SACRAMENTO — The NBA has trended toward a Warriors-like brand of basketball — in which tempo is ratcheted up, three-pointers are encouraged and positions are largely ignored — with a simple mind-set: To dethrone the champions, why not copy their template?
This formula has been surprisingly successful this season as Golden State struggles to contend with more extreme versions of the style it pioneered. In Saturday night’s 127-123 win over the Kings at Golden 1 Center, the Warriors were again forced to grapple with the fact that the rest of the league — yes, even Sacramento — has tightened the talent divide.