Early victories will be important

Early victories will build confidence and the start of the year could determine how well the Warriors finish. With the initial win on Wednesday, it's imperative the Warriors come out strong in Utah and start the game where they left off the game against Atlanta.

The Warriors' season couldn't have started any better.

Sure, they didn't play well on either end of the court. They made a lot of mistakes and didn't always display the intensity they needed. They were outplayed most of the game by one of the worst teams in the NBA.

But they won.

The Warriors' 122-97 victory over the Atlanta Hawks at Oakland Arena on Wednesday was significant for two reasons. Most important, they got into the win column, their first season-opening victory in three years. And it was the kind of game the Warriors are going to have to pull out to have a shot at the playoffs.

``This was a game that could've went either way,'' said Warriors forward Troy Murphy, who finished with 19 points on 8-for-8 shooting and nine rebounds. ``We were down 10 in our home opener. They had a circus going on for us before the game and the Hawks wanted to come out and spoil it. But we buckled down in the third quarter and got the win.''