What a year it has been for the Golden State Warriors. From Stephen Curry being awarded the MVP honor for the 2014-2015 season to the ball club winning the NBA Championship over the Lebron-led Cavaliers last year, the Golden State Warriors are basking in the heaps of success that have truly been a long time in the making for this organization.
As they continue to dazzle and wow us all with their revolutionary small ball style of play and unprecedented shooting abilities, one NBA record takes the most importance for this great team currently: the '95-'96 Chicago Bulls' 72-win season after winning a championship in the previous year. Widely considered one of the greatest teams ever assembled, the '96 Chicago Bulls record looked to be untouchable and unbreakable by the masses… until now. With only three games left in their season and sitting at 70 wins on the season, the Golden State Warriors have to win all three remaining games in order to break the record.
Yet winning those three games is going to be an uphill battle for the Dubs, as they are going to have to face off against the Memphis Grizzlies and the San Antonio Spurs, both of which are teams that have above a .500 winning percentage and are likely to make the playoffs. On top of that, the San Antonio Spurs haven't lost at home this entire season, and the Warriors will play their second to last game of the season in San Antonio. Now, nothing is impossible, and the Warriors have shown time and time again that they can overcome sizable adversity and beat the odds. This has been the narrative of Golden State’s best player, Stephen Curry, and it has also been the narrative that defines this team.
After beating San Antonio Spurs at home this past Thursday, with Andre Igoudala back in the lineup, the Warriors are riding a wave of momentum that is much-needed to finish out the last stretch of the season strong. Now, many people don’t want the Warriors to make it 73 wins, because it would shatter their perception as Michael Jordan and company as the greatest player and team to ever grace the game, but the reality is, this Warriors team has every tool in the modern era of NBA basketball to rewrite the history books. With the introduction of their lethal small ball lineup, which functions so well because of the fantastic sharpshooting by the “splash brothers,” the game has been revolutionized.
Now, personally, as a long-time Dubs fan, I believe that they will either tie or break the record. There is no in-between. It really all comes down if the Golden State Warriors have the mental and physical strength to overwhelm a Spurs team that is 41-0 and undefeated at home.