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Last Monday the Golden State Warriors began a difficult stretch of three games in five days against three of the NBA's best teams. With home games against Cleveland and Oklahoma City and a trip to Houston on the slate, Steve Kerr's team was not going to lack for challenges as it look to improve upon the NBA's best record. Or so many thought. Golden State won all three of those game by double digits, with an average margin of victory of 24.3 points per game. Not to say that there was any doubt with regard to Golden State's status as the best team in the NBA, but last week the Warriors made an emphatic statement.
In their 126-91 win over the Cavaliers, Golden State relied on a balanced offensive attack with six double-digit scorers and a stingy defense that limited Cleveland to 35.2 percent shooting from the field. And for all the talk regarding Draymond Green's foul that sent LeBron James to the floor, that was simply one moment in a frustrating night for James as he shot 6-for-18 from the field and turned the ball over six times with just two assists. Golden State also managed to frustrate Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook in the second half of their meeting Wednesday, and James Harden wasn't as effective as usual two nights later in the first game of the Warriors' four-game road trip.
The only negative in all of this: the Warriors won't play San Antonio, which blew them out in the season opener, again until March 11. Here are this week's NBA power rankings, with the Clippers dropping out and Washington moving in. (Getty)