Ben Margot/Associated Press

Dwyane Wade isn't holding back praise of the Golden State Warriors, saying the team's starting lineup ranks among the best in NBA history.

"That is as good as it gets in our game with any team ever to play this game," Wade told reporters. "That is as good as it gets with a starting five. That is why they are who they are, that is why they are champions.

"To be able to add a guy like DeMarcus [Cousins] to it, that is what great teams do. They add a piece and keep adding certain right pieces, and they've done it."

The Warriors are the first team in NBA history to start five players who were named to the previous year's All-Star team. Cousins signed a one-year, $5.3 million contract with the team in July as he was recovering from an Achilles rupture. Boogie is averaging 14.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 10 games since making his Warriors debut.

Golden State coach Steve Kerr added:

"He's basically single-handedly negated the dog days, he really has. These last games before the All-Star break, usually from early January on, you got a three- to four-week stretch where everybody is just trying to get to the break. We bypassed that.

"DeMarcus has come in and energized our team. ... He's just bringing this excitement and energy every game, and he's getting better and better and fitting right in with the group. More than anything, he's just energized us."

The 40-15 Warriors have won nine of 10 games since Cousins' return and 15 of their last 16 overall. They have taken a three-game lead in the race for the West's No. 1 seed and are quickly approaching the Milwaukee Bucks (41-14) for the best record in basketball. Golden State has an NBA-best 13.0 net rating over its last 10 games, more than four points better than any other team.

Wade's point is a strong one.

The Warriors have five All-Stars in the prime of their careers, all of whom compliment each other. They're an unbeatable force of nature who will almost certainly win a fourth title in five seasons and cement their place as one of the greatest dynasties in sports history.

The fact that Cousins has fit in so well is almost unfair to the rest of the league and has been a reminder of the chasm between the Warriors and everyone else.