Grind-It-out Warriors Showing New Dimension Without Stephen Curry

Taken at face value, 0-2 looks bad.

After falling to the Memphis Grizzlies 88-81 in overtime on Wednesday night, that's the Golden State Warriors' record without star point guard Stephen Curry in the lineup.

But trust me, there's a silver, or maybe even a golden lining here:

First, consider the competition in those two losses.

At 10-1, the San Antonio Spurs are tied with the Indiana Pacers for the best record in the NBA. The Grizzlies are in the midst of a four-game winning streak, all on the road.

These two teams met in the Western Conference finals last season.

Golden State played both close. They did it without playing their style. And they did it without Curry.

According to the San Jose Mercury News, coach Mark Jackson was proud of the team's effort in the absence of Curry:

"

Obviously he's a big-time player, and not having him hurts us. But the next guy stands up. We are a no-excuse basketball team. I thought my guys gave a great effort. They defended, battled, and we fell short.

"

These are not the Don Nelson-era Warriors. The 2013-14 group is clearly motivated, and not just on offense. 

Take Wednesday night as an example. The Grizzlies had averaged 97.3 points over the first three games of their winning streak. Then they ran into the Warriors' defense and managed just 75 in regulation.

And had it not been for a huge offensive foul call with under a minute left in the fourth quarter against Klay Thompson, Memphis might not have even had the opportunity to take this one in overtime.

You be the judge of whether or not Tayshaun Prince flopped:

One of the big question marks on the Warriors last season was whether or not they could compete in the physical climate that emerges during the playoffs—when pace slows down and toughness often outweighs skill. 

The answer of course was not in the affirmative, as Golden State was knocked out of the postseason after a second-round series against the Spurs that went six games.

After Klay Thompson blew up for 34 points in a Game 2 win, the Spurs dialed up the physicality. San Antonio bullied its way to three out of the next four.

Beating the Warriors with superior toughness might not be quite as easy for the Western Conference's perennial powers in 2014.

Mark Jackson is now in his third year as Golden State's head coach, and his no-nonsense, defense-first style seems to finally be taking hold among the players.

The addition of premier perimeter defender Andre Iguodala and the good health of big man Andrew Bogut are two factors that have certainly keyed the development.

Down the stretch against the Grizzlies Wednesday, Jackson matched Bogut up with Zach Randolph. The size difference caused major problems for Z-Bo, as Bogut held him scoreless over the last four minutes of the fourth quarter.

And Iguodala, who started at point guard over Curry, locked up opposing 1 Mike Conley several times Wednesday. Conley entered the game shooting 51.3 percent from the field. Iguodala and the Warriors held him to 8-of-19 from the field.

Now just imagine if Curry had been available. With the kind of defense Golden State played, even one or two big shots could have been enough to put the team over the hump in regulation. It's probably safe to assume that Curry, who's averaging 19.9 points and shooting 43.8 percent from three-point range, could have provided that.

And if not him, someone else certainly would have had a few more good looks with Memphis' defense keying on Curry:

These are not the same old Warriors.

Yes, they're still one of the most exciting teams in the league, and they play with a flair and style that makes watching fun. 

But now they have an underlying substance consisting of toughness and defense.

So yeah, the Warriors are 0-2 without Curry. But the golden lining is there, and if everyone stays healthy, it could shine real bright come playoff time.

All stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference or NBA.com unless otherwise noted, and are current as of Nov. 20, 2013.

For 140-character pearls of wisdom from Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey, follow him on Twitter: @AndrewDBailey.