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Stars aligning for front-running Golden State Warriors

By Peter Finney Jr., The Sports Xchange
Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry (R) argues the call as head coach Steve Kerr chimes in during a game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center in Los Angeles on November 4, 2016. Looking on from their court side seats are actor Jack Nicholson and his son Raymond Nicholson. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI
1 of 3 | Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry (R) argues the call as head coach Steve Kerr chimes in during a game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center in Los Angeles on November 4, 2016. Looking on from their court side seats are actor Jack Nicholson and his son Raymond Nicholson. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo

NEW ORLEANS -- And, now, the marathon that is the NBA season is closing in on Heartbreak Hill.

Fresh from placing four players -- Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green -- on the Western Conference All-Star team, the Golden State Warriors (47-9) have positioned themselves with 26 games left in the regular season as the clear favorites to reach the NBA Finals for the third consecutive year and win their second championship in that span.

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For a team still emotionally raw over blowing a 3-1 series lead to LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and the Cleveland Cavaliers in last season's Finals, the signs of swagger and feeling of invincibility are back.

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Certainly, the Warriors have not displayed the regular-season dominance they flaunted last season in setting the NBA record with 73 wins, but after making the blockbuster acquisition of Durant from Oklahoma City in free agency last season and road-testing their new 12-cylinder engine in November and December, they are beginning to look unstoppable.

San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich, whose Spurs own the second-best record in the NBA at 43-13, said three weeks ago that the Warriors were in a class by themselves. Whether or not Popovich was blowing smoke, as he has been known to do, Golden State once again has everyone's attention with its ability to answer any questions on a given night.

The Warriors' brilliance in moving the ball like no other team is reflected in the shot attempts taken by the Big Three: Curry (973), Durant (950) and Thompson (933). Durant is averaging 25.8 points per game, followed closely by Curry (24.7) and Thompson (22.1).

The player making the biggest adjustment has been Green, who has gone from 10.1 to 8.4 shots per game and experienced a slight slippage in his scoring average, from 14.0 to 10.2. But Green has been suffocating at the defensive end, averaging a career-best 2.1 steals, nearly 50 percent more than last season.

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"I wouldn't say anything has necessarily surprised me other than how fast this team has really come together," Green said. "If you look at the start of the season, everyone was unsure. This person didn't want to shoot too much, that person didn't want to dribble too much or this person (said), 'Oh, I'm going to pass up this shot because I don't know if I should shoot right now.'

"We just play within the flow of the game and let everything figure itself out."

Green said the Warriors have "come together on the defensive end." The Warriors ranked fifth out of 30 NBA teams in defensive efficiency last season (103.8) and now rank No. 2 (102.17) behind San Antonio (101.62).

"With losing some of the guys we lost, a lot of people thought our defense would take a huge hit," Green said. "However, we figured it out, and we're still one of the top defensive teams in the league."

James has been to the NBA Finals for the last six seasons, and he takes it as a badge of honor that the Warriors decided they needed to bring Durant into the fold.

"To know that everyone is trying to build their team to get to where you are and knock you off, it's a motivating factor," James said.

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Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens said when he looks at the Warriors, he sees a team that simply plays the right way.

"I just love the ball movement, the screening," Stevens said. "The talent and the ability to shoot and everything else is really good, but from a coaching standpoint, I love the way they share the ball. I love how much fun they seem to have playing together. And, defensively, they're a heck of a team. They've got a good thing going."

Curry said Golden State is still smarting from losing the big series lead to the Cavaliers in the Finals last season, which should give the Warriors all the incentive they need.

"Win a championship, man," Curry said Friday when asked about his season goals. "That's it. That's why we play, to realize that dream. Having been on the losing side, we know how thin the line is between winning and losing. That's what it's all about."

Asked about the possibility of a repeat engagement with LeBron and the Cavaliers, Curry said: "It's a different year. He's playing well. There are guys in the Western Conference that are playing well that we know we're going to have to beat to get back to the Finals. Whoever we play, we'll be ready for them."

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"Our chemistry is phenomenal," Thompson added.

Kerr is taking nothing for granted. He's aware of Popovich's class by themselves statement, but he's not publicly buying it. The Spurs are just four games behind the Warriors for the best record in the league.

"When you think of their 20-year run of consecutive winning seasons, there's probably been four or five different versions of the Spurs," Kerr said. "It's not like (Popovich) has this formula and he plugs everyone into it. He changes his formula from time to time. I feel he's always kind of one step ahead of everybody."

The race is on.

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