The Pittsburgh Pirates are studying the success of the NBA's Golden State Warriors as the 2015 season approaches.

"I read an interesting article a while ago on the Golden State Warriors, how they get maximum production with their players," Clint Hurdle said. "They're actually playing less, and they're playing better collectively as a group."

Neal Huntington told ESPN the Pirates noticed this trend in a study of the Warriors by a member of their front office.

"We're always looking collectively as a group ... just watching different models of behavior," Hurdle said, "whether it's the NFL or the NBA or hockey. They're the perfect example of maximizing ice time and shifts and things like that.

"We're not in that same mode. But how do you maximize all the ability that you have and the abilities that you have? What's the right amount of reps for a guy? What are the at-bats you want to carry through at certain times, the innings that are played? You've got to keep an eye on everything.

"But it caught our attention," Hurdle added, "just for the fact that they have found a rhythm and a rhyme, through the coaching staff and the player pool that they have. And at the point in time of the article, they were playing the best basketball they have in a long time. And actually, minutes per game were down for some of their key core players."