Back in February, the Golden State Warriors were the 11th seed in the West, facing the reality of NBA purgatory. Not good enough to seriously contend for a championship and not bad enough to justify a full-blown teardown. The Warriors were in danger of letting franchise legends Stephen Curry and Draymond Green finish their careers in meaningless, uninspired regular-season games. And yet, no less than two months later, Curry, Green, and the Dubs found themselves hyping up a roaring Chase Center crowd at the very end of a signature 118-104 win over the Denver Nuggets. It was a win that not only inches them closer to a potential round one home-court advantage but also a win that exemplifies what Curry and Green have been doing for their entire careers– giving their heart and soul up in pursuit of winning. After another game where he demonstrated why he’s the favorite for DPOY, an exhausted Green could only tell reporters how tired he was in his post-game press conference. “I’m sorry I’m giving you all the lowest energy ever. I’m exhausted. I sound like Klay Thompson up here,” Green said with a smile. He was everywhere against the Nuggets. From single-handedly stopping Denver fastbreaks to guarding up on Nikola Jokic, Green gave everything he had in what looks to be a three-game defense masterpiece. “I just wanna go home. Relax. Go to sleep. I’m tired.” The Warriors’ victory was their 21st win in the 25 games they’ve played since acquiring Jimmy Butler, completely altering a season that looked destined to fail not long ago. And that destiny lies in a championship. In his post-game press conference, Curry shared his thoughts on whether the team is playing at a championship level. “We’re playing like that. But I’ve been saying from the start that we have a lot of work to do. You are seeing our identity, night to night. We know how to win games,” Curry said. Curry finished with 36 points, coming off a 52-point explosion versus the Grizzlies and a 37-point outing against the Lakers. “All the things that championship caliber teams do, we’ve been doing. It’s clearly different than two months ago. So it’s just the idea of ‘hold onto that energy.’ For us to be able to just get into a playoff series, we understand what we’re capable of.” Another big Brandin Podziemski performance David Gonzales-Imagn Images But it’s not just players like Curry and Green rising to the occasion. Brandin Podziemski had yet another brilliant offensive game. The second-year guard was the Dubs’ second-leading scorer. He finished with 26 points, eight rebounds, and six assists, on 10-of-16 shooting from the field. For a player with big question marks coming out of college regarding his ability to score at an NBA level, Podziemski has flourished on a Warriors team where he rarely gets to be a primary scorer. In his post-game interview, Podz talked about his mentality when it comes to being the third or fourth option on this team. “We have a lot of guys, Jimmy and Steph mainly, that create closeouts for others. It’s our responsibility, once a closeout is created for us, to either shoot the ball or run through the catch and create the next closeout. I think that’s where I’m really good,” Podz explained. “Thankfully, as of late, Steve [Kerr] has been calling plays for me so it has been easier. Teams are starting to put better defenders on me, but I’m just trying to make the game simple. If a guy’s open, I throw it to him. If I’m open, I shoot it. Just keep everything simple.” His shooting has blossomed since his return from injury. He’s averaging 18.2 points on 49.6 FG% and 51.5 3FG%. Podziemski has been attacking, helping defenders rotating after Butler or Curry draw defenders into the paint. Whether it’s draining wing threes or getting floaters in the paint, he’s given the Dubs an influx of offense that’s helped them in their five-game winning streak. The Jimmy Butler of it all David Gonzales-Imagn Images At the end of the day, the reason why the Warriors are firmly in the mix of title contenders is thanks to Jimmy Butler–specifically with how much he’s eased Curry’s burden. With his 19 points, five assists, and five steals, Butler kept the Warriors ahead at the beginning of the fourth quarter. His control of the offense kept the Nuggets at bay long enough for Kerr to bring back Curry well-rested. After the game Draymond Green explained how Butler is helping the team survive the non-Curry minutes. “Jimmy Butler. We got another ‘one’ in that group. That group has struggled at times because there was no ‘one’ out there. We got a ‘one’ now,” Green marveled. “He changes everything.” With the win over the Nuggets, the Warriors are now a full game ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Clippers, and Memphis Grizzlies. While they still have some work to do to stay out of the play-in, they control their own destiny. And at this stage in their careers, that’s all Curry and Green can ask for.