Feb 24, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Golden State Warriors power forward David Lee (10) celebrates gaining the lead late in the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. Warriors won 100-99. Mandatory Credit: Greg Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Kicking off a seven-game homestand, the Dubs are going to need to correct the issues that caused their disappointing streak—namely poor defense and a stagnant offense that relied far too heavily on point guard play to be effective. If the Warriors want to right the ship, they must get the ball moving, instead of counting on Jarrett Jack and Stephen Curry to create something on their own.

The talent is there to turn around what’s become an inconsistent offense, but defense is going to be a problem.

After residing in the league’s top 10 in terms of offensive efficiency for much of the season, the Dubs have plummeted of late. In recent weeks, Golden State has played at a bottom-five level on D. And with this year’s Sloan Conference’s most memorable moment being a gag reel of David Lee’s total lack of effort on defense, it might be time for guys to start taking the team’s failure to get stops personally.

The Raptors are no pushover, either. Essentially, they’re a .500 team with some young talent and plenty of athleticism. Expect Amir Johnson and DeMar Derozan, both pretty limited offensive players, to come out aggressively against a reeling Warriors defense. If they get some early looks around the basket, the Dubs could be in trouble.

WHO: Toronto Raptors (23-37) vs. Golden State Warriors (33-7)

WHERE: Oracle Arena

WHEN: Monday, 7:30 P.M. (PT), CSN Bay Area

AT STAKE: Avoiding a fifth consecutive loss and slipping into a virtual tie for the No. 8 playoff spot.

PLAYER TO WATCH: David Lee. Is he aware that he’s now the laughingstock of the advanced community because of his horrid defensive effort? Does he care? Does it matter if he cares? Questions abound.

PREDICTION: Golden State recognizes the significance of starting off their homestand on the right foot and comes out gunning. The defense will still be porous, but not so bad that it’ll prevent an end to the four-game skid. Warriors 108, Raptors 99.

And the Grizzlies are a real bear. Get it?

Memphis presents a major challenge for this particular Warriors team, and not just because they’re a perennial playoff squad with young talent across the board. The issue is that the Grizzlies are a matchup nightmare for the Dubs.

Marc Gasol is one of a handful of centers who’s even bigger than Bogut. Whether he’s better is debatable, but size-wise, he’s able to match up with the Aussie. Plus, he can take Bogut away from the basket, which is where the Warriors want their defensive anchor to stay.

Zach Randolph will surgically deconstruct either David Lee or Carl Landry. He does that to everyone, but the Warriors’ pair of power forwards are bad enough defensively that Randolph is probably already slobbering at the thought of tonight’s game.

Rudy Gay is probably Memphis’ fifth-most important starter, but he’s still (especially at this stage) a far superior player to Harrison Barnes or Brandon Rush. And before anyone jumps down my throat for the fifth-best starter crack, go do some research. Scoring wings who don’t shoot all that well are a dime a dozen. Gay is really good, but he’s replaceable. That’s my point, I guess.

Anyway, the guard matchups are the biggest problem. Both Mike Conley and Tony Allen (especially Allen, who is a complete beast on the ball) are going to make Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson’s night an utter hell. If the Warriors try to pull the same predictable pop-up screen offense as they did against the Suns, Memphis’ attack dogs in the backcourt will eat Klay and Curry alive.

Regardless of the Warriors’ offensive strategy, Allen is going to make it incredibly difficult for Thompson to catch the ball and Conley will really force Curry to prove that he can get around his man—something he didn’t do against the Suns, even though he was being tightly guarded and there was no help coming.

It’s my sincerest hope that the Warriors pull things together after an ugly win in Phoenix. If they manage to beat Memphis, it’ll be a signature early season win—because knocking off the Grizzlies will require the Warriors to show they’re capable of doing things they couldn’t do last year. It’ll take gritty play and smart execution on offense, good coaching and serious work on the boards. None of that was part of the Warriors’ 2011-12 season.

But if the Grizzlies leave Oracle tonight with a win, don’t panic. This is a Memphis team that seems designed specifically to manhandle the Warriors.

Either way, I’ll be happy, as I’ll be in possession of tempered expectations and (hopefully) the aforementioned free swag.