How was Golden State Only 42-40?

Even if they had failed to win the series, one has to ask: how was this team only 42-40?

I know the West is tough. I know they're getting adjusted to a new coach. But 42-40 teams are usually pretty bad. They're like the Indiana Pacers or the Orlando Magic: they disappoint, limp into the playoffs, and get run over by a veteran top seed.

I think the best argument here is that Golden State made a lot of adjustments, and in any organization, major personnel adjustments take a while to work correctly.

The opening night lineup for the Warriors was:

Baron Davis

Jason Richardson

Mickael Pietrus

Mike Dunleavy

Troy Murphy

The next night, Foyle started at center (one of his 6 starts for the entire season), and plenty of other lineups were tried in the opening weeks.

Golden state quickly had to deal with two very positive "problems" in the lineups: the emergence of Andris Biedrins, and the immediate impact of Montae Ellis. At the same time, Richardson was having his worst season since 2002-03.

The midseason brought the big trade, which was widely seen as a wash: the Warriors dumping underachieving, overpaid players, the Pacers blowing up the franchise and starting over with just Jermaine O'Neal and Danny Granger. Harrington and Jackson were supposed to bring speed and scoring, but at first it just wasn't evident. Only the last few weeks brought any semblance of order, and it looked a lot like desperation to the outside observer.

And here we are, feting one of the all-time upsets.

Chris Mullin's legacy and GM skills will be re-evaluated, I'm almost sure of that.