Perk believes Warriors are ‘finished' as title contenders

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For the second straight season, NBA pundits have eliminated the Warriors from NBA Finals contention before the midway point of the campaign. 

Because that worked out so well last season. 

NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins joined ESPN's "First Take" on Friday morning, where he declared that the Warriors are "finished" as title contenders after Golden State's disappointing 14-16 start to the 2022-23 NBA season and the recent injury to superstar Steph Curry

"When we say, 'Are the Warriors finished?' we're not just talking about the playoffs ... We're talking about championships, that's what the Warriors are based on, it's championships or bust," Perkins explained. "So when we say, 'Are they finished,' we know they can get into the play-in tournament and make the postseason, we're talking about the championship, can they compete for a championship? Are they finished when it comes down to a championship? And the answer is hell yeah they are."

Perkins believes a more competitive Western Conference, plus the Warriors' lack of depth off the bench, are reasons why Golden State will not contend for its fifth championship in nine seasons. 

"Second of all, the West is too stacked up right now," Perkins added. "There's too many teams I could say are better than the Golden State Warriors. I'm looking at the [Los Angeles] Clippers ... I'm looking at the Memphis Grizzlies ... Here's the thing, I don't trust the Warriors' depth. I don't trust their bench. They lost too many pieces that contributed last season off the bench to help them with their title run.

"When I look at the Warriors, they just don't have it. Are they finished? Yes. And by 'finished,' I mean winning a championship."

RELATED: Poole shows poise, production in first game since Steph injury

Pundits famously expressed a similar sentiment around this time last season, which the Warriors certainly took note of and likely used as motivation to secure another championship. 

Will history repeat itself? Only time will tell. 

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