NBA: Can The Golden State Warriors Reach 70 Wins?
By Shane Young
Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson accomplished a breathtaking feat in 1995-96. They won 72 games, only losing 10 en route to an NBA title. It was Chicago’s fourth banner, not their first.
19 years later, Stephen Curry and Steve Kerr are trying to overtake those legendary Bulls.
What the Golden State Warriors have right in front of them is a chance to do something so impressive, no other attainment will possibly match their 2014-15 performance. They’re trying to win 70 games, and storm through the toughest conference in professional sports history.
In 1995-96, the Eastern Conference was nowhere close to as grim and weak as it is today. For the majority of the last decade, the East has been abhorrent beyond measure, only producing two or three legitimate title contenders each year.
When Jordan and the Bulls swarmed through the conference with 72 regular season wins, the total number of victories from the seeds 1-8 in the East was 412. That’s an average of 51.5 per team, which definitely wasn’t a call for concern. However, the only reason the average was inflated so much was due to Chicago’s absurd 72 wins.
Last year’s Western Conference set the highest bar possible for stressful, heated competition. From seeds 1-8, the total number of wins escalated to 436, which was nearly an average record of 55-27. Considering the Phoenix Suns weren’t even included in that group — winning 48 games! — forces you to believe it’s an overwhelming task to just make the postseason.
All of this points towards one thing.
Golden State’s impeccable strength this season could be labeled the most impressive year we’ve ever witnessed.
Think deeply about it. Would it be more impressive gathering 72 wins and a title against the Eastern Conference, or 70 wins against the Western Conference and a title?
If you think the latter, you’re exactly right on this.
Realize, it’s not any sort of knock on those Chicago Bullls, they were outrageously effective in running the triangle offense. They were led by the most creative and enterprising coach the NBA has ever seen. But, I would like to believe the level of competition stands for something. I would like to believe the nightly schedule matters when determining how great your accumulated wins are.
The 1995-96 East was tough, and it was brutal come playoff time.
The 2014-15 West is the definition of incendiary. On eight out of 10 nights, you’re faced against a highly-possible playoff foe, determined to end any type of streak you may have. Golden State has been held against the fire for half a season. They’ve somehow managed to put on the most spectacular start in franchise history, and it’s one that continues to grow.
Exactly mid-way through their season, Golden State owns the league’s best record at 36-6. In 1996, Chicago’s record through 42 games was an inconceivable 39-3. Those Bulls were in the midst of an 18-game winning streak, which was the longest they strung together during the season. This year, Golden State has already racked up a 16-game winning streak before having it snapped. Although, it’s worth pointing out that with Andrew Bogut (out with a knee injury), the game that snapped their streak may have just been a win.
Historically, Kerr and his riled up bunch from Oracle Arena are on pace to enter prestigious company:
Of the 10 teams listed above, Golden State has recorded the sixth-best record through 42 games. If their dominance in the West continues, they would have the third-best average point differential out of those 10 teams. As you can see, majority of the teams that sniff 70 wins in the regular season … ultimately reach the NBA’s grandest stage. It’s certainly smelling pleasant for Warriors’ owner Joe Lacob, since 7 of the 9 best records in NBA history have went on the claim a championship.
That’s the significance of this season for Golden State.
While the key to perfecting a regular season is to execute consistently on the road, you also have to hold your homecourt as an extremely valuable possession.
Out of the nine other teams listed above, take a glance at their home records:
- ’95-96 Bulls: 39-2
- ’71-72 Lakers: 36-5
- ’96-97 Bulls: 39-2
- ’66’67 76ers: 28-2
- ’72’-73 Celtics: 33-6
- ’85-86 Celtics: 40-1
- ’91-92 Bulls: 36-5
- ’99-00 Lakers: 36-5
- ’06-07 Mavericks: 36-5
Thus far, Golden State has posted a nearly unbeatable record at home, at 21-1. Their only loss came at the hands of San Antonio during the seventh game of the regular season. Since then, the Warriors have went 19-0 at home, with wins over Houston (2x), Oklahoma City (2x), Toronto, and Cleveland. It doesn’t matter who you throw their way at Oracle.
It’s almost inscrutable to believe Golden State has right around the same average point differential as those invincible Bulls from 1996. There’s only a 0.3 point difference between them, and it’s really not plausible to think Golden State’s is going to drop any time soon. Kerr has willed them to a 14-0 record against the East, which speaks volume to how the conferences are still way out of sync.
Guess what. They still have 16 more matchups against the weaker conference. Now, here’s the tricky part. 10 of those remaining 16 games against the East are on the road. If you was looking for something to test this team before the playoffs arrive, there’s your answer.
The Splash Brothers don’t just want to flirt with a championship. They want to claim a championship, and flirt with the history books along the way.
Klay Thompson didn’t flirt with history on Friday night. He decided to go all the way to third base with history, completely ravaging the third quarter for 37 points.
Out of Golden State’s six losses, here’s how they break down:
- at Phoenix, 12-point loss
- vs. San Antonio, 13-point loss
- at Memphis, 7-point loss
- at Lakers, 10-point loss
- at Clippers, 14-point loss
- at Thunder, 12-point loss
Do you see a trend? If this team is going to lose, they don’t play tightly-contested games. In those six losses, the average margin of defeat is 11.3 points. When have you ever been able to say that about a team that’s 36-6 on the season? It seems to be an aberration. It seems to be a weird season altogether.
If you also noticed another trend with those six losses, you deserve a cookie.
Half of them (3) have come against Pacific Division opponents. It’s the same division Golden State is placed in, and it’s the second-toughest in the whole league, behind the Southwest. They have seven games left against the Pacific, and how they take care of business in those games will determine if the 70-win plateau is attainable or not.
This team has taught you to never bet against them. It forces us to keep the NBA record books open at all times, because you never know what this electric bunch is going to pull off … especially in front of the most hyper fans in basketball. They’re hyper because they’re spoiled. Nothing is greater than that atmosphere.
Will Golden State climb to 70 wins? For me, count on it.
The only thing left to answer will be how far they go.
They can mirror Steve Kerr’s old team, and ransack the playoffs to a long-awaited championship.
Or, they can imitate Dirk’s Mavericks from 2007, and completely disappoint the city.
Just try to guess who stopped those Mavericks dead in their tracks.
For the Bay Area, it’s their time to shine.