Massive photos of the Golden State Warriors celebrating last year’s championship hang from the ceiling of the team’s practice facility in downtown Oakland. Retired jersey numbers from former stars, too. The sounds of squeaking shoes, bouncing basketballs and even some laughter fill the gymnasium.

Over on the sidelines, corralled like cattle with cameras and microphones, the media. Dozens of outlets come just to watch a practice -- ESPN in one corner, TNT in the other. All here to grab a chance to get some footage and comments from a player or two.

Of course, everyone here hopes the Warriors public relations team will bring over the new face of the NBA, Stephen Curry. His flacks guide him to the "big boy" networks, but avoid the rest of us this day.

Curry is the revolution, or rather evolution, of a game we’ve sort of seen, but not nearly at this caliber. He leads a team that plays fast. He shoots more three-pointers than anyone in history and makes more, too. His ball-handling skills allow him to get open to make those shots. And he’s probably the best passer on a team of unselfish, very good passers.

A dominant team, a superstar and national attention. You would think the team would be all businesslike, tight from the pressure.

“It’s a different type of pressure,” said head coach Steve Kerr. “Last year was kind of the honeymoon. Nobody expected us to be a championship contender. Once you pass that stage and people expect great things, it’s not as innocent. It is not as pure.”

You might not be able to find a coach better equipped to deal with this team at this time. Kerr’s basketball life includes five championships as a player, and stints playing for coaching legends: Phil Jackson, Gregg Popovich, Lenny Wilkins and Lute Olsen (in college). He also played alongside the game’s greatest -- Michael Jordan -- not to mention Hall of Famer David Robinson and three future Hall of Famers: Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker.

“As Phil Jackson once said, ‘Basketball is a metaphor for life and life is a metaphor for basketball,’ ” said Kerr. “There’s going to be great joy and great heartbreak and everything in between. If you can’t accept that and you think everything is going to be perfect all the time, you’re in for a rough ride.”

That rough ride hasn’t come for this Warriors team, not yet. The squad’s lost five games on the road and that’s it. No more. None at home. And that’s in a span of 60 games this season.

There are a lot of stats to tell you how good this team is, and many in the sports world are ready to talk about it. But just watch them. Just enjoy it. They’re having fun on the floor, and that tone pulsates through Oracle Arena and through your TV. They win while having fun. That’s a concept that makes chasing the '95-96 Chicago Bulls all the more interesting.

The Bulls and Michael Jordan were fun because they won, but not likable in the way the Warriors have captured the nation. Jordan was famously disliked by his own teammates for being too harsh, demanding and all-business. In fact, Kerr once claimed Jordan hit him in the face at a training camp.

Playing with greatness is sometimes misery, unless you win titles. Then it becomes a misery that’s acceptable. But with this Warriors team, there is a genuine sense of fun and a strong notion that these guys like each other.

So perhaps it’s easy to see why they play the way they do. After all, you play like you practice. And on this day a few guys are running drills while sneaking in half-court shots, making crazy passes and playing made-up shooting games as hints of laughter linger through the gym.