National Basketball Association

Why the Warriors' embarrassing loss was exactly what Golden State needed

Published Nov. 15, 2016 2:51 p.m. ET

Andrew Lynch

Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and the Warriors were punched in the mouth by a less-talented, better-prepared team on Tuesday night — which should have Golden State head coach Steve Kerr grinning a day later.

Sometimes, you need to taste a little blood before you're really in the fight.

There's no question the Warriors need to be concerned about their blowout loss to the San Antonio Spurs in the season opener. Curry and Durant both looked like superstars, but nothing else seemed to work for Golden State.

The offense was disjointed. The defense was practically nonexistent. The worst of Draymond Green was on display, as he picked up an unnecessary technical foul while otherwise having minimal effect on the game. Most importantly, the Spurs looked like they'll truly challenge the Warriors in the Western Conference this year.

And that's all according to plan — or so the Golden State braintrust would have you believe.

Before the dust had settled on Golden State's embarrassing loss, the front office and coaching staff were already letting the world know that the loss was a very good thing. Inspiring, even. Kerr hinted as much in his postgame comments:

On the surface, this is the Warriors being the Warriors — the same team that claimed losing in the Finals was for the larger good, since it resulted in the Kevin Durant signing. "Everything we do is awesome, even when it's bad! We're light-years ahead of everyone else! Buzzwords!"

Unfortunately for those of us who might have a distaste for Silicon Valley-proximate smarm, they're not wrong (on either count).

Nearly every NBA champion experiences at least one moment of urgency that steels them for the road ahead. Last year's Cavs had to fire a head coach and go down 3-1 in the Finals. The Warriors the season before had to learn to embrace small-ball. Before them, LeBron's Heat fought through early-season struggles and a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks before reaching their final form. Call it a rite of passage in professional basketball.

The earlier a team has its catalyzing event, the better, and the Warriors got theirs out of the way on the first night of the season. What more could a superteam ask for?

If the Warriors are smart, they'll embrace the opportunity that comes with such an enormous defeat. And after the game, KD sounded dead set on learning his lesson:

"We have to get better from this, learn from this and Game Two against the Pelicans down at their place," Durant said. "It's a slap in the face. It woke us up a bit and we're looking forward to getting better."

Tuesday's lopsided loss better be a slap in the face for Golden State. Durant's decision to join the Warriors sent the basketball world into a fervor. Might this team be the greatest ever? Could they top last year's 73 wins if they tried? Was existence as we knew it doomed? Should we just cancel the season altogether?

In reality, the Warriors are nothing more and nothing less than an extraordinary collection of superstars who have a number of questions left to answer themselves. There's very little depth off the bench, particularly when you consider Andre Iguodala's potential decline. Durant might not be a good fit right away within the offense; he'll need to adjust from his old, ball-stopping ways and embrace the flow. And the defense could sink this whole enterprise before it even gets started.

We're 81 games and 171 days away from the start of the playoffs. Golden State has plenty of time (and talent) to become the all-consuming juggernaut we envisioned they'd be, but they're not there yet. For now, the Warriors are on notice.