It’s that time of year, NBA playoff time, and many are wondering whether the Golden State Warriors will take home the championship.

In the Bay Area, many people are confident that their home team will win its 5th championship, and their second in 3 years. Many non-Bay Area natives, like myself, believe the Warriors will claim the championship as well.

When a team has Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Kevin Durant, who wouldn’t think the team would take home the ‘ship?’

That’s 4 All-Stars, one team.

Thompson averages 22.3 points per game, Curry 25.5 points and 6.6 assists, Durant 25.1 points, 4.9 assists, and 8.3 rebounds, and Green with 10.2 points, 7 assist, and 7.9 rebounds.

That’s four players averaging more than 20 points. The numbers show a very prominent contender to win a championship, not to mention the team also had the best record in the NBA this year at 67-15, which was also their 3rd year in a row with the top record.

The wins and losses aren’t as profound as their record-breaking season last year at 73-9, but it is the same the Warriors had in their 2014-2015 championship season.

With the addition of Durant, the Warriors chances of making it to the finals seem solid. Even without Durant their chances were good, but with the addition of one of the league’s best players, they are even better. The team has several key players that make Golden State a force to be reckoned with at all times.

On Feb. 28, Durant was sidelined when he suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain and tibial bone bruise against the Washington Wizards and made his return in an April 8 game against the New Orleans Pelicans.

In the midst of Durant’s 19-game absence, the Warriors momentum was temporarily altered when they lost 3 games in a row, their first time losing their first pair of back-to-back games throughout the entire season.

But after adjusting to the loss of Durant and those 3 games, Golden State went on to win 14 games in a row, which was also their longest streak of the season.

It seems as if the Warriors can and will thrive with or without Durant. They have been thriving in the playoffs against Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers without Durant due to his new calf strain injury. The Warriors were able to beat Portland by 29 points in game 2 of round 1 and 6 points in game 3.

Durant really takes some of the weight off the shoulders of players like Curry and Thompson since he can create and find his own shots as well as lock up offensive players with his length, speed and size on defense.

The Warriors will their make way to the Western Conference and win. They have too much chemistry and too many impact players, especially when Durant returns. They are experienced, unselfish, and all-in-all too powerful not to.

However, one thing that may set the Warriors back from winning the Western Conference finals is the absence of head coach Steve Kerr.

Kerr is suffering from a long time back injury and he postponed his back surgery in 2015 while he waited for the offseason last year to have the procedure done. The side effects of this postponement have caused back pain, headaches, and nausea, which have now prevented him from coaching, according to multiple team statements.

Despite the Warriors superstars, Kerr is a huge key to the Warriors success, and his absence may hinder them.

The San Antonio Spurs may get in the way of the Warriors success as well because they’re the only team in the West that can potentially beat the Warriors. The Spurs are known for being silent assassins: their team often signs quiet players who express little emotion like Tim Duncan and Kawhi Leonard. The Spurs don’t show emotion like Green when he yells or flexes his muscles after a big play and they definitely don’t dance or shimmy after a big shot like Curry.

They aren’t the most fun team to watch, but they play some of the best team basketball in the league, and they win. They also have arguably the best coach of all time, Greg Popovich and Leonard is a huge force in the league.

The Spurs chemistry and experience with veterans like Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Pau Gasol make them a team the Warriors may have trouble with.

Regardless, the Golden State has too many forces at the end of the day, and their record shows that. It will be shocking to a see a team with 4 all-stars not win the Western Conference finals, or even the NBA finals.