National Basketball Association

Golden State Warriors: The NBA's version of the Los Angeles Rams?

Published Apr. 19, 2022 1:10 p.m. ET

The Golden State Warriors have looked entirely unflappable over the past two games.

Despite dealing with multiple injuries throughout the entirety of the regular season, the Warriors have put together a pair of dominant performances in back-to-back wins over the Nikola Jokić-led Nuggets.

They have received scoring contributions from a number of contributors in both victories, while stifling their opponent's offense to a near standstill. The result was a comfortable 123-107 victory Saturday night. Monday night produced more of the same lopsidedness en route to a 126-106 win.

Monday night's victory was an insistent reminder of the squad's bountiful offensive capabilities. Golden State was firing on all cylinders, as a number of potent bucket-getters unleashed their talents on the main stage.

Flashy third-year man Jordan Poole dazzled in his playoff debut with a memorable 30-point explosion, following that up with an impressive 29-point outing in Game 2. Meanwhile, Klay Thompson reminded the basketball world exactly who he was by sinking five of his 10 3-point attempts en route to 19 points in his first postseason appearance in nearly two years. Thompson followed that up with a 21-point outing in Game 2.

Andrew Wiggins has looked dependable, with averages of 14.5 points and 8.5 boards through Golden State's first two tilts, while Draymond Green's name has been all over the stat sheet per usual as the brilliant orchestrator behind the Warriors' offensive forge.

But perhaps the most notable performance has come from Stephen Curry, who has come off the bench. Curry made his first in-game appearance in nearly a month after sustaining an ankle injury against Boston in March, and despite the legendary lore his name carries, he expressed no problem with minimizing his role in light of team success.

Curry looked rusty during his first few moments back in action, but nonetheless, dropped 16 points on 5-for-13 shooting from the field, including a 3-for-6 from deep in Game 1. Game 2 was an entirely different story. Curry made it look "Stephortless" as he smoothly placed any health concerns in the rearview mirror with a vintage 34-point outing, sinking five of his 10 3-balls.

And when Steve Kerr inserted his new "death lineup," consisting of Curry, Thompson, Poole, Wiggins and Green, the Nuggets inevitably met their ending. The fivesome hasn't played much together, but their fusion has been a fast-paced firestorm of run-and-gun tactics that Denver had no answers for.

Colin Cowherd is fully on-board with this Warriors team, going far as comparing them to another pro sports squad in the NFL.

Here's a hint: It's the one who just hoisted the Lombardi trophy as Super Bowl champs.

"They're the L.A. Rams of the NBA," Cowherd said Monday on "The Herd."

"Really smart general manager. Really smart coach. Awesome culture. They always seem to find money nobody else has. They draft and develop really well. And they make odd and old players all fit. This team gives you the full range of their culture.

"Let's start with Andrew Wiggins. He was a big underachiever. He goes to the Warriors and just made his first All-Star team. He's become hyper-efficient, one of the league's most efficient players. He's an excellent fit. How about old Draymond Green? … Seems like to me he's the best defensive player in the league. He's reestablished his brand."

Cowherd didn't stop there.

"How about Jordan Poole? Classic Warriors, 28th pick, he wasn't a one-and-done guy, nobody ever thought he'd be a lottery player, and he's emerging as one of the league's brightest young stars. And there's Klay Thompson: two ugly injuries, missed two years, hard work, comes back, and he loves Jordan Poole. And Steph is the cherry on top.

"The great thing about a thoughtful culture is look how many different personalities can fit? The Rams can bring in Jalen Ramsey, a guy like Dante Fowler, who we thought was a bust, Odell Beckham Jr., a quarterback [Matthew Stafford] from a losing culture. Everything works for the Rams. Same with the Warriors: the old guy, the hurt guy, the emerging star guy, the draft-and-develop guy, everybody works."

Warriors Game 1 win shows they are the Rams of the NBA I THE HERD

Colin Cowherd breaks down what makes the Warriors successful, from the front office to the roster, and explains why they are 'the Rams of the NBA.'

Chris Broussard was impressed with the Warriors' opening showing as well, and added that they could beat Denver even without a healthy Steph Curry.

"If they get healthy, they're going to be dangerous," Broussard said on "First Things First." "Steph obviously isn't himself yet, but with Jordan Poole stepping up, they can beat Denver without a very healthy Steph. Poole scoring 30 is not something he can't do again. He averaged 18.5 this year. He can create space whenever he needs to. And Klay is rounding into shape.

"They're going to be a tough out, no doubt."

The expectations are high for this Warriors team, but to fully live up to Cowherd's comparison, they'll need to collect one missing memento from their current résumé: Another NBA championship.