Was Golden State Warriors' 30 Point Loss To Chicago Bulls a Fluke?

If a person were to glance at the final score of Thursday night's game between the Golden State Warriors and the Chicago Bulls, it would be easy to assume that the Warriors had finally floated back down to earth.

Chicago beat Golden State 120-90 on Thursday night, and the 30 point margin does little to justify how dominant the Bulls truly were.

The Bulls led by 30 points in the first half, as point guard Derrick Rose recorded 22 points and 13 assists, and the improving Warriors' defense allowed the Bulls to shoot 54 percent from the field.

As bad as that sounds the Warriors can find comfort in the fact that there were several elements that contributed to the loss, although that should not be used as an excuse for the team's poor performance.

This game came on the heels of the Warriors' 122-117 triumph against the New York Knicks on Wednesday night, and from the opening tip, it was clear that the team was fatigued.

The Warriors played with low energy, no intensity, and due to an inadvertent elbow to the mouth of Knicks' guard Wilson Chandler, no David Lee.

Lee's accidental elbow shattered one of Wilson's teeth and dislodged four others, and particles of the shattered tooth that stuck in Lee's arm caused to much pain for him to play on Thursday.

So, not only were the Warriors in the second game of a back to back but they were forced to play without their best post player as well.

Monta Ellis led the sluggish Warriors with 24 points, and Stephen Curry and Dorrell Wright added 17 and 12 points respectively, but those were the only Warriors who reached double figures, and Golden State only shot 41 percent from the field as a team.

Harder to explain is the Warriors' complete break down on the defensive end of the floor.

I know Golden State was tired, but where was the effort?

Rose and Luol Deng were able to get to the rim at will, and the Warriors struggled to defend the perimeter for the majority of the night.

They seemed half a step slow on some defensive rotations, and half a day late on others.

Even Curry acknowledged that the Warriors suffered from fatigue, but he also said that was no excuse for the team's total lack of effort, especially on the defensive end of the floor.

The Warriors have by no means been a great defensive team, but coach Keith Smart has inspired his team to improve on that end, and before Thursday night's beat down, their progress had been visible.

Hopefully this game was more a result of the extenuating circumstances and not a harbinger of things to come, because the Warriors have given fans a reason for hope in the midst of their 6-3 start to the season.

Remember, the Warriors were 3-8 at this point last season, and although the pain of a 30 point loss is slow to dissipate, it doesn't erase the positive vibes from their impressive start. Unless, of course, the Warriors can't bounce back from it.