The veteran core of the Golden State Warriors is still plenty confident it has the pieces to make yet another run to the NBA Finals, as the trio of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green have trotted out five straight trips to the promised land after breaking out as the NBA's Cinderella story in 2014-15.

Curry and Green have kept their eyes on the prize, even after the carnage involved with the departure of Kevin Durant and the consequent roster moves that stemmed from it:

“I am not sure what everyone's expectations are,” Green told ESPN's Nick Friedell. “We haven't really had any team meetings yet. But I know what my expectations are. They don't change from year-to-year. They are always the same.”

During Monday's Media Day, Green was asked if he thinks the Warriors could make a sixth straight trip to the NBA Finals this season:

“Is Steph Curry on our team? Klay Thompson?” Green said confidently. “Yup.”

The Warriors no longer have vital veteran pieces like Andre Iguodala and the now-retired Shaun Livingston, instead morphing into one of the NBA's youngest teams with an influx of young talent and a savvy veteran core:

“For sure,” said Curry. “As long as we have the solid core that we've got and the experiences to kind of back us up, we're going to keep that goal in mind. The fun part about it is that we get to kind of recreate the look of it and incorporating the new pieces that we have, and that part's the most exciting. The last five Finals have kind of been a certain way, so whatever we do from here, you're going to enjoy it even more.”

Green, Curry, and Thompson will have different approaches heading into this season, but they all lead to the goal of making the NBA Finals. While it's no longer a sureshot claim to climb the ladder in a loaded West, the veteran core will keep the expectations high in hopes to send the right message to a young group of role players and rookies alike.