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Golden State Warriors: 5 Takeaways From Opening Night Disaster

By Gerald Bourguet

October 25, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) reacts during the third quarter against the San Antonio Spurs at Oracle Arena. The Spurs defeated the Warriors 129-100. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
October 25, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) reacts during the third quarter against the San Antonio Spurs at Oracle Arena. The Spurs defeated the Warriors 129-100. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Golden State Warriors’ debut with Kevin Durant did not go according to plan. Are the Dubs more flawed than we thought, or are we overreacting? Here are 5 takeaways from the opening night disaster.

Golden State Warriors
October 25, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) reacts during the third quarter against the San Antonio Spurs at Oracle Arena. The Spurs defeated the Warriors 129-100. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

After winning an NBA-record 73 games during the 2015-16 regular season, it was easy to feel disappointed, shocked and flabbergasted when the Golden State Warriors lost Game 7 of the NBA Finals at home, completing their meltdown from a 3-1 series lead.

Luckily for the Dubs, that defeat opened the door to signing Kevin Durant, adding another top-3 player in the world to the league’s two-time reigning MVP, Stephen Curry.

Missing out on the greatest championship season ever stung, but signing KD made everything right with the world for Bay Area fans. It was not a question of whether the Warriors would win another title, but how many.

Unfortunately for Golden State, Durant’s first game at Oracle went nowhere near according to plan.

Just a season after starting the year 24-0 (including 36-0 at home), the Dubs dropped their 2016-17 season opener against the San Antonio Spurs, getting walloped in a 29-point rout on their own floor. Adjustment periods are necessary for any super-team, but the manner in which they lost — especially with all that talent at their disposal — was alarming.

Related Story: Golden State Warriors: 2016-17 Season Outlook

According to ESPN Stats & Info, Golden State was held to 100 points only nine times last year and went 4-5 in those games, so perhaps it shouldn’t have been surprising the Dubs lost Tuesday when they were held to exactly 100 points.

Giving up 120 points was also an eye-opener for the Warriorss, who were the league’s fifth best defense last year.

Is there real cause for concern with this juggernaut? Will they figure it out like LeBron James‘ Miami Heat super-team did, or are they destined for failure like that ill-fated Los Angeles Lakers super-team in 2012-13?

There’s plenty of time to figure things out, but in order to draw the line between opening night overreactions and legitimate concerns, here are five main takeaways from the Golden State Warriors’ underwhelming season opener.

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