Australian centre Andrew Bogut says there are several good reasons for his Golden State Warriors' NBA-best season start, including mateship.
With a 34-6 win-loss record near the midway point, the Warriors have assumed title favouritism with some US bookies, giving 2005 No.1 draft pick Bogut a great shot at a first championship ring.
"We've had our core group together now for a third straight year and that's very underrated in the NBA," Bogut told Sky Sports Radio.
General managers these days get very impatient and try to make changes after one or two years.
"It speaks volumes to how we're going.
The 30-year-old said his Warriors teammates regularly hang out and have dinner together before games, something that's rare in the big money world of the NBA.
"I think that helps build camaraderie and gives us momentum on the court," he said.
"With 82 games and the grind of aeroplanes, buses and hotels, you've got to have that to be successful."
And successful they are, ranking first in both field goal percentage and opponents' field goal percentage to a point differential of 11.8, by far the league's best.
The all-round excellence means Western Conference All-Star Game coach Steve Kerr has had the strongest start in NBA history for a first-year coach.
Bogut said Kerr had a big influence on their success, making tweaks that encouraged greater ball movement.
"We're moving the ball at a hectic pace. It's working wonders for us," he said.
It mirrored a trend among the most successful teams in the NBA, including defending champions San Antonio and runaway Eastern Conference leaders, the Atlanta Hawks, sharing possession and scoring with smart passing instead of relying on one superstar who ate up the bulk of the ball time.
Bogut said the squad's franchise-record 17-straight home wins only strengthened his confidence for the rest of the season.
"There's not as much pressure rolling into games and you see teams coming in to play us with a little bit of fear, or coming in on the back step," he said.
"It completely changes our demeanour too."
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