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Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors

An impressive overtime victory saw the Golden State Warriors overcome a tough Denver Nuggets roster on Thursday, Oct. 23. Steve Kerr’s team is now 2-0 to start the season.

During his postgame news conference, Stephen Curry detailed how Golden State is building a winning mentality and how that can become the foundation for a successful season.

“I mean, there’s 80 games left, so you kind of understand you don’t get too ahead of yourself,” Curry said. “But building blocks on an understanding of how to win, the selflessness of a team that can have eight or nine guys in a closing lineup, realistically. I was telling somebody I don’t think that closing lineup, Al, Jimmy, Draymond, JK, and myself had got any real rips in training camp.”

Curry continued.

“When you understand who you’re playing against and what it takes to win this particular game, collective IQ and just toughness got us over the hump. So, great start. Haven’t done anything yet. But we’re building a winning mentality.”

The Warriors have constructed a veteran rotation that is full of experience and championship know-how. Mike Dunleavy has also ensured there’s a decent sprinkling of young and emerging talent, too, as the Warriors looked to find the right balance.

Curry And Butler Still Competing At The Line

After the Warriors secured an opening-night win over the Los Angeles Lakers, Jimmy Butler revealed that he and Draymond Green had made a bet. The stipulation is that Butler will end the season with a higher free-throw percentage than Curry. Yet, against the Nuggets, Butler went 7-of-8 at the charity stripe, while Curry was 8-for-8.

“I can neither confirm nor deny anything that’s going on with the free-throw situation this year,” Curry joked after the game.

Regardless of whether Butler or Green wins the bet, the added internal compeition should drive the Warriors to continue being aggressive in drawing shooting fouls. And, throughout the season, that could be a wrinkle that ends up paying dividends.

Warriors Can Be Contenders This Season

Golden State’s winning start to the season will likely be encouraging for the fanbase. The Warriors are viewed as a potential candidate to challenge for the NBA championship this season, assuming their aging roster can remain healthy as we get deeper into the campaign.

We saw those credentials as Kerr’s team found another gear in overtime against the Nuggets. The Warriors have so much experience throughout their roster, so they understand how to navigate difficult situations on the court.

Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Joe Lacob did a great job of pinpointing and acquiring talent this summer. Al Horford already looks like a shrewd addition to the rotation, and Will Richard could be among the steals of the draft.

Golden State has shooting, interior scoring and a reliable pressure-based defense. The foundations for success are in place. If the franchise can begin building championship habits early in the season, they should emerge as one of the better teams in the league before too long, and that should be a scary prospect for other rosters with hopes of competing for a championship this season.

Adam Taylor is a basketball reporter covering the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks and Miami Heat for Heavy. He holds bylines for CelticsBlog, USA Today and Yardbarker. Adam also covers the WWE and AEW. He has a bachelor’s degree in creative writing from Open University. More about Adam Taylor