Programming note: Warriors-Celtics coverage starts today at 3:30pm with Warriors Pregame Live on CSN Bay Area, and streaming live right here.
A healthy measure of trepidation is appropriate for the Warriors as they approach the Celtics, and not because Jeff Van Gundy is predicting a Boston victory.
Though the Warriors remain unbeaten, they do have a soft spot: turnovers. They commit them at such a high rate it stands in stark contrast to their otherwise impressive team statistics.
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The Celtics happen to lead the NBA in forcing turnovers.
Is this a recipe for disaster? Not necessarily.
[RELATED: Celtics' Ainge on beating Warriors: 'Hope that they miss some']
The Warriors generally respond well to very real threats, as seen in the first half of their win over a legitimately dangerous Pacers team on Tuesday. If a team does something well, the Warriors tend to increase their focus.
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors average 15.6 turnovers per game; only five teams commit more. Four times this season, they committed 20 or more in a game. They won all four games, of course, but the giveaways trimmed the victory margins.
The Celtics force an average of 17.9 turnovers, with guard Avery Bradley, a defensive demon, doing most of the damage.
Indeed, Van Gundy cited Bradley as one of the reasons he believes the Celtics can take down the Warriors.
“The defense that the Celtics play and particularly at guard position with Avery Bradley allows them to do some things offensively that other teams cannot do,” the ESPN analyst said. “So I think Celtics have a real good shot.”
The Celtics will have a better than decent shot if they can pile up easy baskets off an abundance of Warriors turnovers.