The Golden State Warriors had a very good February after struggling through the first half of the season, but on Monday, they got humiliated in a 140-88 drubbing at the hands of the Boston Celtics.
However, they stayed true to their championship pedigree and bounced back by downing the streaking Milwaukee Bucks, 125-90, just two days later.
Stephen Curry said on Twitter on Thursday that he’s “staying even keel” and that there is still a long way to go before the postseason.
In late January, Golden State was 19-24, and they were in great danger of not even reaching the play-in tournament.
Many felt their dynasty was running on fumes, which is probably still true, but since that point, they have won 14 of their last 18 games and have risen to ninth place in the Western Conference.
One decision that seems to have sparked their improved play is the decision to move Klay Thompson to the bench, and his replacement in the starting lineup, rookie Brandin Podziemski, has emerged as a reliable contributor.
Another key to this current spurt is their improved defense — they rank fourth in defensive rating over their last 15 games, and defense was the key to their four NBA championships over the past decade.
Experts seem divided on just how much of a threat the Warriors will be should they make the playoffs, but it seems pretty clear that no one would want to face them in the playoffs, given their firepower and boatload of big-game experience.
In addition, Curry is regarded as a monster in crunch time, and no one would want to deal with that either for up to seven games in a row.
