How far can the Warriors go?

With arguably the most balanced lineup it has had in years, the Golden State Warriors are setting the pace in the NBA with a sterling run at the midway point of the season.

They’ve had flings with the playoffs over the years, but when was the last time you actually had the Warriors coming into the playing arena as a serious contender to go very deep come playoff time?

With a roster that includes ace guard Stephen Curry, incredible shotmaker Klay Thompson, frontliners David Lee, Andrew Bogut and Andre Iguodala as well as motion machine Leandro Barbosa, the Bay Area brigade has its faithful reignited and interested anew in NBA basketball.

Coach Steve Kerr’s Warriors lead the Western Conference with a 39-9 record to date.

That’s a major accomplishment in a sports town with a multiple World Series champion baseball team and a storied American football tradition. Sure, the Warriors once won the NBA title 40 years ago with sweet shooting Rick Barry (He scored from the floor with a reliable jump shot but scored nearly flawless free throws with a two-handed delivery from his knees) but that seems lightyears away from a modern-day NBA of flying acrobats and deadly three-point gunners.

This is why this current team has rekindled basketball passion. It’s no easy task to head to the Oracle Arena in Oakland about 45 minutes to an hour away from downtown San Francisco. Faithful fans would still watch the Warriors in their mediocre years but not in the numbers they fill the home court now.

There is word that the Warriors will return to the city by the bay by 2018 with a new facility.

Curry is the exciting straw that stirs the Warriors. His deft ball-handling skills and shooting prowess provide production from the backcourt. Thompson, who recently penciled in the new NBA record for most points in a quarter with 37—against the Sacramento Kings, gives Golden State a three-point option when Curry has to kick out or when Bogut and Lee get bottled up inside. Then Barbosa, the former Phoenix Sun, gives the Warriors a slasher who can break down tight defenses.

The All-Star break is upon the NBA world and non-participants in the annual extravaganza get a break. This is also the time for coaching staffs not involved in the hoopla to get back to their drawing pads and replot the remainder of the season.

Teams also have to worry about the Atlanta Hawks, who recently beat the Warriors, 124-116, in a high-octane game at Philips Arena. The small venue is rocking again, reminiscent of the Dominique Wilkins era, with an energetic team that’s leading the East with a 42-9 record.

But one has to worry also about the current underachievers who might catch fire in the second half of the season.

For example, despite their age and current standing, the defending champion San Antonio Spurs could make a furious run that spills over into the playoffs. The Spurs are the league’s conservation masters who know how to manage their energy against the younger legs of the NBA.

Pacesetters Golden State and Atlanta know that an early lead in the classification round might get you choice playoff positions and home court edges. The real test, though, is in the months ahead when every team tries to fight for survival.