The Week That Was:
It would be difficult to classify this past week as anything but a rousing success. While losing to the Spurs always hurts (especially after the playoff defeat in 2013), there is absolutely no shame in losing to the best team in the NBA when 
they are on their game. I asked Coach Kerr after the loss whether he could walk away from a defeat like that with anything positive and he said that he could not as a player but can as a coach. We will see if Pop still can teach one of his disciples more during the course of the season.
The rest of the week we saw the Warriors doing what all good teams in the West must do: dominate inferior competition. While the Nets made it close with a stirring performance from former Warrior Jarrett Jack, the Hornets and Lakers broke in the first half and the Dubs stopped both fights early.
Taking control of games has always been an important point for me with good teams because doing so reduces the possibility of a disappointing comeback loss and also affords extra rest time for the starters. During the rigorous parts of the schedule, those lockdown wins increase in value.
The Soapbox: How Good is this Team?
With an 8-2 record and the two losses coming to a talented Suns team without Klay and the defending champs, it should be inarguable that the Warriors are a good team.
At this point, the question becomes just how good they are and can be by the end of the season.
The defense is clearly elite and should be as long as the team stays healthy. They sit in third place right now in defensive efficiency (0.955 points per possession, which is better than Indiana’s league-leading number last season in an admittedly small sample size) despite giving up so many live-ball turnovers on offense. Sticking in the top five on that end keeps Golden State in the conversation for the toughest outs in the playoffs since it provides a foundation for wins at home and on the road.
The offense has been coming around and the players understand what it will take to get better. Stephen Curry spent some time this week talking with us about how he needs to get better at deciding against making the risky pass and having the patience and faith in his teammates that they will generate a better look in the 24 second shot clock. He showed some growth against the Lakers but they should be considered PEDs for an offense so we will have to see more against teams that can actually play defense.
-== Kobe Says Dubs Are Contenders “For Sure” ==-
If Coach Kerr uses David Lee properly as the offensive focal point for the second unit while also getting plenty of minutes with the starters, the drop-off with Curry off the floor should get better. I respect what Coach Kerr has done to limit the minutes of the starters but it appears his rotation strategy has been to keep the backups in until they begin to falter and then bring the starters back in to save the day. That can work much of the time in the regular season but needs adjustment down the road when other teams give their best players more minutes since continuing to toe that line makes the Warriors more susceptible to game changing runs.
My benchmark for a championship contender is a top ten offense and a top fifteen defense and at present the Warriors are joined by Dallas, Portland, Toronto, Chicago, Miami and Memphis in that group, though there will obviously be changes (*cough* San Antonio *cough*) once we get closer to the halfway point of the season.
The Week to Come:
After a huge four day break and then a home game against the surprisingly competitive Jazz, the Warriors start a five game road trip in Oklahoma City.
The Warriors should be favored in both games this week and at least four of five on the trip so I will be ambitious and expect a clean 2-0 week.