Best in the West

Sure losers. That is what the Golden State Warriors appeared to be when they reported to training camp last fall. In a preseason shakeup, the Warrior front office had traded Center Nate Thurmond to Chicago, sent Rebounder Clyde Lee to Atlanta, and lost Cazzie Russell to Los Angeles after the streak-shooting forward had played out his option. The team's only returning star was Rick Barry, basketball's soldier of fortune who had played for three teams in two leagues in the past nine years.

Now, halfway through the season, the Warriors have a commanding lead in their division and the second-best record in the league and are play-off-bound. The main reason is Barry, who at 30 has emerged as the best forward in the N.B.A. As of last week, Barry was the leading scorer in the league (33.9 points a game), the second-best free-throw shooter (a .920 percentage) and the No. 2 ball thief (2.65 steals average). Barry was also among the top five playmakers, the only forward in a select group dominated by guards.

"I'm a perfectionist," says Barry, "I can't stand mediocrity." If being a one-man offense is perfection, Barry is indeed close to the mark. Tall enough (6 ft. 7 1/2 in.) and heavy enough (220 Ibs.) to hold his own against most rival forwards, Barry can torment opponents with a deadly outside jump shot or exceptionally quick moves to the basket. Already this season, he has scored more than 40 points in ten games. "I don't believe any one man can prevent me from scoring," he says. Because he has been so hot, he often draws double coverage, and that leaves teammates open for Barry's artful feeds.

Barry does not limit his work to scoring. On defense he is surprisingly tenacious; with a combination of anticipation and quick hands, he consistently disrupts opposition plays.

This year, for the first time, Barry is also captain of the Warriors, a job that he takes seriously. "Rick wanted it," says Coach Al Attles. "He pursued it, and once he won it, has worked hard making suggestions to younger players and serving as an example."

So far, the Attles-Barry leadership has paid off. The Warriors' new center, Clifford Ray, acquired in the deal for Thurmond, has been an outstanding defensive player and rebounder. Barry's teammate at forward is Rookie Keith ("Silk") Wilkes, a U.C.L.A. product who has retained all of his smooth college shooting skills. At the guard spots, Golden State has two solid ball handdlers and playmakers in Butch Beard and Charles Johnson.

Barry has worked for a long time to become the game's premier forward. He took to the basketball court at age five to play against his older brother Dennis when the Barrys lived in Roselle Park, N.J.

"I played all day every day in the summer," Rick recalls. "In the winter, I'd shovel snow off the court and even play at night." The practice earned him a scholarship at the University of Miami, where he led the nation in scoring his senior year.

After two years with the Warriors, Barry began the litigious odyssey that took him from contract to contract and courtroom to courtroom until he finally settled back with Golden State two years ago. Last year he joined the CBS crew to cover the N.B.A.'s play-off games. This year Barry and Golden State are likely to be on the court.

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