A team that wants to make the playoffs in this year’s Western Conference needs to win games like this: talented opponent on the road on the second day of a back-to-back.

The Rockets’ relatively weakened position was augmented by the fact that Yao Ming did not play at all after logging 23 minutes against the Lakers on Tuesday. In response, the Rockets went in almost completely the opposite direction and eschewed traditional Centers almost entirely. Not only was Yao inactive, Brad Miller and Jordan Hill combined for three minutes played. This dynamic led to a game that felt distinctly like a Nellieball game, albeit with a few important differences.

The first change was what seemed like a renewed Monta Ellis. As someone who has been in the organization for years, Keith Smart’s observations ring true. He said in his post-game presser that “This young man has made a complete turnaround in his life, and once your life is in order things start to work perfectly for you. His relationship and his life are in great order, and the guy has been ready to play since the summer,” and Monta showed what he can be when everything is rolling.

Parts of the game felt like last year where everyone else on the floor was just watching what he could do out there. Monta’s 46 points were the most by a Warrior other than Wilt Chamberlain on opening night – that’s good company. The other major component of his success was efficiency- scoring 46 on 18/24 from the floor brings numerous other benefits to the squad.  In fact, the Warriors outshot the Rockets by almost 10%, which could be necessary to win some games.

The other major change was one of team unity. As someone who watched last year’s team closely, there was a discernible and notable difference in how the players interacted. After the game, Coach Smart mentioned that there was a team dinner the night before Wednesday’s opener and that the team had more of a “college atmosphere,” including players like Monta and David Lee coming to the Bay Area before training camp to work out together.

Last year, I effusively praised the Oklahoma City locker room which stood out as a group of guys that loved playing with and for each other. Last night wasn’t quite the high school team feel that OKC has, yet it was far closer than I’ve seen in a while. Chemistry off the court often leads to chemistry on the court, and we’ll have to see how things progress from here.

One other important take-away from the game: the Warriors actually out-rebounded an opponent. Now, it has to be said that this was a Rockets team that elected to play without a traditional Center by keeping Yao, Miller, and Hill on the bench for all but a combined three minutes. However, Luis Scola and Chuck Hayes (who tied his career high with 16 points) are no pushovers on the boards.

After the game, Stephen Curry singled out reboundng as a major contributing factor in the win. Coach Smart said the team would focus on winning the rebounding and steals game each night, and it gave them the margin to win a game despite being doubled up (52-26) in free throw attempts. (When asked about it after the game, Coach Smart declined comment on the FT disparity, electing to keep his wallet unhit)

Other notes:

- Stephen Curry rolled his ankle in a way he said was identical to the way he originally hurt it. After the game, Curry said the adrenaline pushed him through the pain and he actually played some of his most impactful minutes shortly after, hitting a few threes and making a nice steal/assist while Monta was resting. Curry said he’ll be ready for Friday.

- Dorell Wright’s shot selection proved irritating at the beginning of the game, yet he worked harder to get better looks in the second half while also making some of the harder ones. If he can shoot 3-6 from distance with some frequency, it makes the Warriors a harder team to defend.

- Coach Smart really does want to up the defensive intensity, though that was not apparent last night. Some of that was due to the Rockets’ lineup choices and some likely to players falling back on old instincts, however the dynamic of Andris Biedrins and David Lee with Beans impacting shots and Lee cleaning up the boards showed some potential. Monta said the team was “smarter” on the defensive end this season.

- The Warriors actually did a very good job handling Aaron Brooks. Smart said they wanted to keep him inside the three point line while employing switches when necessary,  and both worked reasonably well.

- David Lee seemed genuinely pumped and relieved to be playing next to a big in Andris Biedrins. I asked him how it felt to have another rebounder on the floor and he responded it was “unbelievable” and that he “loved the way we’re able to work together down there on the block.” If the Biedrins we see in 2010-2011 is closer to 2008-2009, this team could make some noise down the line.

There are still holes to fix (especially the big man depth, though Brandan Wright showed more aggressiveness than I’ve seen before, which is a great sign) and lots of time for both positive and negative changes, but it’s a good sign that the Warriors won a game they should win if they want to be playing for something as the season comes to a close.

Feel free to e-mail Daniel at Daniel.Leroux@realgm.com or follow him on Twitter @DannyLeroux.