As Golden State Warriors fans, it's probably fair to say that we never take an opponent for granted because our beloved team is rarely puts us in position to do so.
But let's be honest: we're expecting a win tonight against the Sacramento Kings.
It's not about any Northern California rivalry thing, but primarily that we want to see if the gritty performance we saw from the Warriors on Saturday night on the road against the Los Angeles Clippers is something sustainable or a complete fluke. We want to know that the culture change that we've all been waiting for is really starting to take hold.
In short, most of us would find a loss to the Kings disappointing on multiple levels.
Although many of us are familiar with the details of the Kings' roster simply due to proximity, I contacted SB Nation's Sactown Royalty hoping to get a little more insight from Tom Ziller about some of their struggles thus far and how they might send us back to .500 instead of giving us a lift to 3-1.
I've kept this one relatively short, but Sactown Royalty already has some great content about the team's performance through three games and how their struggles have put pressure on former Warriors coach Keith Smart that you should also go check out in advance of tonight's game.
Without further ado, the Q&A.
Q&A with Sactown Royalty
1. With Andrew Bogut back in the Warriors' lineup for today's game some of us at GSoM are looking at this game as an opportunity to build some momentum against a winless team and prove that Saturday's win against the Clippers wasn't merely a #4BRush fluke. Yet the Kings have been in position to win games despite the losses. Tell us why the Kings might disappoint us tomorrow.
Tom Ziller: The Kings' defense has been pretty good through three games. Small sample size alert, but they were No. 10 after Saturday's loss with the No. 3 shooting defense in the league. Chicago without Rose, Minnesota without Love and Indiana without Granger aren't exactly strong offenses, but Sacramento has been getting after it. That, the likelihood that the Kings will shoot better than 40 percent at some point and the fact that it's the Kings' home opener with a sell-out crowd could kill the Warriors' victory hopes.
2. What do we need to know about Thomas Robinson's start to his NBA career? Are there signs of promise once he adjusts or signs that maybe he was overrated as a prospect?