of shots thrown up by each side.
The Warriors will once again be without Harrison Barnes but still have an extremely deep team and are tabbed as 7-point favorites in this matchup. As much as I would like to say this Cinderella run will continue for Philadelphia, Golden State seems to be the worst possible opponent for the Sixers. Curry and Thompson are perimeter assassins perfectly equipped to exploit the holes in Philadelphia’s three-point defense, and the Warriors are built to operate at the fast pace Brett Brown is demanding of his young squad. I think this is where the Sixers finally give up the NBA regular season championship belt.
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