Last season, the Golden State Warriors became a certified dynasty by winning their fourth NBA championship in eight seasons.
That would seem to be more than enough for most, but it appears they want to go even further.
On Tuesday night, they opened their title defense by hosting LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, which meant they would receive their championship rings for the previous year.
Ring night is always an emotional event for any team, and every now and then, the team receiving their rings suffers a letdown once their contest starts and loses to a team it was supposed to defeat.
The Warriors did not let that happen, as they held off L.A. for a 123-109 win.
It was not the best of performances offensively for them, as they shot a modest 45.5 percent from the field and 35.6 percent from 3-point range.
In particular, Stephen Curry missed nine of his 13 attempts from beyond the arc.
But when they needed to be, Curry and the Warriors looked like their usual selves.
Stephen Curry
Season Opener
What. A. SHOW 🍿 pic.twitter.com/728p4JhgXM— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) October 19, 2022
After an ugly first quarter, they opened up a double-digit lead in the second period and increased their advantage to 27 late in the third quarter.
The Lakers made a furious run to come to within 12, but Golden State asserted its superiority afterward by holding them off.
One of the many advantages the team has is the cadre of young standouts it has assembled over the last few years, including Jonathan Kuminga, Jordan Poole, James Wiseman, Moses Moody and All-Star Andrew Wiggins.
They will allow head coach Steve Kerr to keep the minutes of Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green down in order to keep them fresh and possibly extend their careers.
NEXT: The Warriors Showed Off Their New Hardware On Opening Night