Should Stephen Curry and the red-hot Golden State Warriors be NBA title favorites?
The Golden State Warriors have come out with a blistering start to this NBA season.
With two-time league MVP Stephen Curry pulling the strings, the Dubs have run out to a stunning — and league-leading — 10-1 record to start the year.
A 123-110 triumph over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday extended Golden State's winning streak to six games. Not only that, but it also served as a revenge game for Andrew Wiggins, who erupted against his former squad for a team-high 35 points.
Wiggins' payback, after the Timberwolves shipped the 2014 No. 1 overall pick to the Warriors in a February 2020 trade, came on the heels of a vintage Curry performance in Golden State's previous game.
Curry, the league's reigning scoring champion, drained 50 points and dished 10 assists in a 127-113 win against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday. He shot 50% from the field and 47.4% from distance and canned all 13 of his free-throw attempts in the emphatic victory, besting his previous season high of 45 points.
It's not just the Curry show, either. Wiggins has proven that he can do some heavy lifting from the forward position, as has shooting guard Jordan Poole, who led the team in scoring for three consecutive games to start the month.
As a whole, the Warriors are dismantling opponents, with seven of their wins coming by double-digit margins. Their lone loss, on Oct. 28 against the Memphis Grizzlies, came in a 104-101 overtime nail-biter.
How are they getting it done? On both ends of the floor, really. They lead the league with 115.9 points per game and are holding opponents to 102.3 points per game, good for fourth-best in the league.
In addition to setting the pace with 15.7 3-pointers per game, the Warriors average an NBA-best 29.6 assists per game.
On the defensive side of things, the Warriors are generating 28.2% more steals than they did a season ago, averaging 10.5 per game, which is tied for second in the league.
Gary Payton II, a revelation for the Warriors off the bench this season, is second in the league with an average of 3.6 steals per 36 minutes.
His father, who racked up 2,445 steals in his 17-year Hall of Fame career, would certainly be proud.
Plus, Payton II has displayed a knack for providing some highlight-reel dunks. And the Warriors aren't even at full strength.
James Wiseman, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, has yet to suit up this season due to a knee injury but could be back as soon as Thanksgiving week, according to NBC Sports Bay Area's Monte Poole. Klay Thompson, who has missed the past two seasons with a pair of leg injuries, is also waiting in the wings.
Given all of those factors and Golden State's hot start, it's fair to wonder just how legit the Warriors are.
On "First Things First" on Thursday, Nick Wright said he's a believer in the Dubs and sees them improving as the season goes on.
"The eye test, the metrics, all of it says this team is for real," Wright said. " … If they want to really supercharge this thing at the deadline and pick up another piece, this team could be even better. In addition to the fact that they will get the biggest infusion of talent that any team will get during the year once Klay Thompson gets back, even if Klay is only 75% of what he once was."
Nick Wright is shocked by the success of Golden State: 'They look like the best team in basketball' I FIRST THINGS FIRST
One caveat being levied against the Warriors is their schedule to this point, which is ranked 30th — or easiest — in the league. They have played just three of their first 11 games on the road and have one more at Chase Center against the Chicago Bulls on Friday before embarking on a four-game road trip.
Even so, Antoine Walker said this Warriors team is showing shades of the dynasty that went to five straight Finals, winning three of them, from the 2014-15 season to the 2018-19 season.
There is still a long way to go until this season's champion is crowned, but few teams look the part more than the red-hot Warriors.
The wins are coming now, and there is little evidence to suggest they won't keep coming when the stakes get higher.
