In the NBA, as in Major League Baseball, the All-Star Game typically is considered the halfway point of the season. But by Saturday night more than half the league had played Game 41 of an 82-game season, which makes this a good moment for an assessment of clubs at the extremes of the standings.
The Winners
Golden State Warriors The average NBA fan is still trying to wrap their mind around the fact that the Warriors have the best record in basketball.
Yes, the Warriors, who have won two play-off series in the previous 23 seasons.
The Warriors were 32-6 through Saturday, putting them on pace for a 69-win season, which is startling. Only three teams in NBA history have won 69 games in a season, the Chicago Bulls in 1996/97 and 1997/98 – Michael Jordan played for both of those – and the Los Angeles Lakers in 1971/72, for whom Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain played.
Stephen Curry, the successor to Jordan? He is a leading candidate for MVP, as the leader of the league’s best team. The frail-looking guard leads the team in points (23.8 per game), assists (8.0) and steals, and is shooting a tick below 50 per cent, which is outstanding for a man who takes about eight three-pointers per game.
But this is a strong all-around team. Five other Warriors score at least 10 points per game, and they lead the league in assists, indicating a strong team ethic.
Atlanta Hawks This is perhaps a bigger shock. Another team with a long history of not doing much of anything lead the Eastern Conference with a 33-8 record, which projects to 66-16, or nine victories more than any Hawks team have managed in a half-century.
This is another collective effort, as leading the league in scoring defence and ranking second in assists would suggest. What makes the Hawks even more interesting is that they have no star such as Curry.
Jeff Teague is not a household name, but he leads them in scoring at a modest 17.6 points per game. They go 11 deep with competent players, any of whom can win them a game. Al Horford and three-point specialist Kyle Korver rank high on the list. Like the Warriors, however, they still are not considered first-tier championship contenders. Another 41 games like these could change some minds.
The Losers
Minnesota Timberwolves They prop up the Western Conference at 7-32, but their season is shaping up as vaguely promising. Andrew Wiggins, the rookie No 1 draft pick obtained in the Kevin Love trade, suddenly is showing suggestions that he could be the next LeBron James are silly, rather than outlandish.
About 30 games into the season, Wiggins shifted from a “lost 19-year-old kid” to “scoring machine”. In his past 13 games, he has averaged 21.4 points per game and is shooting an excellent 50 per cent from the field and 46 per cent behind the arc, while making 78 per cent of his free throws and suggesting he is unguardable.
There is not much else on the Wolves, but the best young player in the game is a good place to start.
New York Knicks The Knicks would love to have Minnesota's problems. Their best player, Carmelo Anthony, is 30 and considering season-ending knee surgery. They have few assets and fewer useful players, and they are angling for the top draft pick, which is always a matter of luck. But, at least, they have grasped they are horrible, which is the first step to recovery.
poberjuerge@thenational.ae
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