When ESPN and TNT signed nine-year broadcast deals with the NBA last year for $24 billion, triple the value of the league’s previous TV deal, one of the great prizes was the right to show handpicked regular-season games between the league’s hottest teams to a national audience.

As luck would have it, nine of those national broadcasts this season have featured Stephen Curry and the 26-1 Golden State Warriors, a sublimely talented team that opened the season with a 24-game win streak.

But...