Golden State Warriors: Will The Quest For 73 Wins Continue?

Rapidly approaching the finish line of a near historical regular season, the Golden State Warriors recently attained a landmark 70th win amid the team’s quest for 73. To place this rarefied accomplishment into proper perspective, only one team (95-96 Chicago Bulls) has scaled the 70-win plateau since the NBA adopted an 82-game regular season format during the 1967-68 season.

That venerable Bulls unit so happened to be led by “His Airness” Michael Jordan. By virtue of Jordan’s highly-infectious competitive ferocity; 72-10 Chicago stampeded to a repeat “three-peat,” becoming the quintessential poster franchise of the 90’s, and a true team for the ages.

Fast forward exactly 20 years and as the game of basketball has evolved, the free-wheeling, gun-slinging Golden State Warriors are knocking on the door of major historicity as three contests remain. While perched at 70-9 the “Dubs” must prevail in each of the teams’ three final outings to do the unthinkable: attain 73 regular-season wins.

Along that arduous path, the one conspicuous stumbling block is Golden State’s April 10 showdown opposite an almost equally potent 65-14 San Antonio squad. Granted, the Warriors recently defeated the Spurs, 112-101 for their 70th victory; however, with a win, the old-school Spurs would relish in preserving history, while sending an emphatic message to Golden State heading into the playoffs.

Of course, the season’s most anticipated showdown will be moot if Golden State were to slip up and lose to a beleaguered Memphis Grizzlies unit Saturday night. In fact, Memphis — who recently backslid into a playoff berth — will have two chances in the next week to spoil Golden State’s golden plans.

However unlikely Memphis’ chances may be, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green is taking nothing for granted. Regarding his team’s bid for immortality, the first-time All Star had these candid remarks for SB Nation’s Golden State Of Mind:

When you think about it, we’re sitting here with three games left, needing all three to break the record. Think about the year we had, started 24-0, haven’t lost 2 in a row all year, had several win streaks of 7 in a row, yet we’re still sitting here needing 3 in a row. That tells you how hard it is to do. So to get this far, and kind of tanking it and saying never mind, let’s face it, we’re probably never getting to this point again. That’s why it’s only been done one time. I think most guys in the locker room are all in. We’ll figure that out this weekend. There’s no right or wrong answer. If guys need a rest, take a rest. But if you wanna go for it, we going for it.”

As alluded to by Green, and touched upon in a recent Inquisitr article, some debate has arisen as to whether Golden State should put maximum effort into breaking Chicago’s mark -or simply rest key players ahead of the upcoming playoffs. However, if Green’s comment is any indication, the Warriors’ roster is primed to pursue history.

Even as Golden State Head Coach Steve Kerr, who, ironically, happened to be on the 95-96 Bulls roster, stated reservations regarding an all-out assault on the record books, reigning league-MVP Stephen Curry may have had the final word concerning the matter.

The 28-year-old Curry minced no words when stating his intentions to The Washington Post:

“We have three games left. You all know what we’re chasing. You all know what’s out there.”

Undeniably, “what is out there” is a very special team record that may never be encroached upon this aggressively again. For the Golden State Warriors, three games will decide the defending champions’ place among the annals of NBA lore.

[Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images]