Warriors Jump Lakers as Favorites to Win the West

The media bias for the Los Angeles Lakers is a little absurd. It’s been relatively clear from the off-season that this Lakers squad is not up to task. After a tough loss to the middling Knicks that sets them with a 9-10 record, even with LeBron James sitting, it should be obvious that this team is not playing inspired basketball. Meanwhile, you know who is? The Golden State Warriors.

Earlier today, even before LA’s embarrassing loss to the Knicks, the Warriors jumped up to the betting favorites for the Western Conference crown, moving up to +330. The Dubs are now ahead of the Lakers (+340), and they’re about to get even better with Klay Thompson’s looming return.

After a win over the Lakers on opening night (a Lakers team missing… Talen Horton-Tucker?), a statement win over the Brooklyn Nets, and a 15-2 record to open up the season, it’s taken until almost a quarter of the way into the 82-game schedule for people to realize this team is legit.

The Warriors have the #1 rated defense captained by a 2-time Defensive Player of the Year winner and one of the best defenders to ever play the game (Draymond Green), the #2 rated offense led by a 2-time MVP, 2-time scoring champion, and the most electric player in quite possibly the league’s history (Steph Curry), the deepest bench in the league (highest bench net rating at 7.6), and are quite possibly just a month away from getting their 2-way, All-NBA shooting guard (Klay Thompson) back on the roster. This team, in short, is really damn good.

The Lakers, on the other hand, haven’t been so great. One of their best players, Anthony Davis, refuses to play center but is losing matchups to power forwards that supposedly aren’t on his level (see: Julius Randle earlier tonight). LeBron James has suffered some injury troubles lately, but it’s a testament to the roster construction that this team isn’t that far above .500 when he does play, being 5-3 in those situations.

On top of that, the Lakers sold some decent depth with guys who are currently balling out in Washington for Russell Westbrook, who’s 30% from three, 68% from the line, and committing nearly 5 turnovers a game. His total plus-minus is -71. That’s abysmal for a player that’s supposed to be not just a starting point guard of a title team, but a former MVP. People can critique the stat-padder narrative all they want, but this is just absurd.

To say that the LA Lakers are a better team than the Warriors despite being a superteam is a testament not only to how superteams don’t always work when the pieces don’t fit (we see you, Houston Rockets), but it’s also a testament to just how damn-good the Warriors are. Obvious credit should go to MVP-frontrunner Steph Curry, who could put together his best season at age 33, but every single player on the Warriors has embraced the team culture and is willing to buy in to win.

This is what winning basketball in the modern era looks like. The Lakers may have 17 championships in their past, but they are not playing championship basketball. And until they do, it should be obvious who the top dogs out West are.

(Photo credit: Harry How / Getty Images)