The Warriors returned home early Tuesday an appreciably better team than they were when they left the Bay Area a week ago, and they were exceptional even then.
But on their four-game Eastern Conference road trip, which concluded Monday in Indianapolis with a 120-83 exfoliation of the horribly shorthanded Pacers, the Warriors unleashed an elite team reaching another level yet still on the rise.
Exhibit A: Klay Thompson found his shot, which after a torrid preseason went missing once the games counted in the standings.
Exhibit B: Andre Iguodala found his long-distance shot and the bounce in his legs, which were absent for much of the preseason and all of the regular season.