Days before Monday night's clash against the Cavaliers, Stephen Curry quietly reminded everyone the Warriors are still the defending champions.
"Obviously, walking in the locker room, it'll be good memories," he said. "Hopefully, it still smells a little bit like champagne." Curry's words weren't received kindly by the Cavaliers, but they did little to disrupt them Monday when Golden State came into Cleveland and left with a 132-98 win.
Heading into the game, the Cavaliers' worst loss was a 15-point defeat at Miami back in December, but last season's runner up laid an egg against the Warriors, and are now 0-2 against the defending champs this season.
Curry led the way with 35 points on 12 of 18 shooting in 28 minutes of playing time. Andre Iguodala also came up big with 20 points and five assists off the bench. Draymond Green, who drew the assignment of guarding LeBron James, flirted with a triple-double. He scored 16 points, dished out 10 assists and grabbed seven rebounds.
It was a much-needed statement game from Golden State. The Warriors came in losers of two of their last three games, and were really struggling on defense. But that all changed in a hurry as they jumped out to a 34-21 first-quarter lead and never looked back.