Golden State began the 2015-2016 season betting on personnel continuity and an added year of experience in head coach Steve Kerr’s quick-reaction, pass-heavy offense. While championship contenders like the Spurs spent the early season incorporating new players into an evolving offense and the Cavs struggled to find quality rotations in the wake of injuries, the Warriors were able to rely on a lineup featuring 12 players from their championship roster, including nine rotation regulars.
That familiarity paid off as Golden State dominated the first 30 percent of their schedule. Led by the slight-of-hand wizardry of Stephen Curry and buoyed by contributions from a deep and talented roster, the Warriors jumped out to an historic 24-0 record, drubbing opponents by an average of 13.6 points a night and making every game appointment TV in the process.
In recognition of the record 24 consecutive victories to start the season, here are 24 thoughts on the streak, the players and the Warriors going forward:
  1. In a preseason forecast, a panel of ESPN contributors ranked Stephen Curry fifth for league MVP.
    Dec 11, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) shoots over Boston Celtics guard Avery Bradley (0) during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

    Stephen Curry (30) shoots over Boston Celtics guard Avery Bradley (0) during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

    After less than a week of regular season games, as he began his meteoric rise, the pervasive question became “Is Steph the best player in the NBA?” A couple of weeks after that, the narrative changed to “Curry is definitely the best player in the world.” Now Jason Kidd is calling Steph this generation’s Michael Jordan. Who knows where this conversation will be by season’s end. Curry has increased his scoring average by an astounding 9 points per game from his MVP season. His 33.7 PER would be the greatest of all time if the season ended today and he is set to break his own record of 286 made-threes in a season by 130. This is n0t MVP-level play- this is once-in-a-generation stuff. Just like there has never been another MJ or another Magic or another Kareem, there is not going to be another Stephen Curry. He is small, slightly built and relies more on skills than athleticism so it is easy to conclude that what he is doing is replicable, but I would argue it is more likely that another elite scoring 2-guard will enter the league before we see another offensive player that can terrify a defense as soon as he crosses half court. After all, we have seen a decent Jordan facsimile in Kobe Bryant, but who is Steph’s closest comp? Steve Nash? Damian Lillard? Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf? Steph’s repertoire of ball-handling, on-the-ball and off-the-ball shooting, floaters, drives, passing, and basketball IQ trumps everyone before or after him. Plus, he scores at an incredible volume efficiently and on a consistent basis. There have been accurate shooters, willing passers, deft ball handlers and MVP point guards before but no one has ever mastered all those skills and unleashed it on a nightly basis. Steph’s play is not a revolution in the game or a trend for the future; it will not be duplicated. He is in the rarefied air of a Tiger Woods at his peak. When it’s over, it’s over. There will not be seconds. Enjoy the Steph Curry Show while it lasts.

  2. At one point during the 2014-15 season, there were as many as eight legitimate contenders for the NBA crown. The league this year is less balanced with the Warriors, Cavs and Spurs as prohibitive favorites and the Thunder lurking a tier below as Kevin Durant works through injuries. If Golden State can hang onto the top seed, they will likely only have to face two of the three to win another championship.
  3. The Warriors can drop their next two games and still be on pace to match the ’96 Bulls with 72 wins.
  4. There are preseason prognostications and then there is what Twitter Nostradamus @Nai_Roy had to say back in October.

    November 4, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors center Festus Ezeli (31, left) blocks the shot of Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32, right) during the first quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Clippers 112-108. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

    Festus Ezeli (31, left) blocks the shot of Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32, right) during the first quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Clippers 112-108. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

  5. There were five games during the streak that the Warriors could have lost and maybe should have lost: Overtime versus the Nets where Brooke Lopez missed a bunny in regulation. The next game when Kyle Lowry committed a costly illegal screen. The Clippers’ collapse. The Raptors again. And the 2 OT game in Boston that took every ounce of energy the Warriors had to win. Going 5-0 in those 50-50 games bodes well for the playoffs when execution becomes paramount.
  6. Another way to look at that: In their first 24 games, the Warriors were only challenged five times.
  7. The Dubs win so many games in part because their second unit wears down even the deepest teams. It functions like 48 minutes of continual drilling, eventually a fissure springs and the opponent cracks under the pressure. Off the bench, Festus Ezeli brings offensive rebounding, well-timed blocks and athletic rim-runs; Shaun Livingston provides a steadying hand and chips in points off turnaround jumpers and the occasional where-did-that-come-from two-handed jam; and Andre Iguodala’s heady play-making and always excellent defense is Luke Walton’s security blanket for when the Warriors face a scary few minutes of scattered play…
  8. …but similar to last year, the bench lacks a consistent offensive punch. When Mo Buckets’ shot cannot find the net and Leandro Barbosa is not scoring on open threes or in transition, the subs struggle to maintain leads. It is a rich team’s problem to be sure but the Dubs could use reliable scoring from Speights, Jason Thompson, B-Rush or Ian Clark for 8 minutes a game when Curry and Green sit.
  9. Which grew more over the first 25 games of the season, Festus Ezeli’s game or Festus Ezeli’s future bank account?
  10. Is it time to start up the Bogut-Ezeli center controversy? Bogut is a skilled and savvy veteran but Ezeli’s athleticism creates a bigger target for the first team’s passers and his lobtastic synergy with Green forces one more worry onto opposing defenses. Throw in Bogut’s potential play-making on a less-than-potent second unit (as evidenced by the 2 points in 5 minutes during the Bucks game) and the same argument used to have Iguodala come off the bench could be asserted for Ezeli’s ascension into the starting unit.
  11. The Death Lineup is not very deathly without Harrison Barnes. Livingston is a fine player but when he is the fifth man in the Green-at-center lineup, the court gets cloggy and the defense is more susceptible to low post scores by opposing bigs.
  12. Players we saw during the streak that have improved their games: Avery Bradley, Brandon Knight, Kyle Lowry, Andre Drummond, Jimmy Butler, Rajon Rondo, Derrick Favors, Paul George and Nicolas Batum.
  13. Players we saw that might not be long for the NBA: Joe Johnson, Tony Allen (it pains me to include him but at 33-years-old and slipping on D, his offensive liability makes him almost unplayable against elite teams. The Warriors throwing Bogut on him in last year’s playoff might have killed his career), Steve Blake, Paul Pierce and Joe Johnson again.
  14. Everyone goes full throttle against the Warriors. This was never more apparent than when OJ I-couldn’t-bother-to-stay-in-shape-last-year Mayo gave the Warriors 18 aggressive points and a spirited defensive effort. I’m not sure which surprised me more: OJ Mayo not being fat any more or OJ Mayo trying hard in 2015.

    Dec 12, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) gets a pass away from Milwaukee Bucks guard O.J. Mayo (3) in the fourth quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

    Stephen Curry gets a pass away from Milwaukee Bucks guard O.J. Mayo (3) in the fourth quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

  15. As of writing, the Warriors lead the league in assists by a mile at 28.6 per game. The difference between them and the Spurs in second is the same as the difference between second place and the Hornets in 15th. Most NBA players shoot better on the catch than they do trying to create one-on-one. The Warriors’ ability to ping the ball around the court helps the offense avoid long spells of poor shooting. This is another reason why Charles Barkley calling the Warriors a “jump-shooting team” was such a reductive conclusion. They are a passing, jump-shooting team with fantastic defense.
  16. Asked when he realized the streak was over, Curry answered for Green saying, “when coach subbed us out” (of the Bucks game). That is when I reached the same conclusion. The 24-game streak made me forget that it is possible for the Warriors to lose. Like watching a zombie TV show, I just assumed our heroes would be able to survive any impending doom. Even down 11 with a minute left I thought they would pull it out. If Glen could survive a horde of hungry walkers, why couldn’t the Warriors outlast a few deer?
  17. After finishing last season first in defensive efficiency, the Warriors have slipped to fifth place this year. I do not think the team has gotten worse on defense, rather the bench unit has dragged the numbers down in extended minutes during blowouts, HB’s injury has shelved the ferocious small-ball lineup and there were some tired legs on the long road trip. When needed, the Warriors can still flip the defensive switch for a few intense minutes of frenetic D, as they showed in the epic comeback versus the Clippers.
  18. If you are hoping for another double-digit win-streak, the Warriors play OKC, San Antonio and Cleveland a combined nine times in the final 3+ months of the season.
  19. Draymond said the Warriors stopped improving during the streak. Injuries, the interminable road trip, media hype, whatever the case, the 24-1 Warriors have at least one deficiency worth addressing: they are 24th in turnover ratio.
  20. Watching this team has completely ruined my appetite for other NBA games. When I watch other teams, I spend half the time wondering, “Why doesn’t the point guard just pull up from 28 feet?” “How come this defense is so porous?” “Why doesn’t the bench jump out to celebrate at half-court?” The Warriors being the Kobe beef of basketball makes everything else taste like tofu.
  21. Oh yeah, Steve Kerr is out. I almost forgot that the captain of the ship is still on leave.

    January 2, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors assistant coach Ron Adams (left) talks to head coach Steve Kerr (right) during the fourth quarter against the Toronto Raptors at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Raptors 126-105. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

    Ron Adams (left) talks to head coach Steve Kerr (right) during the fourth quarter against the Toronto Raptors at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Raptors 126-105. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

  22. Lost in all the Curry talk is that the Warriors are quietly becoming downright Spursian in the ability to develop young talent. They helped Klay, a late lottery pick, become an All-Star. Draymond has become a nightly triple-double threat and will likely make his first All-Star appearance. Festus has career highs in points, blocks and rebounds. And HB has blossomed into the ideal forward, able to toggle between the three and four positions in the modern NBA. Even with the salary cap about to skyrocket, it’s essential for the Warriors to supplement the roster with players on cheap contracts who develop into rotation cogs. If recent history is predictive of future success, James McAdoo and Kevon Looney should be contributing soon.
  23. Meanwhile the Spurs have a historically good 12.2 point differential, the Cavs will get Kyrie Irving back soon and the Thunder has won 9 of 11.
  24. Before the season, I bet a few buddies that the Warriors would repeat as champions and that Steph would take home another MVP trophy. 25 games into the season, my wager, like the streaking Warriors, looks like it cannot lose.