The great NBA race – pitting the Warriors’ winning streak vs. the 76ers’ losing streak – has ended. The Sixers topped the Lakers Tuesday night for their first win, ending the immortal debate. But there’s another question to be asked. Who will lose first, the Warriors, or the NFL’s Carolina Panthers?
Sheer numbers say it will likely be the Warriors, who will play three times before the Panthers’ next game, a Sunday afternoon tilt vs. the Saints. The Warriors began a seven-game road trip, the type of slate that tends to trip up even the best teams. The “best” teams, however, don’t compare all that well to the 2015-16 Warriors. Golden State averages 115.3 points, the best mark in the league by almost a full seven points. They are also tops in the NBA in “true shooting percentage” (55.9 percent), and third in the league in “PACE,” a measure of possessions per 48 minutes. They are pounding opponents by an average of 15 points a night as well with a Top-10 defense.
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Their road schedule is as follows: Hornets (Dec. 2), Raptors (Dec. 5), Nets (Dec. 6), Pacers (Dec. 8), Celtics (Dec. 11), Bucks (Dec. 12). Three of those teams would be in the Eastern Conference playoffs if the season ended today. On the plus side, the Nets and Bucks rank near the bottom of the conference, and those are their two opponents that serve as the second part of back-to-backs.
The Panthers’ slate is less daunting. They too are road-heavy down the stretch, playing three of their remaining five tilts away from Raleigh, North Carolina. Their opponents leave much to be desired though. Carolina’s remaining games are as follows: @Saints, vs. Falcons, @Giants, @Falcons, vs. Buccaneers. None of those defenses are inside the Top 15 NFL defenses, and, like the Warriors with Stephen Curry, the Panthers have a leading MVP candidate (Cam Newton), running the show.
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The Panthers’ offense-defense relationship is the inverse of Golden State’s. They have the NFL’s second-best defense, and a good but not great offense. Cam Newton spearheads the Panthers’ fifth-ranked running game, but their lack of weapons in the passing game limits their upside. While Carolina’s road contains easier opponents, the separation between them and their opponents is smaller than the gap between the Warriors’ and theirs.
If Golden State can make it through this upcoming stretch – which includes zero games against opponents from the superior Western Conference – it may well be weeks before they lose. Meanwhile, Carolina has just five regular season games left. If they make it, the playoffs begin and they’ll be up against the best competition possible.
As crazy as it may sound, count on the Panthers dropping their first game before the historically sweet-shooting Warriors.
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