OAKLAND – Their last trip was sheer disaster, three games in three cities, over four nights, ending at 0-3. Impaired by internal turmoil, the Warriors were at their recent worst, so abysmal that even after returning home they needed four days to recover.
They regained much of their emotional balance, winning three in a row over opponents playing at least .500 basketball.
So what’s in store when the Warriors take their win streak on the road, beginning Thursday with a marquee game against the Toronto Raptors, who sit atop the Eastern Conference and own the best record in the NBA?
With our All Access Daily newsletter, stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams!
SIGN UP HERE There is no question the Warriors, even with three rotation players missing most of the month, feel much better about themselves than they did Nov. 14, when they arrived in Houston to begin that three-day trip. There is a semblance of harmony, and Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson are playing ferociously.
[RELATED: Kevin Durant drowns out noise, finds tranquility in bottom of the net]
“It definitely gives us some momentum,” Thompson said of the win streak. “It would have sucked to go on the road with a loss. I told you guys we’re going to go on a three-game losing streak; it just took a little longer than expected. It feels good, ending the home stand with three straight wins, especially when we’ve got a very tough East Coast trip coming up.”
The upside to the trip is that there are no back-to-back sets. The downside is that it’s 10 days, the second-longest trip on the Warriors schedule, in mostly cold climates.
Golden State Warriors
Find the latest Golden State Warriors news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.
Two games, at Toronto first and at Milwaukee last, will be exceedingly difficult to win. The Raptors sit atop the Eastern Conference and own the best record in the NBA. The Bucks are No. 2 in the East and routed the Warriors by 23 when they met in Oakland Nov. 8.
One game, at Detroit is very winnable but also dangerous. The Pistons have a winning record but the Warriors have lost in Detroit only once since 2010.
The other two games, at Atlanta and at Cleveland, are scheduled victories.
[RELATED: Steve Kerr gives best guess on when Steph Curry will return to Warriors]
There are six possible outcomes here, and there is a word for each of the five.
If they go 5-0: Unrealistic. It would be the most impressive Eastern Conference trip of the Steve Kerr era. Throw a party if they somehow accomplish such an incredible feat.
If they go 4-1: Successful. This is conceivable if Curry and Green both manage to play in at least three games.
If they go 3-2: Acceptable. Like earning a C+ on a report card, particularly if Curry and Green play in most of the games.
If they go 2-3: Unpleasant. They will have lost at least one game they know they should have won.
If they go 1-4: Distasteful. Imagine the Warriors returning home with a road record of 5-9. That would be cause for some serious self-examination.
If they go 0-5: Embarrassing. No other way to describe a trip that includes back-to-back losses to the Hawks and the Cavaliers, two teams for which the current goal is not to win but to land in the best possible position for the 2019 draft lottery.
This, for the Warriors, is the defining trip of the calendar year, maybe the entire season. They’ll come back stronger than when they left or they’ll be wondering what on this green earth they’ll have to do to get on track.