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Perk claims ‘old news’ Warriors not a threat in the West originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
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The Warriors are putting all their money on the now in hopes of winning more NBA championships around their core of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
Former NBA champion and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins doesn’t buy it, though, and believes their time has come and gone.
“I’m done with the old news,” Perkins said Monday on “First Take.” “I’m moving forward. Number one, this is why the Warriors are not a threat. And when we say a threat, we’re talking about them winning a championship. Every single season that they have Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, it’s championship or nothing for them.
“And as long as LeBron James is in the Western Conference, Steph Curry really hasn’t done anything without Kevin Durant when it comes down to matching up with LeBron James.”
Golden State’s 2022-23 season ended with a second-round playoff loss to James and the Lakers. But just one season prior, the Warriors won their fourth title in eight seasons, while James and the Lakers didn’t even make it to the postseason.
But Perkins took his take a step further and doesn’t think it’s just the Lakers in Golden State’s way, but he believes a flurry of other teams in the West will be better than the Warriors in the upcoming season.
“The [Phoenix] Suns are better. The Denver Nuggets are better than [the Warriors]. And I’m willing to go out on a limb and say the Sacramento Kings are better than them,” Perkins said. “Although they did win a seven-game series, but going into this season, I love this Sacramento Kings team over the Golden State Warriors for the simple fact that now they have a year of experience under their belt, they know what it takes to get to the postseason, they know how it feels to be in the postseason.
“They are only going to get better. … So when I look at the Golden State Warriors, I said it last year and I’m going to stand on it now, their dynasty run, that window for championships, that has closed.”
This wouldn’t be the first time someone has publicly doubted the Warriors, and…
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