OAKLAND, Calif. _ Those guys in the white and blue jerseys playing at Oracle Arena Tuesday night? Those guys looked like the Warriors.
It had been a while since we had seen the team whose reputation is only surpassed by the quality of their play take the floor in Oakland, but when they showed up at the beginning of the third quarter of Game 5 of their second-round playoff series with the New Orleans Pelicans, they were impossible to not recognize.
That team on the court Tuesday was not the team that played in the regular season and failed to win a closeout game in the first round of the playoffs _ a team that was pillaged by injury, mental fatigue, and downright disinterest.
The Warriors' series-ending 113-104 Game 5 win was the second straight contest where they looked like the world-beating, trend-setting, fear-inducing squad we always thought _ nay, expected _ they would be.
They closed out their series with a blitz of talent that featured a dazzling defensive performance and unparalleled offensive firepower.
True to form, the Warriors finished the game _ and the series _ with a third-quarter run. The Warriors, led by their smallball Death Lineup, opened up the third frame Tuesday with a 10-0 start which expended into a 25-4 run.
The Pelicans _ once confident they could stick with the Warriors after an impressive Game 3 win _ didn't know what hit them.
The Houston Rockets might feel the same thing when the Western Conference Finals start next week.
There were a few glimpses here and there before this series, but it took roughly 90 games for this team to finally come together. They were excellent by any other team's standard during that stretch _ winning 58 regular season games _ but they were anything but unassailable. Remember the "flip the switch" narrative? That was warranted at the start of the playoffs.
But after back-to-back impressive performances (the second one was the necessary confirmation) from what was effectively a full complement of players, this Warriors team looks like it is finding its groove at the perfect time _ they're heading into their biggest series of the year playing their best basketball.
Tuesday's performance was strong enough at its peaks to beat any team in the NBA by a comfortable margin.
The unparalleled trio of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Kevin Durant scored 75 points on 53 percent shooting Tuesday.
The key was Curry looking like his old self. In his fourth game after what was effectively 11 weeks off with both an ankle injury and then a sprained MCL, he played 37 minutes, scored 28 points on 16 shots, dished out eight assists, showing burst and lift on both drives to the hoop and deep 3-pointers.
Wardell the Warlock is back. Warriors coach Steve Kerr said that the league's preeminent floor spacer had a conditioning breakthrough in Game 4 and his Game 5 performance proved it.
The best part for the Warriors _ he has five days to rest or work before the start of the Western Conference finals. By the time that series tips off in Houston on Monday, his injury and shouldn't be a direct or indirect factor at all.
"I feel good. I feel confident in what I'm able to do," Curry said. "My timing can get better... I continue to get better, continue to get my timing right, continue to get back to the normal rotations ... Hopefully, I won't look back."
Durant and Thompson were stellar without Curry in the lineup, but their lives have become easier with his return. That duo getting a ton of open shots next to Curry should keep Houston coach Mike D'Antoni up at night for the rest of the week.
But as the Warriors would be first to tell you, this team's success starts on the defensive end.
And right now, the Warriors are on another level defensively _ posting the league's best defensive rating in the first two rounds of the playoffs.
That success, of course, stems from Draymond Green, who started at center for the Warriors in the last two games, spearheading the team's Death Lineup, which was dominant against the Pelicans (outscoring New Orleans by 49 in four games) and should again play a major role against the Rockets.
For a variety of reasons (ok, it was mainly injury), the Warriors did not use the Death Lineup against Houston all season.
They're in for a treat.
Green did countless spectacular things on the defensive end in the series against the Pelicans _ it seemed like he averaged at least one incredible play per defensive possession in the series _ shutting down the Pelicans' offense both in the paint and on the perimeter. He was pretty good on offense, too, becoming the first Warrior to average a triple-double in a playoff series.
That's not to mention Andre Iguodala's impact. The veteran did all those little things that win games but aren't obvious when you're watching the game live and had a massive impact on the series.
Even the bench showed up in Games 4 and 5 against the Pelicans _ it wasn't as deep as the Warriors or their fans expected, thanks to both matchups and poor play, but Kevon Looney, Shaun Livingston, and even Quinn Cook looked formidable and reliable when they were on the court.
Combined, the Warriors looked like a basketball laser beam that was well worth the wait.
Better yet, the Warriors should only get better over the next few games as Curry further rounds into form. Can you imagine how well he and this team will play when his timing is back?
All season, we've been waiting on Warriors-Rockets, and we're finally getting it _ no excuses, no caveats. Both teams are healthy and ready to rumble.
Though if the Warriors play the way they've played the last two games, they might not be rumbling as long as some might think.
