Resurgent Warriors feeling familiar heat among West elite

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Let’s get straight to the Sunday night highlights for the league-leading Golden State Warriors.

Stephen Curry, here for his once-a-season homecoming, heaved a shot just inside the midcourt stripe that banked in and beat the third-quarter buzzer; that drew a gasp from a crowd anticipating something spectacular from Charlotte’s favorite son. The no-look, over-the-head assist out of a scramble provided an alternate option

Then, in the final seconds when the Hornets were barely maintaining a two-point lead, Draymond Green demonstrated his exceptional defensive skills. He collaborated with Andre Iguodala to corner Terry Rozier, forcing a jump ball.

Curry only managed to make two other 3-pointers throughout the game. Even with a 6-inch height advantage, Green was defeated in a jump ball by Rozier. The game ended in favor of Charlotte.

The Warriors haven’t been in this commanding position for a while, where they are the dominant team in almost all games, currently leading the standings and creating championship buzz. Even though they made it to The Finals just two summers ago, it feels like it’s been a long time since Kevin Durant was part of the team and Klay Thompson was making significant contributions. It has been a while since the Warriors, in their heyday, had the entire league on high alert.

So in that sense, losing 106-102 to the Hornets was no big deal. When you’ve won seven straight games and lost only once previously this season, a stumble or two is allowed.

“Green said, “We never left our mark on this game.”

On this night, that meant leaks in their to-this-point stellar defense — the Warriors still hold the best defensive rating in the league by two full points — and a dearth of the usual dazzling showmanship from Curry, who’s off to a scorching start. Not to mention missing contributions from what’s been a surprising number of rotation players poised for breakouts.

Indeed, the 11-2 Warriors are seeing a more successful season than anticipated, even as they anticipate the return of Thompson and center James Wiseman, the prior season’s No. 2 overall pick. Both Curry and Green are on track to compete for individual end-of-season awards. Curry is currently second in scoring with 28.1 points per game, just behind Durant who is averaging 29.6 points per game. Green, on the other hand, is at the core of a team that’s effectively crippling the performance of their opposing teams and scorers.

They have already accomplished that. Here’s the extra bit: Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole have raised their game to become valuable assets, contributing an average of 35 points combined and offering the Warriors dependable alternative options.

“Indeed, we’re in a great place,” acknowledged coach Steve Kerr.

Despite numerous issues plaguing most Western conference contenders, except for the current champions, the Suns, the Warriors have managed to secure themselves an optimal position. In contrast to last season, when injuries and an over-reliance on less experienced players resulted in their elimination from the Western Conference Play-In Tournament, the Warriors are currently exhibiting positive health signs. This is a welcome change for Green, Curry, and other remaining members from their championship victories, who found their previous season’s early exit hard to swallow.

The start of this season was marked by doubt, primarily due to Thompson’s absence, who probably won’t reappear until at least Thanksgiving, and the unpredictability of young, returning and lottery-added players. However, things have been stable so far.

“Being a title contender is going to be a result of their defense,” stated James Borrego, the coach of the Hornets. “It’s remarkable to observe. They have a solid grasp of it and fully accept it. They barely have any weak points. Every player that comes on the court performs outstandingly. Draymond has been leading it for some time now… they serve as an excellent model for us.”

For all of their early dominance, the Warriors have benefitted from a favorable schedule; the game in Charlotte marked only their fourth on the road. Next up is a Tuesday trip to Brooklyn and a meeting with Durant (7:30 ET, TNT), followed by a stop in Cleveland where the surprising Cavaliers (9-5) await.

Regardless of being at home or away, the reactions towards the Warriors this season will contrast greatly from last year when the majority of the league may have sympathized with the struggling and injured former champions. That scenario has undeniably changed. The respect for them has been reinstated, as was evident on Sunday when the Hornets gave their all against the top team in the league.

“We were off our game,” said Kerr. “Our choice of shots was quite bad. We couldn’t establish an offensive rhythm. We seemed to be in a constant search for 48 minutes. It was as if we were in a hurry.”

Nevertheless, the game was still within their grasp. However, Kerr’s decision to keep Kevon Looney in for defense in the late stages backfired. Looney ended up with the ball while the Warriors were trailing by two. He was fouled with just 28 seconds to go, but unfortunately missed both of his free throws.

Curry’s stop in this town was filled with emotion. He grew up here, spending countless hours with the Hornets, watching his dad, Dell, play for Charlotte alongside Muggsy Bogues and Alonzo Mourning. He also attended Davidson for college. Interestingly, he hasn’t played in Charlotte for the past three years due to injuries that made him miss the last two games. Because of this, he was the crowd’s favorite.

“He said, ‘It’s always special. The energy in here was good. I noticed a lot of Davidson red and Warriors blue. However, I just didn’t have it tonight.'”

This season, Curry has already had some impressive performances. He scored a 45-point triple-double in Golden State’s home opener, delivered a 50-point game against the Hawks, and recently scored 40 points against the Bulls.

Naturally, he performed his worst against Charlotte, making only 3 out of 13 shots from deep and 7 out of 22 overall. He also had three turnovers and never seemed to find his rhythm. He confessed to feeling somewhat desperate.

“He said, ‘You tend to rush it a little bit when you want something badly.'”

No one is prepared to give up on the Warriors due to a temporary setback. Once Thompson and Wiseman make their return, the Warriors will be complete and bursting with talent, some of which may be surprising. They have two options: maintain the current state of affairs and see what happens in the spring, or use some of their young talents to negotiate a significant trade before the February deadline. Regardless of the path they choose, they’re in a favorable position.

Kerr did express a note of caution, saying they shouldn’t be lulled into a “false sense of security” from their strong start or assume that everything will automatically elevate when the Splash Brothers reunite.

Currently, the Warriors are relishing their position at the top in the West. The view, both familiar and delightful, is quite a sight to behold.

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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.

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