Feb 22, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker (9) drives in against Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson (11) during the second quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

A lot has changed since 2008. Oklahoma City is one of the premier teams in the league. LeBron James has a ring. A team that includes Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, and Dwight Howard is clawing their way in to the playoff race. Though, the strangest of all these new developments is the uprising of the Golden State Warriors.

Golden State rebranded, ditching their cartoon Warrior and reverting back to a more classic look. However, their jerseys are not the only thing that makes this Warriors team almost unrecognizable. The Warriors have an underrated cast that is winning ball games by playing on both ends of the court and not relying on outscoring their opponents. It’s just weird.

The Warriors are a different ball club, and leading the way for Golden State, Jarrett Jack went on a tear and took advantage of the team with the best record in the league Friday night—all while wearing jerseys with sleeves.

Coming off a game the night before in Los Angeles, the Spurs did not have the same luck they had against the Clippers. Their Thursday night game was nothing compared to the dogfight they found themselves in at the ORACLE Arena.

No, San Antonio could not catch fire like they did inside the STAPLES Center and were not able to get the Spurs JV any action Friday, like they usually do against the Warriors.

Golden State came to play. They continually hit shots down the stretch, got some help from a rare Tony Parker missed lay-up, but ultimately, a Tim Duncan turnover sealed the deal for the Warriors.

Tim Duncan did finish with 19 points and 13 rebounds in 39 minutes after barely seeing the floor against the Clippers. Manu Ginobili looked a bit out of sorts at times, but Ginobili’s game-tying lay-in forced overtime, but in the end, the Warriors kept hitting shots, while the Spurs could never take control of this game.

Tony Parker followed his big night in L.A. with an 18 point performance against Golden State. San Antonio’s MVP has been unstoppable lately, but Golden State held their own.

The Warriors were, as mentioned, led by Jack, who put in 30 points and 10 assists off the bench. Though, David Lee lit up the box score with a 25 point, 22 rebound night.

So for the first time since January of 2008, the Spurs fell to the Warriors. Golden State’s 107-101 victory ends San Antonio’s five-game win streak and reduces their lead on Oklahoma City to three games.

San Antonio will conclude the Rodeo Road Trip Sunday in Phoenix. The Spurs will look to improve their current 44-13 record against the Suns and will be looking to go 7-2 following their nine-game road trip. Tip-off inside the U.S. Airways Center is set for 7 p.m. CST and will be locally televised.

Feb 21, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6), power forward Blake Griffin (32) and center Ronny Turiaf (21) on the bench near the end of the game against the San Antonio Spurs at the Staples Center. Spurs won 116-90. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

The Good:

• Tony Parker is not getting the MVP award, but he definitely helped his case for All-NBA First Team. Chris Paul was a no-show, while Parker lit up the Clippers. Definitely the player of the game for the San Antonio, but is he slowly becoming the premier player for the silver and black?
• Tiago Splitter stood up to Blake Griffin. The Poster Child (does anyone actually call him this anymore?) went up for a dunk over Splitter. However, Tiago was having none of that. Splitter stood his ground sending Griffin to the floor and losing control of the ball. Splitter picked up a questionable foul, but a statement was made. This is not the same Tiago who first showed up in San Antonio.
• Blake Griffin did have 17 points, but San Antonio’s defense really shut down Lob City. And that’s always a plus.
• Stephen Jackson returned to the lineup after missing a few games due to family matters.To think Jackson could have been dealt Thursday, but San Antonio stayed quiet on the day of the deadline and made no moves. Hopefully Jackson can stay strong in the final stretch to the playoffs. Once again, our prayers go out to the Jackson Family.

The Bad: 

• The Spurs did not make any trade deadline day moves, but Matt Barnes and Jamal Crawford were a big indication the Spurs really need another 3 or 4 in the rotation. The Spurs have so much depth at the guard position, and the front court is very serviceable. However, San Antonio could have benefitted from picking up another forward. Of course, there aren’t that many options available. However, a deal for Paul Millsap could’ve given San Antonio an extra edge. Though, who knows who they would’ve given up to make that happen.
• San Antonio has to really limit the turnovers and fouls. This could have been much worse, but at times, San Antonio got careless. Teams like Miami will capitalize on mistakes like that, but the Spurs were red hot Thursday. The big shooting night made up for a few offensive sequences that did not go so well.
• Some Clippers fan hit a half-court shot. This really isn’t bad Spurs-wise. Mainly, it’s bad because I wasn’t the one hugging that Clippers cheerleader he embraced after hitting the shot.