The Golden State Warriors record of 48-4 is one of the best all-time for the first 52 games. But as the All-Star break ended, the teams are expected to go another level as every game from hereon is crucial for the seeding.
Coming into the season, the Golden State Warriors were already the favorite, after having just grabbed the championship trophy last year at the expense of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Bookmakers have placed the total wins for the team at around 60.
"Yet the Warriors have sailed far above this high bar and are threatening record heights. With a winning percentage of .923, they project to win 76 games," wrote Victor Mather of the NY Times. "No team exceeds their expected win total by more."
He added, "Of all the things you can say about this season's marvelous Warriors team, this is one of the most impressive: They were expected to be the best team in basketball and yet they are also the biggest overachievers."
Fox Sports, however, said that the Oklahoma Thunder is quickly gaining.
Following the deadline, the Thunder acquired Randy Foye (6.0 points, 2.1 assists and 1.9 rebounds) from the Denver Nuggets. Although his averages are subpar, he is a career 11-point scorer and peaked at an average of 16 points for the Minnesota Timberwolves back in 2008-2009 season.
"Foye's a career 37 percent 3-point shooter who's more versatile than Anthony Morrow, more reliable than Kyle Singler or Andre Roberson and smarter than Dion Waiters," the article said.
Heading into the second half of the season, the Golden State Warriors remain the odd-on favorite to win it all. It's not just their 48-4 record, but rather for the fact that they remain undefeated when facing the league's top teams.
The blot on their record so far was the losses by the Golden State Warriors to Milwaukee Bucks, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets and Detroit Pistons.