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TORONTO - First things first: Episode 3 of The Baseball Podcast is up for your listeniPhiladelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - The Golden State Warriors are the best team in the NBA for reasons passing the obvious. Bold moves and commitment have put the Warriors atop the standings in the NBA. They havent lost since the Hoover Administration and are the associations most lethal two-way threat. They rank third in scoring and sixth in opponents scoring. Doesnt take an analytics nerd to figure that yields a high margin of victory. The Warriors win by an average of 10.9 ppg. Thats also first. The Splash Brothers are headed to the All-Star game, deservedly so. Steph Curry is a statistical freak of nature. Hes sixth in scoring, fifth in assists, eighth in steals, third in free-throw shooting and first in 3- pointers made. Klay Thompson is 14th in scoring, eighth in 3-point shooting percentage and fourth in made 3-pointers. Even Curry has emerged into a legitimate NBA defender and Thompson was already considered an elite wing stopper. So, yes, the Splash Brothers are studs who carry this team offensively. The nickname is still stupid, but the point is they are All-NBA caliber guys. Their importance is paramount to be clear. It is not singular to the Warriors obscene success to this point. Steve Kerr came into the Warriors coaching job as the trendy name this offseason. He brushed aside the courtship of one of his mentors, Phil Jackson and the New York Knicks, to take the Golden State gig. Hes a west-coast guy and the rosters werent comparable, so it made sense. It wasnt the easiest transition in the history of business transactions. Former coach Mark Jackson resuscitated this franchise, but was shown the door because of some friction with ownership. Jacksons players were fiercely loyal to their former coach, but now, it looks like Kerr has been their uncle for eternity. The group plays beautiful team basketball and Kerr made perhaps the biggest, boldest decision he could make from the beginning. He reinserted Harrison Barnes into the starting lineup in favor of Andre Iguodala. Barnes started as a rookie two seasons ago, then went to the bench when Iguodala was signed in the summer of 2013. Getting maximum output from Barnes has been crucial to the Warriors success. Building him back into the productive player he was as a rookie was a tough task for Kerr. I think he needed to play this year, Kerr said after Thursdays victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. Last year was a tough year for him. He needed to play and let loose. Hes taken advantage of the minutes. Draymond Green is a similar story. He played quite a bit in the last playoffs under Jackson, but now, hes becoming vital. And their presence has given Golden States biggest asset to date - their ability to switch on defense. With the exception of Andrew Bogut, every player in the starting five, and much of the bench, can switch any pick-and-roll on the floor. Thats the strength of our defense really, along with Bogs protecting the rim, the versatility on the wings, the ability to switch and get out on 3- point shooters, Kerr said. Bogut is undervalued, but Kerrs decision to tweak that starting lineup has been genius. It was a brash decision. Iguodala signed a four-year, $48 million contract in 2013, meaning, a man making a shade over $12 million was demoted for a third-year guy who lost his spot a season prior and a second-round pick in Green. Its brilliance is how its enhanced the second unit. Iguodala isnt the explosive player he once was, but can still get the oppositions shirt. Shaun Livingston was signed in the offseason after a career redefining season with Brooklyn in 2013-14. Marreese Speights averages 12.4 ppg in 15.8 minutes per game. We have enough scoring coming off the bench, but the fact we can continue to defend even with our starters off the floor, thats a really big factor for us, said Kerr. And the bench should get enhanced shortly. David Lee has played all of seven minutes for the Warriors this season, but is expected back shortly from a hamstring injury. Kerr should be committed if he tinkers with that first unit, so where does Lee fit in? We are talking about a two-time All-Star who averaged 18.2 ppg and 9.3 rebounds a night for Golden State last season. We need him. Well find ways to play, noted Kerr. It may mean a few less minutes for Harrison and Draymond. We have great chemistry and guys are playing for each other. When David comes back, and things change rotation- wise, guys are going to accept it. And that demonstrates another beautiful aspect of this Warriors team. This is a cohesive group that doesnt let ego get in the way of a good thing. Sounds simple and obvious enough, but in 2014, how often does that really happen? Theres nothing better in the NBA than being on a team like this where you have good guys and youre winning, Kerr said. For veterans like Iguodala and Lee to be willing to sacrifice for the betterment of the group is too uncommon. Barnes and Green are better players right now and better fits in Kerrs schemes, which are predicated on versatility. And good on Kerr for going with whats best. Iguodala and Lee make a combined $27 million and were integral to the development and success of Golden State. It would be easy to play favorites to the veterans, especially in your first gig and especially considering the potentially fragile nature of the group after what transpired with Jackson. But Kerr put his horses on display and its working. It also doesnt hurt that Kerr has gone younger during this process. We talk about the development of [a franchise] is when your young players develop, said TNTs Reggie Miller. Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson have gotten better each year. Thats why the Warriors franchise is in good hands moving forward. Its in great hands now. RANDOM THOUGHTS - Good for the Philadelphia 76ers. No one wants that record of worst start to a season. They play hard, they work hard, so good for them. The all-time worst record of 9-73 is, however, in play. - Potential Western Conference All-Star guards: Curry, Thompson, Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, James Harden, Monta Ellis and Damian Lillard. Frontcourt guys: Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins, Marc Gasol, Blake Griffin, Dirk Nowitzki, LaMarcus Aldridge and Zach Randolph. That doesnt account for the fact that Kevin Durant will probably fare well in the fan vote and Dwight Howard was superb before injury. - The Los Angeles Lakers are 5-14, but 1-13 within the Western Conference. So, that should show how bad the East is that LA is 4-1 against them. - You love the Washington Wizards? I do. Theyre loaded. Going to be a force in the Eastern Conference, right? The Atlanta Hawks are a game behind them. The always .500, duller than taupe Hawks could be the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference by the end of the weekend. - Movie moment - Im a sucker for the Oscars, so its cool to me that one of my favorite character actors - J.K. Simmons - is sounding like a shoo-in for Best Supporting Actor. Before you look him up, he was the dad in Juno, the psychiatrist in Law & Order, the hideous white supremacist in Oz, is the yellow peanut M&M and currently is the dean of students for Farmers Insurance. What range. - TV moment - My son was acting up a bit on Thursday night so my girlfriend put on the live screening of Peter Pan on NBC. He said, am I in trouble? I was harsh on The Sound of Music and Id never watch that, or Peter Pan voluntarily, but I respect those involved. They knew scorn was coming, but did it anyway. Custom Baltimore Ravens Jerseys . -- Chris Crawford hit a 3-pointer with 1:36 left to put Memphis ahead to stay, and the 21st-ranked Tigers beat seventh-ranked Louisville 72-66 Saturday, sweeping the season series from the Cardinals. Jonathan Ogden Jersey . -- Rodney Stuckey scored 15 of his 21 points in the second half, and the Detroit Pistons beat the New York Knicks for the first time in eight meetings, 92-86 on Tuesday night. http://www.officialbaltimoreravenspro.co...ens-jersey/.com) - Theres nothing better for a team than to send out the staff ace in the most important game of the season. Joe Flacco Jersey . With the Nets winning streak in jeopardy, Williams scored 23 points, 11 in the final six minutes, to lead Brooklyn to a 104-99 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night. Lamar Jackson Jersey . Edmonton opened the season with 14 straight victories before falling Friday night 10-8 to the host Colorado Mammoth in National Lacrosse League action.ALLEN PARK, Mich. - NFL coaches always seem keenly aware of the worst-case scenario, so it was no surprise when Detroits Jim Schwartz brushed off any talk of his teams position in the standings. The Lions won at Chicago on Sunday to take over sole possession of first place in the NFC North. With a favourable-looking schedule and generally good health, Detroit has a chance to win its first division title since the 1993 season — but theres still a lot of football to be played. "Weve got six wins," Schwartz said Monday. "Thats not going to be enough." For now, its more than any other team in the division. Detroit (6-3) held on for a 21-19 win to complete its first regular-season sweep of the Bears since 2007. Chicago and Green Bay are a game behind the Lions, and the Packers are dealing with injuries to quarterback Aaron Rodgers and backup Seneca Wallace. When asked about the possibility of hosting a playoff game or earning a first-round bye, Schwartz was having none of that discussion. "Good try," he said. "Weve got way too far to go to start talking about stuff like that. ... I know its exciting for fans of our team and people around the league and things like that, but honestly I think you get sidetracked by starting to get ahead of yourself as a team. We want to guard against that." This is the latest in the season the Lions have been in sole possession of first place since they led the NFC Central after Week 10 in 1999, according to STATS. Detroit was 6-3 at that point, too, then stumbled down the stretch, barely making the playoffs as a wild card at 8-8. The fine line between winning and losing was obvious Sunday. Detroit allowed a touchdown with 40 seconds left, then stopped a pair of 2-point conversion attempts. Chicago got two chances because of a penalty on the first one. Toward the end of the second quarter, the Bears came away with no points after driving all the way to the 4-yard line. Jay Cutlers pass was tipped by Ndamukong Suh and intercepted by DeAndre Levy in the end zone. "It was a great win, no question about it, but youve got to make it count," quarterback Matthew Stafford said.dddddddddddd. "We have to make this one count later down the road and it starts next week. We have a new opponent that we dont play every week and that team is dangerous." The Lions play at Pittsburgh next weekend. Detroit made a few mistakes against the Bears that could have been costly. Stafford had an interception returned deep into Lions territory in the fourth quarter, but Chicago had to settle for a field goal. The Bears twice appeared to have reached the end zone, but the first touchdown was called back for holding and the second was turned into an incomplete pass by a replay review. When the Bears drove for their final touchdown to pull within two, they were helped by an unnecessary roughness call on Detroit defensive lineman Nick Fairley — but Fairley came back with a sack on the next play. "Its a long season to get through. Theres a lot of things that youve got to persevere through," Schwartz said. "Praise — and success — is one of those things. Quite honestly, thats something that in the past we havent done a good job of." The Lions made the playoffs two seasons ago, then collapsed last year en route to a 4-12 record. Theyve put themselves in position to take another big step forward over the next few weeks. Only one of the remaining seven games on Detroits schedule — the Thanksgiving matchup with Green Bay — is against a team that currently has a winning record. So the Lions are in an unfamiliar position: Theyve played well, caught a few breaks — and now their biggest concern may be how well they handle success. "Being successful in this league is dealing with adversity and bouncing back, but its increasingly becoming part of the scope of the NFL to deal with praise and to deal with the accolades and things like that," Schwartz said. "It makes it difficult to stay level headed. It makes it difficult to stay even keeled throughout the course of a season." 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