With all four All-Stars healthy, the Warriors should be rolling. They should be crushing opponents.
But they aren't. They'll play well for a couple of games and then struggle in the next game. They'll play well for 24 minutes and then let a lead slip away in the second half.
That second scenario happened on Thursday night as they blew a 20-point lead at home and lost to the Rockets in overtime.
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But Steph Curry isn't worried.
"We're challenged, and that's great. I love it," Curry told TNT's Ros Gold-Onwude after the game. "I love the vibe in terms of, nothing's easy. We are having to fight, to create momentum and to put a string of good games together and we haven't done it yet. So it's giving us something to really lock in and focus on as we get 2019 started. Obviously, a lot of time to get where we want to be come April, May, June. This is not a good feeling in the locker room in terms of losing three in a row at home. We don't do that. We gotta figure it out. And I'd bet on us, for sure."
If you're a betting person, that might be a safe bet to make. The Warriors are back-to-back champs. They've proven over the last few years that they rise to the occasion.
Yes, they aren't playing well. Yes, they have 14 losses on Jan. 3. But if last season taught us anything, it's not to count the Warriors out.