Tony Jones: The Warriors are still the team to beat, but they look more vulnerable than they have in a while

Let’s get this right out of the way.

The Golden State Warriors are still the favorite to win the NBA championship when June rolls around. The Warriors still have the most talented team. They still have a level in their play that nobody else can reach. They are still the most confident team in the league. And as we all know, supreme confidence and talent goes a long way.

And yet.

The Warriors winning the title doesn’t seem like a forgone conclusion for the first time in three seasons. Yes, I’m well aware of Cleveland’s title run in 2016. But with the Warriors winning 73 games that season, did anybody really think the Cavaliers were going to win that Finals series at any point short of the exact moment LeBron James clutched the championship trophy in his arms?

Neither did I.

So here’s where we are with Golden State.

The Warriors may not garner the top seed in the Western Conference playoffs for the first time in three seasons.

The Warriors haven’t been one of the NBA’s most durable teams for the first time in three seasons. Here are the injuries: Stephen Curry’s battled a tender ankle all season. Draymond Green’s shoulder isn’t 100 percent. Klay Thompson broke a finger. Quinn Cook, a two-way player, has been the starter at point guard in the last few games.

And the Warriors simply don’t look as hungry for the first time in three seasons, which is understandable given all they’ve accomplished in recent seasons.

So this all begs the question: Are the Golden State Warriors ... vulnerable?

It may not be a fair question, but it has become a conversation for no other reason than the Houston Rockets look similarly great and are a team with a bunch of talented veterans hungry for a title.

If nothing else, the Warriors’ weakness, whether real or perceived, has given this NBA season some much-needed intrigue heading into the playoffs, along with the fact that the Cleveland Cavaliers likely won’t be winning the Eastern Conference.

Golden State has won two of the last three NBA championships. And with two of the top five players and arguably four of the top 20 players in the league, the Warriors looked to be invincible for the near future. Golden State’s dominance was so pronounced last season that many asked whether the rest of the league should start building for the future rather than try to win a title in the present.

And yes, Golden State has looked bored during long stretches, which means a lot of this is all may be a mirage. Imagine coasting through an entire regular season and still amassing a 52-16 record, which is what the Warriors have done.

If Houston has deserved credit for anything, it is its Warriors-like consistency in the regular season. And more than anything, Houston and Toronto should be given credit for not surrendering to Golden State’s reign and chasing a title with vigor.

The Rockets are good enough to challenge the Warriors. The James Harden/Chris Paul backcourt has worked better than anyone could’ve imagined. And the Rockets stylistically are equipped to defend the Warriors as well as anyone. They have long and tough defending wings who can make shots. Clint Capela has developed into one of the better big men in the league.

But Harden has demons he has to shake, which means the Rockets have demons they have to shake. Not many are going to forget Harden’s mysterious disappearing act against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 6 of last season’s Western Conference semifinal.

We still haven’t forgotten Harden going MIA in the 2012 NBA Finals against the Miami Heat. He was still a young player then. But that reputation has dogged him through his brilliant career. It’s fair not to trust him fully until he proves otherwise because of that.

This all may be a moot point in two months. But the Rockets and Raptors to a shorter degree have managed to turn this season into more than a one-horse race. And they deserve credit for that.