The first indicator last fall that the Golden State Warriors were going to emerge as a championship team came in the preseason.
During Steve Kerr's debut as coach, the Warriors went 6-2 in exhibition play with a league-best plus-11.0 point differential. That dominance was one reason ESPN's Ethan Strauss picked Golden State to win the title before the season.
Fast forward a year and while the players are still largely the same, we saw a different Warriors team this preseason.
Before blasting the Los Angeles Lakers by 39 points in its final tuneup, Golden State had lost four of its first six exhibition games, and despite the lopsided margin Thursday, the Warriors were still outscored overall.
If last year's October results were reason to believe in Golden State, should this year's be reason for skepticism?
