The Warriors got run off the floor by the Lakers on Sunday, so it feels like a good time to check in on the NBA's best team.
Did the loss mean anything? Is the 73-win record in jeopardy? What about the NBA championship? Our Insiders go fact or fiction on Golden State.
1. Fact or Fiction: The Warriors' 17-point loss to the Lakers was meaningless.
Tom Haberstroh, ESPN Insider: Fiction. This wasn't the Milwaukee loss when they were zombies following a double-overtime game on the second night of a back-to-back. The Warriors got smacked because the supporting cast has sneakily played underwhelming basketball for a while and they finally paid for it when the stars couldn't hold their own.
Bradford Doolittle , ESPN Insider: Fiction. The game itself was meaningless, but the recent trend isn't. Over nine games since the break, Golden State has played opponents to a virtual standoff, outscoring them by a total of just eight points. It's easy to say "every team goes through a dip," but the 1995-96 Bulls didn't -- their lowest nine-game point differential was plus-43.
Amin Elhassan, ESPN Insider: Fact. It follows the trend of almost every other Warrior loss. Of the six teams that have defeated Golden State, three should be attending the lottery and the other three are fighting for playoff spots. The Warriors' average "margin of defeat" is -16.2 per 100 possessions, making them the worst "losers" in the NBA. Put simply, this team likes to take nights off against inferior opponents.
Kevin Pelton, ESPN Insider: Fact. Whatever explanation you might concoct for it, I don't think Golden State's performance reflected the team's true level of play. It doesn't appear to be a coincidence that the Warriors' losses this season have all come to non-elite teams: Milwaukee, Denver, Detroit, Portland and the Lakers.
David Thorpe, ESPN Insider: Fiction, but not in terms of whether or not the team is showing signs of decay. They shot horribly. Period. When teams shoot that badly, in this league, losing is the typical byproduct.
2. Fact or Fiction: The Warriors are vulnerable to the right defensive scheme.
Elhassan: Fact. That defensive scheme involves slashing the tires to the team bus to ensure they never make it to the arena.
Doolittle: Fiction. I don't know that anybody has shown evidence of a magical formula for defending the Warriors. Every opponent game plan is a variation of a theme: keep the ball out of Curry's hands. The Warriors have had some low-energy games lately. Let's not forget that they've played more road games than any other team.
Pelton: Fiction, unless that defensive scheme involves allowing them to shoot 30 3-pointers and hoping they miss 26 of them. Everyone's vulnerable to that, I guess.
Thorpe: Fact. Every team can "get schemed up" in a particular game. But the playoffs require an opponent to do so in four games out of seven. That may require two wholly different plans, moving to the second once the Warriors solve the first one, and before they get that fourth win.
Haberstroh: Fact. Vulnerable is a good way to put it, not doomed by any stretch. The Lakers didn't do anything the Warriors haven't destroyed already at some point this season, but stay on shooters and play your tail off for 48 minutes, and you give yourself a chance.
3. Fact or Fiction: The Warriors should try to win 73 or more games.
Doolittle: Fact. While I agree with Steve Kerr's comments that his team could recover from the disappointment of not breaking the record, I'm not sure they'd recover from giving up the chase altogether. These guys want that record. And the flip side of having played so many road games: They have more home games left than anyone. Their home record is pretty good, isn't it?
Pelton: Fact. As long as it doesn't mean extending players' minutes to unreasonable level, I don't think there's anything wrong with continuing to try to win every game. Golden State's starters are still logging relatively few minutes because of the team's propensity for blowouts.
Haberstroh: Fact. Important caveat: as long as they don't burn anyone out along the way. The 2007 Patriots are a good reminder that a perfect regular season will only be remembered as a disappointing footnote if they don't win the championship. Kerr has been pretty clear he's not going to recklessly chase the record.
Thorpe: Fiction. Early in the season I said they would break the Bulls record, but I didn't think they should try to. I still don't. Records are made to be broken, and thus focusing on them over the title quest seems too short-term thinking for me.
The players should play to win, but who plays should be based on what's most helpful to win those final four games in June.
Elhassan: Fact. The ultimate goal is of course a second consecutive championship, but other than overworking their mainstays beyond a reasonable standard, I don't necessarily see why trying to break the wins record would adversely affect their championship campaign. They have to play the games either way, so they might as well try to win them.
4. Fact or Fiction: The Warriors will win 73 or more games.
Elhassan: Fact. The margin of error has closed significantly with the two post-All-Star losses, but they still can afford to lose three more games and their schedule has softened considerably after they dispatched the Thunder three times. Then again, perhaps a softer schedule is more of a threat to them than playing a tough one!
Thorpe: Fact. I still think they will get there. They have lots of home games and a clear interest in getting to that number. They can potentially get to 75, but we know they will feel extra pressure as they near the Bulls mark and thus may underperform to a degree.
Doolittle: Fiction. While I don't think they should give up trying, I think this recent slump has gone on long enough to suggest that some historical regression -- if that is a thing -- might be in play. And they've got three games left against San Antonio, including two on the road.
Pelton: Fiction. I think there are enough tricky matchups left on the schedule that even with Golden State's ability to step up when the competition is most challenging, there are four more losses left on the schedule.
Haberstroh: Fiction. I'll say they tie the record, and the world will burn down in an inferno of debate over which team was better, the 1996 Bulls or 2016 Warriors.
5. Fact or Fiction: The Warriors will win the NBA championship.
Haberstroh: Fact. They're rested; none of the Warriors rank in the top 25 in minutes per game. And they play a high-octane style of basketball that has so far eluded the mighty San Antonio Spurs. I will say, however, the gap between them and the Spurs is much smaller than it appears.
Thorpe: "Faction," as I think they stand a 50/50 shot (maybe 55/45). If they stay healthy they will be the favorites, sure. But I do think they can be upset.
The Spurs just added Manu Ginobili back to a team that had won 11 of 12 without him and he looked fantastic, plus one of the league's best shooters the past 10 years in Kevin Martin, so they have the firepower to outscore the Warriors.
That coach, that defense, that captain: If the Spurs handle their next 10 games well (the schedule is a bear), it will be a sign that we are headed to the equivalent of a seven-fight battle between Ali and Frazier.
Elhassan: Fact. Just fact.
Pelton: Fact. Well, not fact, but more likely than not, even with the level of competition in the Western Conference. At least as long as the Lakers don't make the playoffs.
Doolittle: Fiction. I think the Spurs will beat them. Give Gregg Popovich the practice and prep time that goes with a seven-game playoff series, not to mention the roster he has at his disposal, and the Warriors could be in for more days like yesterday. The regular season has belonged to Golden State, but the postseason will belong to San Antonio.