Analysis: Championship Or Bust an Accurate Perception for Warriors

OAKLAND – Four more days. Four more days for the hype to ebb and the heavy lifting and heavier breathing to begin. Reality is coming fast for the new Warriors, and the men at the top are bracing for impact.

"It's a different team," coach Steve Kerr says, separating these Warriors from those of the past two seasons, the first of which ended with a championship, while the second won its first 24 games en route to an NBA-record 73 wins.

"We've got a lot of growing ahead," Kerr adds.

General manager Bob Myers, who this week added the title "president of basketball operations," was quick to sprinkle water on the team that is the hottest topic in the NBA, if not all of American sports.

"It's going to be a process," Myers cautions. "I do not see us being 24-0. I don't see it. And it's completely fine. I hope we see growth. I hope we see development. I think we will. But getting to know each other is going to be the challenge."

This season surely will require considerable adjustments from the coaching staff down through the revamped roster. The Warriors have a new top assistant, veteran coach Mike Brown. They have a new center, Zaza Pachulia, who replaces Andrew Bogut. And, of course, they also have a new superstar, four-time scoring champion Kevin Durant.

All of which results in early expectations being shrouded in mystery as the team prepares to open training camp next Tuesday.

"It will be an adjustment," Myer says. "Anytime you put new people on a team, new people in a room, you have to weather a little bit to get to exactly where you want to be. But that's what the season is for. That's why you play 82 games, to hopefully end up in a spot where you're feeling like everybody understand their nuances and what one person is doing.

"The hope is we're going to look our worst on Tuesday. If you were watching practice, I hope that's the worst it is. And if you come to a playoff game, you're seeing an entirely different product."

The Warriors find themselves planning for a season unlike any they've known. Durant is the most impressive acquisition in Warriors history, and he made the decision to join a team that came within seconds of winning back-to-back NBA titles.

So, naturally, by adding a fourth All-Star to a core of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, the perception is the Warriors are in championship-or-bust mode. It's a very accurate perception.

"We don't care how many games we win, as long as we win enough to be in a great position for the playoffs," Kerr says. "Obviously, you always want home court. You want the 1-seed. We'd love that. But it makes zero difference to me how many wins we get.

"We're very proud of the record but we'd rather have (another championship banner)."

Kerr essentially described last season's team as one that needed virtually no tinkering or experiment. The starters returned intact, as did the first six players off the bench.

These Warriors have, in addition to Durant and Pachulia, no fewer than four other strangers finding their way. There's the veteran forward David West, the practical rookie Kevon Looney, who spent most of last season on the surgeon's table or in rehab, and real rookies Patrick McCaw and Damian Jones (who is not expected to be ready until December at the earliest).

"We will probably turn the ball over," Myers said, looking ahead to the opening weeks of the season. "We will probably be oversharing. We'll be too selfless. At times, we might be too selfish, when we try to overcorrect."

The GM's attempt to lower the bar is as admirable as it is pointless. Vegas oddmakers list the over/under for Warriors wins at 66.5. The Warriors list their over/under at having a parade.

"I had a good feeling we'd win a ton of games last year," Kerr says. "This year is different. I have no idea how many games we'll win."

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