So, NBA fans—are the Golden State Warriors merely warriors of the regular season or are they title contenders?
Are the Warriors just another frontrunner that wins when it doesn’t count or will they continue doing so when it does?
Will Golden State simply pile up victories between October through April or can it ultimately secure the Larry O’Brien Trophy in June?
Fresh off a 110-99 demolition of the defending champion San Antonio Spurs, the lock-down-defending, sweet-shooting Dubs align with the latter—and can be accurately dubbed as a championship-worthy squad.
Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 25 points, 11 assists and four steals in front of the Oracle faithful. Klay Thompson added 20 points and Andre Iguodala contributed 14 points and six rebounds on 4-of-6 from downtown off the bench.
The best-shooting team in the NBA shot 48.8 percent and a ridiculous 51.5 percent (17-of-33) from three-point range. Curry and Co. racked up those 17 bombs and 110 points against a San Antonio club that had allowed the third-fewest per game this season (6.8) and that had also been ranked No. 5 overall in defensive efficiency.
Point guard Tony Parker didn’t connect on a single attempt from the field and finished with all of two points, six assists and two turnovers. Danny Green put up only four points and fellow backcourt stalwart Manu Ginobili offered just eight points off the bench
Even the great Tim Duncan tallied a lowly eight points, three rebounds and plus/minus of -12. His big-man counterpart Andrew Bogut, meanwhile, handled his typical dirty-work mastery with six rebounds, three assists, three blocks and a plus-10.
Moreover, the Association’s top assist generator notched a plus-four in that category while outpacing the Spurs 23-13 in fast-break points.
The same team that also boasts the No. 1 field-goal percentage defense held the Spurs to just 31.6 percent from distance. Golden State forced 16 turnovers and committed just 12 of its own.
Hardwood dominance by the Warriors aside, this was still just a win in late February. It didn’t include any immediate playoff implications.
Rookie head coach Steve Kerr taking down his beloved mentor Gregg Popovich is a compelling storyline. But did it really prove the Warriors’ championship mettle?
Yes, yes it did.
The Dubs turned a first-quarter deficit into a lead at halftime. They did so by using a dubious foul called on Curry—and subsequent technicals on both he and Kerr—as a motivating fuel from that point forward.
Said 44-41 hole soon transformed into a 62-55 cushion for the home team. And after the Spurs began emerging from a considerable deficit of their own late in the third quarter, the Warriors went off.
Starter-turned-reserve-asset David Lee knocked down a key shot before Curry and Iguodala drilled a trio of three-pointers. That lighting-quick 11-point burst, not to mention forcing two turnovers and misdirecting three shots, provided a dominant 89-68 lead that Golden State would never relinquish.
Again, it was how the Warriors won that makes this victory so significant.
Even though they’ve only lost nine games all season, their worst of the year undoubtedly came against San Antonio back on Nov. 11.
The Spurs won every quarter and finished in 113-100 fashion on the Dubs home court. Parker dominated with 28-PTS and 7-AST next to just one turnover. Ginobili tossed in 17-PTS and 5-AST and the veteran backcourt duo combined for a plus-17, while San Antonio as a whole committed just eight turnovers.
Curry missed all seven of his three-point attempts, while he and his fellow Splash Brother earned a minus-25. They also coughed up seven of their team’s unsightly 20 turnovers.
Put simply, the Spurs took the Warriors to school.
Sure, Kerr provided the inspiration for a subsequent 16-game winning streak and incredible 37-7 run. That included three victories over both the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets and two over the Dallas Mavericks—with all three opponents being potential matchups in the Western Conference playoffs.
But the NBA’s best team with the best record (43-9) still needed redemption against the defending champs. It needed affirmation of its own championship capability.
Having Curry, Thompson and Bogut record a plus-29 while helping force the Spurs’ Big Three of Parker, Ginobili and Duncan into a minus-36 was paramount.
Outplaying the reigning title-holders in nearly every statistical category will prove invaluable to the psyche of this up-and-coming Golden State contingent moving forward.
Because whether it’s in the first round, second round or conference finals, the Warriors will inevitably see San Antonio in the postseason. And if they truly desire a championship, they must conquer the Spurs once again.
Regular season or not, now they know they can.
Follow Joey on Twitter @jlevitt16 as he tries to wax eloquent on all things Warriors, NBA, NFL, MLB and the sports world at large.