After a long break over the weekend the Dubs found themselves matched up against a young, win hungry Thunder squad who was missing their best player in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Dubs prevailed and won their ninth game in a row. This dates back to January 21st and the game before that they lost in an Overtime thriller to the Pacers. And as fans have pointed out, the Warriors are 9-0 since Curry let out his frustration on a chair from the bench. Rightfully so, as the greatest shooters never want to miss let alone lose a game. The competitive spirit is contagious, with guys like Curry and Draymond igniting the team’s morale and helping them win out when they need to.

A good handful of the nine wins have been close so it just says a lot about the squad’s character that they can come in and win high pressured games. Not to mention that they are on the win streak without the four-time NBA All Star and defensive anchor of the team, Draymond Green. He has been absent during the team’s win streak as he continues to heal from his injury and is expected back sometime after All Star break.

Klay recognized the Warriors recent play without Draymond and had this to say, “It’s a great sign. It gives me chills thinking about how good we can be at full strength.” The last time Green played was Thompson’s return game, which gave every NBA fan chills. Whatever injury Draymond is going through, he found it only fair that he play in Klay’s return game since the sharpshooter shot free throws on a torn ACL in the 2019 Finals. As tough as that is, the Warriors' next five games before the All-Star break seem to be even tougher.

They play the Jazz, Knicks, Lakers, Clippers, and Nuggets before their much-needed break on the weekend of the 18th. So as good as the nine wins in a row look right now, that streak might come to an end in the near future. It is important to mention that the Warriors have beat all these teams this season either once or multiple times except for the Nuggets. Their record against the Nuggets is 0-1 with the loss being only by three points. Hypothetically, if they can keep the momentum going and win the next five games their record would improve to 46-13 on a 14-game winning streak. And if the Suns lose out then that would catapult them to the number one spot in the west. Phoenix's next five games are relatively easier, but they still have at least three opponents that could give them trouble.

With the Dubs being 2.5 games behind first place, anything is possible. Obviously, the goal is a championship and not just the number one spot but spots 4 through 9 are separated by a few wins, meaning any team could climb their way into or out of the playoffs. Golden State has 28 more games left in the regular season and have found themselves in a great position nearing the break. But as Klay mentioned, it is scary to think what they will look like at full strength come playoff time.

(Photo credit: Kyle Phillips / AP)