Andrew Bogut On ‘Dubs Crowded Bandwagon: “You Might Be A Little Late”

The Golden State Warriors are a league-best 15-2. They’ve won 10 consecutive games and are the only team in basketball to rank top-seven on both sides of the ball. And frankly, Steve Kerr’s squad is just more fun than any other. The ‘Dubs splash threes, dish dimes, block shots, and jump passing lanes with a zeal and aggressiveness that their peers can’t match.

The Golden State bandwagon, understandably, is getting a bit crowded. ESPN’s Ethan Sherwood Strauss called the Warriors “everyone’s second favorite team.Steph Curry is among the league’s most popular players. Only five teams have more national TV appearances than The Bay’s this season.

People love the Warriors, basically. And while rejuvenated center Andrew Bogut appreciates the almost unparalleled attention his team is getting, he says Golden State’s renaissance actually began a couple years back:

Bogut is right on all counts.

The Bay Area still clings to memories of 2007’s Baron DavisMonta EllisStephen Jackson led squad that upset the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs. Season tickets have never been harder to come by. And the Warriors made the playoffs in consecutive seasons last year for the first time since 1992.

Still, 2014-2015 has a different feel for Golden State. They aren’t upstarts this season but legitimate favorites, a major shift in reality and perception that is due to new offensive prowess.

The Warriors have had the reputation of a run-and-gun, high-scoring group for the past two seasons as a result of Curry and Klay Thompson’s long-range bombing, but were almost anything but. They were merely average on offense under Mark Jackson, utilizing more isolations and passing less than most any team in the NBA.

Kerr’s arrival has pushed Golden State to heights on that end which casual followers thought they’d already reached. The ‘Dubs are seventh in offensive efficiency, play at the league’s fastest pace, and assist on more baskets than all but three teams. Most encouraging? Such wholesale improvement hasn’t compromised their dominance on the other end – the Warriors rank first in defensive efficiency.

So while newcomers are indeed late to the bandwagon, that they’re coming at all is a testament to Golden State’s league standing. The Warriors aren’t a novelty or competitive gimmick anymore, but championship contenders that have maintained the fight of an underdog. It’s a potent combination, one that NBA fans obviously understand could lead to big things come spring.

What do you think?

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