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Their first 24 minutes on Saturday's court looked a lot like most of the previous 96, with an occasional defense, periods of bouncy apathy, 10 turnovers and a timeout for a few moments of inner introspection.
The Warriors seemed to be on the fast track to be defeated, before being followed by a silent trip to the Philadelphia airport for a six-hour flight to consider a 1 to 3-day trip.
But a fire broke out at half-time when the Warriors entered the visitors' locker room at the Wells Fargo Center, beating the 76ers by 12 points. There was a radical transformation, an attitude adjustment.
The Warriors of the second half were the warriors we have seen so often in recent years. Draymond Green developed his contagious defensive vitality, Kevin Durant and DeMarcus Cousins combined for 33 points and Stephen Curry prompted the 76ers to sleep.
Can the Warriors contain what they've paid to the 76ers in the last 24 minutes, eliminating a 14-point deficit and emerging with a 120-117 win?
"We needed that," Cousins told ABC. "We've sort of been, I guess, we could say, that we've had a slump in the last two games, not really playing the right way. But we really came together and took a step forward.
At the end of the third quarter, Philadelphia led 71-57 at less than one minute and 53 minutes. The Warriors responded with a 16-0 record in which they forced seven misses and three turnovers. This lame first half, in which the 76ers shot 53.5% of the field, had suddenly become a distant memory.
"We were more engaged – not so much in the first period – but in the second half," said coach Steve Kerr. "We played with more force."
Although applied at both ends, it started with the defense. That's always the case. When warriors defend themselves as if it really matters, buckets fall from the sky. The 76ers shot 36.4% in the second half. Philly playmaker Ben Simmons, who terrorized the Warriors 30 days earlier in Oakland and destroyed them in the first half, was cluttered with Jordan Bell and Green and could no longer function.
The first six quarters of Simmons against the Warriors this season: 44 points, 17 shots on 21, 15 rebounds, nine assists and six interceptions.
Simmons in the second half Saturday: 7 points on three shots out of seven, eight assists, eight rebounds – and five turnovers. At least 22 after half-time, he was the worst player on the ground.
And the Warriors, without Klay Thompson and Kevon Looney in this game, after two consecutive defeats in Miami and Orlando, looked like the best team in the NBA.
"Due to the circumstances, after losing two straight games, without Klay, without Looney, he faced a great team on the road, certainly one of the best victories of the year," Kerr said. .
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The participation was complete. Durant scored 34 points, Curry 28 and Cousins 25. The Damion Lee wing, in a hurry to be put at the service of the mark, brought back four points to three career points 12 points off the bench.
Green's numbers were strong, but it was more interesting to note that after two mediocre matches in Florida, he was the driving force in the second half.
"The last two games have been tough," said Curry. "Obviously, Miami was on the phone. Orlando, we played hard and we got excited at the end. So, ending a road trip with a win without Klay and getting on that six-hour flight with a smile on the face means a lot.
"With 20 games or 19 games to play, these wellness games where we discover how to win are very interesting for the playoffs. We want to build that kind of mentality and expectations throughout the season. "
The Warriors won because, realizing that they were besieged again on national television, they provoked anger. They played better, but they also played with some fury.
"Sometimes you forget how hard it is to win a game in this league because everyone has talent," Kerr said. "I think our guys figured out they had to get out of this mini-rut, so it's a good start. Now we have to go home and start a series of victories. "
It's a tough task, with heavyweights Boston and Denver invading Oracle Arena this week.
But if the Warriors concoct the same beverage that put them in a 24-minute rage in Philadelphia, it will be hard for the Celtics or Nuggets – anyone else – to keep up.
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