Golden State Warriors will face tests early in season

OAKLAND, CA - APRIL 02: Bradley Beal
OAKLAND, CA - APRIL 02: Bradley Beal /
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The Golden State Warriors will face some great competition in the opening weeks of the 2017-18 regular season.

The 2017-18 NBA regular season schedule was released on Monday night, and now every team knows when and where they will be playing next season. The Golden State Warriors have ruled the regular season for three straight years and are the favorites to do it again for a fourth straight year.

While some teams try to coast through the regular season and save their energy for the playoffs, Golden State knows the importance of home court. With the San Antonio Spurs behind them, Golden State also hasn’t really been afforded the luxury of being able to coast.

The key to plenty of wins and building that cohesion for the playoffs in the regular season is the stretches that exist throughout. For the Golden State Warriors, they are going to get plenty of tests early right off the bat in the first few weeks of the regular season.

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They will open ring night at home against the Houston Rockets and it will be the first time they face them with Chris Paul. Right after that they go on a short three-game road swing. While they don’t play any big contenders on the road, getting a road trip in early is a great way to get that chemistry unfolded.

After that, they will head home to face quality Eastern Conference opponents in the Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards. While the East has seemingly lost more talent to the west, those teams have kept their core together and will factor into the playoff picture over there.

Those should be excellent, competitive games early for Golden State. After they rap up that home swing, their biggest test yet comes in an early road game at San Antonio. Considering the history between the two teams and the fact Kawhi Leonard will be healthy this time around, there is going to be plenty of physicality and competition on the floor.

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This is an early playoff treat for all fans and it’s going to be a nice little test for both squads. Golden State should expect the best out of their rivals and vice versa. If all that wasn’t enough, games against the Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves wrap up those first few weeks of the season. There will be plenty of opportunities for Golden State to face true contenders right off the bat.