The Grizzlies beat the Warriors 104-94 in each team’s second game of the season, a win that looks more impressive now than it did at the time.
Prior to the season, I thought the Warriors would be a playoff team if they got more than half a season out of center Andrew Bogut, but stopped short of picking them because of doubts about Bogut’s health. It turns out I was right to doubt Bogut’s availability — he’s appeared in only four games so far — but wrong to think the Warrior’s couldn’t still make a leap without him.
Driven by All-Star caliber seasons from Stephen Curry and David Lee, Sixth Man of the Year-caliber seasons from Carl Landry and Jarrett Jack, and shockingly improved all-around team defense, the Warriors have been one of the NBA’s most surprising teams, sitting at 22-11 and only a half game behind the Grizzlies in a battle for fourth place in the Western Conference.
How good has Golden State been? They’re currently 9th in the NBA in offensive efficiency, 10th in defensive efficiency, and 4th in rebounding rate. The only other team in the top 10 in all three categories is the Oklahoma City Thunder.
