The Golden State Warriors have spent the last 18 months rising to the gold standard in the NBA, a peerless team that has blown the doors off the rest of the league both during their title run last season and the record-setting pace they have set this year. As good as they have been through it all, they have rarely been better than they were at home on Jan. 25 against the organization that has for two decades been the NBA's standard bearer. The Warriors thumped the San Antonio Spurs that night, a 30-point victory that delivered a resounding message to the rest of the league.