Following a 31-point blowout victory over the Washington Wizards on Monday night, the Golden State Warriors boast a four game lead over the Atlanta Hawks for the best record in the NBA. At 57-13, Golden State’s 2014-2015 season has been one for the ages.
Now going from a young team that was looking to be mentioned with the contenders to the front runner for the NBA championship, a lot has changed for Steve Kerr’s squad.
Is this a team that can actually run its opponent off the court on a consistent basis when the playoffs come calling? What separates the Warriors from some of the top teams in the Association?
While it will be a couple months before those questions are answered, we decided to take a look at five ridiculous stats that should prove to the unbiased reader that Golden State is the best team in the Association.
1. Held an Opponent to One Field Goal in a Quarter for Second Time in a Month
Okay. How ridiculous is this? Golden State previously held the Toronto Raptors to 1-of-19 shooting in the first quarter of a contest late last month. Following that up, Kerr’s squad actually held the Wizards without a field goal for the first 11 minutes of the third quarter on Monday night. Overall, Golden State outscored Washington 55-27 in the second half of Monday night’s game in Oakland.
2. Difference Between the Elite Team and the Bottom Feeder
Warriors: 994 mins this season of leading by 10+ points.
Knicks: 909 mins this season of leading … at all.— Jacob L. Rosen (@JacobLRosen) March 24, 2015
This might also tell us a story of just how bad the New York Knicks have been. However, it’s absolutely stunning that Golden State has possessed a double-digit lead for an average of 14.2 minutes per game this season. That’s over one quarter of the season that the Warriors have been up by 10-plus points.
3. Home Dominance
Not only are the Warriors 34-2 at home, they are now the first team in NBA history to compete two undefeated six-game home stands in the same season. Over the course of Golden State’s last 13 homes games (all wins), it has outscored its opponents by a total of 200 points. A total of 23 of the Warriors 34 home wins have come by 15-plus points. Of the seven other teams currently in position to earn a playoff spot in the Western Conference, Golden State has lost a combined one game against them at home this year. Good luck trying to win one on the road in Oakland during a seven-game series this postseason.
4. 40 Double-Digit Victories
By virtue of dismantling the Washington Wizards on Monday, Golden State has won 40 games by double digits this season. This means that only 17 of the Warriors victories have been decided by less than 10 points. Just think about that for a second. Golden State also has more 20-plus point victories than combined losses on the year. Let that sink in as well.
5. Undefeated When Holding Opponents to Less Than 100 Points
After holding Washington to just 76 points on Monday, the Warriors are a ridiculous 38-0 this season when the opponent doesn’t put up triple digit point totals. That’s definitely a rarity. Golden State has also held 10 of its last 12 opponents to under 100 points. It’s not a coincidence that the team is 11-1 during that span and has outscored its foes by a combined 161 points in those 12 games. Keep in mind, the only loss in that span was against the Denver Nuggets with Steve Kerr resting Klay Thompson, Stephen Curry and Andrew Bogut.
Photo: USA Today