Warriors Are 4th Best NBA Team Ever, Says Presidential Number Cruncher Nate Silver
OAKLAND (CBS SF) - All Warriors fans can think about is the teams quest for a first title since 1975. But are we actually witnessing one of the five best seasons in NBA history? A study by statistician Nate Silver, who was nearly perfect in his state-by-state and U.S. Senate predictions for the last two presidential elections, suggests we are.
Silver, who runs the FiveThirtyEight Blog, measured up all of the top NBA seasons based on the ELO rating system. ELO uses prior results to create a numerical rating that predicts the outcome of individual matchups - the more you win, the higher your score goes.
"The ratings depend only on the final score of each game and where it was played (home-court advantage). They include both regular-season and playoff games," writes Silver and co-author Reuben Fischer-Baum in their explanation of ELO. The rating was originally developed to measure how good chess players are, but has since been adapted to measure the skill of video game players and sporting events.
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When applied to all NBA teams ever to take the court, Silver and Fischer-Baum said only three teams stand above the current Warriors: two Chicago Bulls teams from the Michael Jordan era and the Larry Bird-led Boston Celtics of 1985-86. According to Silver, the Warriors could well jump into the third spot if they complete the title run. Here's a look at the complete ranking.
The Warriors ended the regular season with a 67-15 record, the best record ever for the franchise. They lost only two home games, the second fewest by any team in league history. They are now overwhelming favorites in Las Vegas to win the NBA title.