- Programming note: Steph Curry's "Dubs Talk" interview with Kerith Burke and Monte Poole debuts Wednesday on NBC Sports Bay Area following "Dubs Talk Live."
Steph Curry knows that if the Warriors want to repeat as NBA champions, they must go through the gauntlet of retooled Western Conference teams, including Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns.
Speaking with Kerith Burke and Monte Poole on the latest episode of the "Dubs Talk" podcast, Curry shared that it was "surprising" for him to see his former teammate joining one of Golden State's Pacific Division rivals though accepted that's how it is in the NBA.
"At the end of the day, you know teams are going to be always trying to position themselves to be as strong as possible, to chase the championship, and really nothing should surprise you in the NBA just because you've seen it all," Curry told Burke and Poole.
The reigning NBA Finals MVP adds that with how "stacked" the West is, he says that there feasibly could be 10 or 11 teams that could make it out of the conference and into the NBA Finals, depending on how they performed during a certain stretch in the regular season.
"So it's going to be interesting, it's going to be fun," Curry continued. "I know that from a fan perspective, it has to be great to know just how logjammed the West is and the race to the finish line, see what the season looks like from the playoffs and every series is going to be an all-out war."
As it stands, the fifth seed to the No. 13th team in the West is only separated by a handful of games. If the Warriors are not careful, they potentially could end up in the play-in tournament in a hurry.
Golden State Warriors
For Curry, he relishes the fact that the Western Conference is so wide open this season.
"And that's how it should be -- it should be fun, unpredictable, entertaining and for us as guys on the court, it should be one where you have to play your best to even make it out of the first round, just based on how strong each of these teams are," Curry said. "So we want to be in that conversation, obviously, and we'll see how it goes."
If Golden State wants to make it out of the first round, the team has to play excellent basketball. To do that, everyone has to be fully healthy and know their roles.
The 34-year-old also noted that despite how turbulent the Warriors' season has been, the team has the mindset that they can achieve anything on their way to repeat as champions once the playoffs begin.
"But confidence is high because we've done it before and we have to be able to build on that understanding, to be able to execute, to be detail-oriented, be mindful of what it takes to win a playoff game, and just be locked into that moment -- that's all it requires," Curry explained.
"... It's just if we can hopefully get healthy, then we feel like the rest should take care of itself and we know in any playoff series, we are tough to be so just got to get there."
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With less than a month remaining in the regular season, Curry and the Warriors know that time is running out for them to put the pieces together to formally compete with Durant and the rest of the upgraded Western Conference.
If Golden State does round out into form by the time the playoffs roll around, it certainly is a team to watch out for, especially if all the Warriors' key pieces are healthy and productive.