Steph Curry and Klay Thompson lead the Warriors' charge into history

It is all in the numbers. The Golden State Warriors are the first team in the NBA this season to win 60 games.

They also rank as the 13th team of all-time to nail down 60 victories out of their first 73 contests. The significance of this achievement puts the Warriors in rarefied air.

Of those 13 teams, 10 went on to reach the NBA finals and more importantly nine teams eventually won an NBA championship.

Leading the attack for Golden State are two of the best triggermen in the league. Steph Curry and Klay Thompson are the cornerstones for the Warriors’ offense. Curry is the sixth-highest scorer in the NBA, averaging 23.7 points per game.

Factor in that Curry is by far and away the leader in three-point field goals made with 247 and he is hitting at a .431 clip. Just so you don’t think it is all about offense, Curry also leads the league in total steals with 149.

It’s true the numbers don’t lie. Perhaps, politicians and ex-girlfriends do, but we depend on the stats to get a clearer picture of how the season is unfolding.

Klay Thomspson is the 11th-highest scorer in the NBA, averaging 21.7 points per contest. Just so you don’t fall completely in love with his teammate Curry’s ability at long distance, it is actually Thompson that is hitting at a higher percentage, with a .434 mark and 208 treys.

Here is a strange factoid to hang on to this season. Golden State (thank you, Andrew Bogut) are now 40-0 when they manage to keep other teams below 100 points. This is a big if, but if the Warriors can run the table and win their last five remaining home games, they will go into the record books as the second-best home team in the history of the NBA.

That goes back to a lot of skinny white guys in extremely small shorts. Think about your grandfather shooting set shots in the driveway.

A look at the history books reveal the 1985-86 Boston Celtics, led by Larry Bird and Kevin McHale, went 40-1 at the Boston Garden. Don’t forget Danny Ainge, Jerry Sichting and Bill Walton. Yeah, OK, Robert Parrish and Dennis Johnson were all part of that but it is images of Bird and McHale that linger in the memory.

Of other names of note for the Warriors, forward Draymond Green is averaging just under 12 points a game and just over eight rebounds a contest. The 6’7,” Green has really come on this season and he is one of the keys to Golden State’s success. 6’8” Forward Harrison Barnes has also played an integral role for Golden State, averaging 10.4 points per game along with 5.5 rebounds per contest.

We have eluded to Andrew Bogut’s contributions in the past but it is hard to imagine that the Warriors would be making this run without the seven-foot center from Melbourne. Bogut leads the Warriors in rebounds, averaging 8.2 per game and blocked shots with 1.7 per contest.

Three other Warriors have also come up ‘Big Time’ for Golden State off the bench. Center Marreese Speights is also averaging 10.7 points per game, while veteran big man David Lee can be tenacious coming off the pine.

The unsung hero for the Warriors has been ten-year veteran forward and defensive stopper Andre Iguodala. Averaging just eight points a game, Iguodala often draws the other teams top offensive threat late in the game and he seems to sparkle doing the dirty work for Golden State.

Something to remember as we slide into the NBA Playoffs and what other teams must contend with when facing the Warriors and their two top triggermen. On January 23, of this year, Thompson scored a career-high 52 points, with 11 three-pointers, in a 126–101 win over the Sacramento Kings. Klay was on fire in the third quarter – he scored an NBA-record 37 points for a single quarter going.

This is what is most impressive number – 13-for-13, including nine three-pointers. On February 4, Steph Curry scored a season-high 51 points on 16-of-26 shooting in a 128-114 win over the Dallas Mavericks.

That’s a lot of firepower. So, it’s now time to lock and load. And it’s all in the numbers.