^{by Matt Anderson}

I write this on the eve of Warriors-Kings. I've read all the takes; I've listened to all the pods; I've looked at the numbers; I've thought a lot about this series. Many who are a lot smarter than me and who are more plugged into the stats, analytics, and the team seem to think the Warriors are the favorites here, and Vegas agrees. To be honest, I have no clue how this series will play out. The Kings' offense is scary (highest offensive rating in NBA history). Mike Brown and Co. know the Warriors inside and out. De'Aaron Fox's fourth quarter stats are clinical. But the Warriors are the Warriors. They are a dynastic team that has seen every playoff scenario and appear to be playing their best basketball. I think the key for us fans in this series is going to be patience.

I know this is a big ask. We are a fan base that many would call spoiled. We have seen what this team can do when it's at its best, and we are often easily frustrated when they don't live up to those expectations. This season, especially, has tested our collective patience.* But, these playoffs could be where that patience pay dividends.

*I'll confess there have been a few times this year where I had to step away from following the team because of how it was negatively impacting my mood. So this post is just as much a self-instruction as it is a sermon.

For starters, we are going to need to have patience with our players. Andrew Wiggins is back, but he's missed eight weeks of basketball. To expect him to go out there in Game 1 and look like the Wiggins from last June is not fair to him. Remember what he has been through and be patient with his return. Similarly, we need to continue to be patient with Gary Payton II. We eagerly awaited his return, and we are starting to see flashes of the electric player that made a difference in the Finals. GP2 is going to be key in slowing down the likes of Fox and Kevin Huerter, but we need to remember he's coming back from a pretty tough injury. We may not see his high-flying dunks, but if he continues to give us that defensive jolt he's started to provide lately, he will be playing his role perfectly. Lastly, we need to be patient with Jonathan Kuminga. JK has really started to blossom in the last two months. He's turned into an excellent defender and an offensive player that fits within the system. He's still only 20 years old, though. Yes, he did get some seasoning in last year's playoffs, but this will be the first time he's asked to be a consistent part of the rotation. If he takes a quarter, half, or game or two to get his wits about him, that won't be surprising. So, we need to be patient.

Most importantly, however, we need to be patient with the team as a whole. The Warriors are the experienced playoff veterans playing on the road against a young team with a fanbase that has been starving for the playoffs for decades.** They are going to come out amped up and swinging. We could very well see a series similar to the Finals last year where the young Celtics got in a couple of good punches in Games 1 and 3, but in the end, the Warriors' savvy and experience prevailed. So, we should not overreact to Game 1 here. We should give this team the benefit of the doubt that they will find a way to win.

**Not to mention the whole big brother/little brother dynamic of Bay Area v. Sac Town and Lacob v. Ranadive.

This team understands the marathon aspect of not only the NBA season, but the NBA playoffs. It very well could be that the team consciously took a step back during the regular season to make sure everything (and everybody) was right for a playoff run. They took the time to try James Wiseman and develop Kuminga and, to an extent, Moses Moody. They made the move for GP2 and decided to rehabilitate him because they knew what he could add now, during the playoffs. These were all moves that appear to have the long-game in mind. It does not seem like an accident that the team went 10-2 down the stretch (and was one or two plays away from 12-0). Like last year, we could see a team that is gelling at the exact right time. So, we should be patient and have the quiet confidence that all the work the Warriors have put in over the ten months and ten years will pay off. If it doesn't? Well, we have experienced four titles in eight years; pretty much every franchise in every sport would bite your arm off for that.