'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The Golden State Warriors seem hungrier, more determined and motivated than any other in the league.As the defending champions headed to Denver on a one game road trip, a lot of people were playing the altitude game but in essence the real threat to the Warriors unbeaten run were the Chicago Bulls who visited the Oracle Arena on Friday night. So in a relatively tough game Golden State came up on top 118-105, pushing their unbeaten streak to 15 and tying the NBA record set by the 1993-94 Houston Rockets and 1948-49Washington Capitols for the best start to the season.The chance to register 16 wins and holdthe record for the best start to the season ever, will come against the Los Angeles Lakers at home on Tuesday night. Although they still have to wait a couple of days for that chance, with their win over Denver, Golden State surpassed the 1957-58 Boston Celtics for the best start to the season by a defending champion.Having won the Larry OBrien trophy in June and followed it up with this magnificent streak, the Warriors are all over the league. Whether its about the positionless basketball they play, or how theyre bench is equipped or even how they are going about this streak under interim Head Coach Luke Walton, we would never know.Here are 5 amazing talking poitns from the Warriors record tying 15 game winning streak:
#5 Team has the all the look-and-feel of a dynasty
This years roster is pretty much the same as last year however playing the same wayif not better than last year, has helped the Warriors prove to their haters that last years performance was no flash in the pan and thatthey are here to stay.
"They are in the beginning of something that can be dynastic," Riley said. "They're in the beginning stages of it, and that's the scary part, versus somebody that catches lightning in a bottle one time. They're at the beginning because all of their key players, all of them, are young and they're talented. The ones that aren't have what I call 'youth age,' like Andre Iguodala, Andre Bogut, Shaun Livingston-- those guys bring an element to the team is incredible."
Thats what Team President of Miami Heat Pat Riley had to say about the Warriors in a recent interview. The above three sentences really sum up how dangerous and lethal Golden State can be, and more importantly for how long. Lets analyse every player on their roster that contributes to the Warriors having a look of a dyansty in the making.
-Their two most important players MVP Stephen Curry (28 years) and Dryamond Green (25 years) are relatively young and are heading towards their prime, that is if they havent already reached it.Shooting guard Klay Thompsons contributions cannot be taken for granted, and most certainly is a member of the teams Big Three.
-Role players like Harrison Barnes (23 years)and Festus Ezeli (26 years) have all taken their game up a notch every season while still staying within the teams boundaries of unselfishness.
-The team has a wonderful and right mix of young guns and veterans. Andre Bogut, Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston and Leonardo Barbosa are all vets who have years of experience in the league,at the same time they can contribute effecitvely.
The franchise has a stable front office led by sound General Manager Bob Meyers, who can be trusted to keep this tight knit group of guys as long as possible in order to bring as many championships as possible to the Bay Area.
#4 Deep productive bench
During the 2015 Playoff run the warm-up tshirts for the Warriors read “Strength in numbers” and rightfully so. Heading into the Playoffs, Golden State’s deep productive bench had proved itself time and again against the league’s best.
Barbosa and Livingston with their contrasting playing styles fit perfectly into the team’s offensive system. More importantly they thrive in it, allowing Curry and Thompson more rest on the bench. The management had tried various combinations for their second unit back-court until they fell onto this little surprise.
Barbosa is a sneaky, quick, agile guard who can be nifty around the rim and can shoot the long ball effectively. Livingston is a 6 foot 7 inches guard who shoots a decent mid range jumper and can also post-up small defenders. Aged 32 and 30 respectively, Barbosa and Livingston play stellar defense which really helps the team maintain their identity through their second unit.
Back-up bigs Festus Ezeli, Marreese Speights and James Micheal McAdoo once again have contrasting styles of play and in their own fashion contribute effectively to the team. Ezeli is a flat out dunker who can roll to the basket effectively. A key component of his game is his gruelling defensive style to contest everything. Speights is a 6 foot 10 inches forward who can flat out shoot the mid-range effectively, helping the team to space the floor. While McAdoo is a developing big that the team looks at as a versatile slasher to the basket.
However the most important player on the team’s bench is team captain Andre Iguodala. Every game he is the first player off the bench to enter and often times he replaces Bogut in the starting line-up while finshing games. His decision making and veteran leadership is what helps not just the second unit but also the team function like a well oiled machine. Not to forget his fabulous one on one defensive skills and ability to either eliminate or reduce the impact of the opposition’s best player, adds to his value.
#3 Improved performances by role players
In the NBA Draft of 2012 the Golden State Warriors were the team having the most number of picks with four. That draft class for the Warriors has changed not only they play but how the league functions. They are a huge part of the team’s current success. Here are the team’s picks on June 28th 2012:
| Pick | Player | School/club team |
| 7th | Harrison Barnes | North Carolina State |
| 30th | Festus Ezeli | Vanderbilt |
| 35th | Draymond Green | Michigan State |
| 52nd | Ognjen Kuzmic | Clinicas Rincon (Spain) |
Green turned out to be a flat out stud and it’s his defensive versitality of guarding centers as a 6 foot 8 inches forward that allows and helps the Warriors to thrive in their small ball line-up. His importance was known last year when he stepped up to the plate in light of an injury to starting forward David Lee. Kuzmic was an eventual member of the team that won a championship but spent most of his time in the NBA D-League with the Santa Cruz Warriors.
The on-going unbeaten streak of the Warriors has highlighted the rise and development of Barnes and Ezeli.
Ezeli, as mentioned earlier is a grinder and is quite agile for his size at 7 feet. With Bogut with a nose injury in the first game of the season, Ezeli stepped up and played his part more than effectively. His tenacious defense and willingness to go at everything will surely keep him here in Golden State for a long time to come.
Barnes started ahead of Iguodala last year in a move to make the second unit stronger. He did deliver when required but what he is doing this year is different altogether. He can take his shot off the dribble, he has mastered his drive to the basket and often finishes with a dunk yet none of these have been his stand-out qualities this season. It’s his clutch gene, the ability to deliver for the team in the most pressure filled moments that has stood out.
Watch Barnes go on a key 10-0 stretch in the fourth quarter that helped the Warriors seal the deal against rivals the Los Angeles Clippers early this season:
#2 Stephen Curry
Stephen Curry’s schorching start has been documented numerous time not just here on Sportskeeda but across various platforms. The Warriors have had to grind out the last few wins with clinical fourth quarters but prior to that, the starting five to six games Curry was on a roll. He had singlehandedly carried the team to victory with not just his scoring outbursts but also his skills as a passer.
He currently leads the league in scoring with 32.7 points per game and in Player Efficiency Ranking (PER) with 33.64.
Obviously he gets a lot of buckets for the team with his quick release long range jumpers yet often times he helps the team score just with the threat of those jumpers. On screen and rolls, his long range shooting ability becomes such a necessity for the opposition to defend that it leaves his talented teammates open for a wide open shot or a layup. The eventual results of a high pick and roll with Draymond Green is the latter having to roll towards the basket with his team outnumbering the opponents 4 to 3.
If you believe the Warriors are playing with a chip on their shoulder to prove that their championship run was no fluke, Curry with his everlasting hunger to get better is on a mission to make people realise his MVP award last season was no fluke either.
#1 The infamous small ball line-up
The only positions that are defined in the Warriors small ball line up are Green at the center and Curry at point. Playing small was not something this team invented but it is certainly something they are mastering and redefining each day. No wonder the line-up of Curry-Green-Iguodala-Barnes and Klay Thompson have earned names across the league like “Death Line-up”,”Nuclear Line-up”,”The Closer” and a more recent one courtesy of Luke Walton “The Knockout Punch”.
Last season the small ball line-up was used as a means to show the team’s versatility and provide the team with some advantage match-up wise. This season knowing the success that those five players can achieve, Walton has held them back until its absolutely necessary. In the 54 minutes that the Warriors have fielded those five on the court, they have outscored their opponents by 74 points in total.
And it’s scary because with every game that they beat a team with that line-up, the team becomes even more confident about their chances of winning. To those who haven’t seen them play, let’s get into the analysis of why they are so good on both sides of the floor.
Offense: Having five versatile guys that can shoot the long ball forces teams to think carefully on their double teams and help defense assignments. Those decisions by the oppositions needs to be made in a couple of seconds and if they falter, the Warriors are quick to pick up the open man and finish the possession.
Defense: Get a big man to post up against their small ball line-up, should be that simple right? Actually the five players on the court are so versatile defensively that except Curry the remaining four players can switch on to anybody else on the floor. Also Green at center might be just 6’7” but he has a lot of muscle and it isn’t as simple as you might think to just post him up. If the team does have to go against a towering big man, the line-up is so quick at double teaming and then recovering from it, if the big man throws it, out that other teams are yet to find a solution to win against them.
