Warriors 2015-16 Schedule: Top Games, Championship Odds and Record Predictions

 The Golden State Warriors head into the 2015-16 NBA season as the defending champions for the first time in 40 years. With a core that features Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, the wait for the next title shouldn't be nearly as long.

They put together an impressive journey to the Larry O'Brien Trophy that included an extraordinary 67-15 record during the regular season. They then survived the far more difficult Western Conference playoffs before knocking off LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.

As always, the question now is how they will respond as they enter the season with a target on their back in a West Conference that's even more loaded than one year ago. So let's check out all of the important information following the schedule release, including a look at the top matchups and a record prediction.

2015-16 Details

Season Opener: Oct. 27 at 10:30 p.m. ET vs. New Orleans Pelicans

Championship Odds: 5-1 (via Odds Shark)

Full Schedule: NBA.com

Top Matchups

San Antonio Spurs

First Home Matchup: Monday, Jan. 25 at 7:30 p.m. PT

If the Warriors caught one break last season, it was missing the Spurs in the playoffs. San Antonio got eliminated in the opening round in a thrilling seven-game series with the Los Angeles Clippers, marking an early end to its title defense.

Anybody who thought the Spurs would go quietly into the night received a rude awakening, though. They had a highly successful offseason highlighted by the arrival of LaMarcus Aldridge to go along with getting new deals done for Tim Duncan, Kawhi Leonard, Manu Ginobili and Danny Green.

San Antonio also signed David West, while Kyle Anderson looked outstanding in NBA Summer League play, further adding to the team's depth.

As a result, the Spurs are once again the biggest threat to the Warriors in the West. Ethan Strauss of ESPN isn't sure if either side owns a clear edge:

Adding an All-Star like Aldridge takes even more pressure off of the longtime triumvirate of Duncan, Ginobili and Tony Parker, which is a burden already lessened by the emergence of Leonard. It's allowed the team to increase its chances while also extending the period the title window remains open.

It wouldn't be a surprise if their meetings during the regular season ended up being the difference in the race for home-court advantage. Both teams are going to put up a boatload of wins, barring terrible injury luck, and are on a playoff collision course, even with the strength of the West.

Cleveland Cavaliers

First Home Matchup: Friday, Dec. 25 at 2 p.m. PT

The Cavaliers remain the beasts of the East with James leading the charge. Even though they were able to take a 2-1 series lead in the Finals, it never felt like the Warriors were in serious danger because Cleveland didn't have Kyrie Irving or Kevin Love due to injury.

James could have easily been named the MVP of the series for carrying a ragtag group of reserves within two wins of the title. If they are able to stay healthy throughout the postseason this time around, the result may be different.

TNT analyst Charles Barkley believes the outcome would have been different if the Cavs had had a full squad for the Finals, as noted by CSN Bay Area.

"I still think if Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving had've been healthy, they would have won that series," Barkley said. "LeBron flat out ran out of gas. But you put two more All-Stars on that team, the Warriors still might have won but I would have picked the Cavs if everyone was healthy."

A rematch could certainly be on the horizon. Cleveland doesn't feature nearly as much competition in the East, which is why its chances of returning to play for a championship are probably better than Golden State's despite relatively even talent.

There's no doubt the regular-season battles will be billed as a "potential Finals preview." The Cavs, assuming they are at full strength when the sides face off, will have some added motivation to prove they are the better team.

Record Prediction

The Warriors are coming off of one of the 10 best seasons in NBA history. While that's obviously an outstanding accomplishment, it's also one that's incredibly difficult to repeat or, if they're really ambitious, improve upon.

Repeating is an uphill battle in every sense of the term. That's why the Spurs, who are the owners of five championships in the Duncan era, have never gone back-to-back.

Though there are numerous factors that come into play, the lack of offseason rest compared to the rest of the league is one of the biggest. That's mostly due to the extra games it takes to win the title, but also includes the extra off-court commitments that come with winning it all.

So, even though the Warriors return almost all of their key contributors from last season, don't be surprised if there's a slight decrease in wins during the regular season.

Between any fatigue issues that arise, the strength of the West—the Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets and Spurs—and possible injuries that they were able to avoid en route to the title, there will be plenty of hurdles.

As Matt Moore of CBS Sports notes, opponents will be more prepared as well:

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There will be tactical adjustments. For as unguardable as Steph Curry may be, teams were able to neutralize him for long stretches. There will be more and more strategies cobbled together on how to beat the Warriors' style and it gets harder to adapt once that happens.

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Now, none of this means the Warriors are going to suddenly transform from the champions into a fringe playoff team. Quite the opposite, in fact. They should still contend for the top spot in the West. But they probably won't be on cruise control like it often seemed they were last season.

After Golden State, the next highest win total in the conference was the Rockets with 56. Given the upgrades made by most of the contending teams, 60 wins feels like a realistic target number in order to contend for the top seed.

As long as Curry, Thompson, Green, Harrison Barnes and Andre Iguodala stay reasonably healthy and there also isn't a surge in depth injuries, the Warriors should be right in the mix. Then, once the playoffs begin, the pressure kicks in as they attempt to defend.

Prediction: 60-22