The Golden State Warriors are doing it with defense
Over the course of this season, the Warriors haven't had an eight-game stretch as they've had over the past couple of weeks. They've had a couple of five-game winning streaks this season, but on each of those occasions, they were successful because of their offense. Over the past few weeks, what has stood out for the Warriors is not their improved offense. It's the fact that over the past eight games, the Warriors defense has woken up.
In the last eight games, the Warriors have the No. 1 ranked defensive rating in the NBA. That's not something we've seen at all this season from Golden State. Before these eight games, the Warriors had the 24th-ranked defense in the league. It's not merely that the Warriors have become more consistent on the offensive end of the floor during this streak, it's the fact that they may have found something defensively that should be most encouraging.
At the peak of their powers, it wasn't just the Warriors' offense that was a problem for opposing teams. It was their impactful defense (in addition to their nearly unstoppable offense) that made this franchise great.
I'm not sure if they've truly solved all their issues but the fact that we're starting to see some signs on the defensive end of the floor is an excellent indication that perhaps something has clicked for the team.