OAKLAND – There is something inherently silly about asking a champion to discuss fear.



It’s like talking to a pacifist about cage fighting, or getting your bar recommendations from a teetotaler. The best-of-the-best in any sport didn’t reach the mountaintop by being afraid, but rather by climbing every ledge along the way with impenetrable confidence.



So when I asked the back-to-back champion Golden State Warriors to reveal which teams were capable of haunting them this season, to tell the truth about who they saw as a real threat to their throne, it was safe to assume that this line of questioning might, well, scare them off. As Warriors coach Steve Kerr put it while declining to take part, “It doesn’t do me any good to name names.”



After all, they’re the ones who have spent the early part of this season – yet again – spooking the competition en route to a 7-1 start and a net rating of plus-13.5. Alas,...