Editor's note: Grant Liffmann (@grantliffmann) is the co-host of Warriors Outsiders, which airs on NBC Sports Bay Area 90 minutes before each home game and 60 minutes after every game. Each week, Grant will drop his Outsider Observation on the state of the Dubs.
With the six games remaining in the regular season and the Warriors set to play their most significant game of the year against Denver on Tuesday night, let's take a look at some trends and storylines before the playoffs begin.
Cook heating up
Over the last 10 games, Quinn Cook has played an average of 16 minutes per game. He has been a fixture in the lineup that starts the second and fourth quarter, and you can tell he is starting to feel comfortable in his role. It is easy to understand that when a player knows he will get consistent minutes, then he does not have to stress about making an immediate significant impact OR play too careful as to not make any mistakes (something that Jordan Bell has had to deal with this whole season).
Cook's growing confidence has helped boost his production recently, as he has made 10 of his last 12 three-point field goals attempts over the last four games, and had a breakout game off the bench against Charlotte when he scored 21 points.
It remains to be seen how Cook will be utilized once the playoffs begin, as rotations often shrink and the most trusted players own a majority of the minutes. But Cook is earning Steve Kerr's trust, and it is coming at the perfect time.
Effective Bogut
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Andrew Bogut has now played in back-to-back games after DeMarcus Cousins has left those contests early. After fouling out against Minnesota, and then receiving a Flagrant-2 and automatic ejection against Charlotte, Cousins' dependency is proving to be somewhat unpredictable.
Boogie has played really well over the last couple weeks, as his offensive game has become more refined and polished, and his defense more focused and impactful. But his unpredictability -- whether it be his health, effectiveness, or combustibility -- led the Warriors to bring back Bogut.
The last couple of games have been great examples of why the Aussie was a necessary signing. And Bogut has been effective in his return, including playing 11 minutes against the Hornets after Cousins' ejection and collecting eight rebounds to lead the team.
The Cousins/Bogut experiment will be a fascinating storyline during the playoffs.
Bench productivity
The much-maligned Warriors bench has been playing well recently, as I have chronicled over the last couple weeks. Key pieces like Shaun Livingston, Alfonzo McKinnie, Kevon Looney and Cook have all stepped up their game at the right time.
The game against Charlotte was a prime example of the bench's recent success when they combined to score 59 points on 24 of 43 shooting, making seven of their 11 shots from deep and dishing out 15 assists. As always, the Warriors' title chances will rest on the stars' shoulders, but if the bench can do their part, then the depth of the Warriors should buoy the team during tough games.
[RELATED: Kerr shares Oracle Arena memory that stands out most]
Can they dominate?
The Warriors destroyed the Hornets on Sunday, hitting 60.2 percent of their field goals (second-best mark of the season) and holding Charlotte to 35.3 percent shooting (also second-best mark of the season). Some will argue that the Warriors SHOULD dominate a lesser opponent like that so those stats should be ignored.
They would be right -- except for the fact that the Warriors have lost to even lesser teams than the Hornets, especially at home.
During the playoffs, it will be important for Golden State to keep its foot on the gas pedal even when they have a big early lead, as they did against Charlotte. There will be games where the Warriors will make their opponent look very weak, and it is important for them to fully exploit that.
