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Golden State Warriors: Time To Regroup

By Gerald Bourguet

Mar 6, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant (24) helps Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) to his feet during the NBA game at the Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 6, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant (24) helps Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) to his feet during the NBA game at the Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Golden State Warriors
Mar 3, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) points to the fans after the win against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Oracle Arena. The Golden State Warriors defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 121-106. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

The Remaining Schedule And The Quest For 73

Before everyone fires up the hot-take cannon, we should acknowledge a few things: The Warriors have still won 90 percent of their games, they’re still in the driver’s seat for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, and if this team that converts a league-best 41.2 percent of its triples had just made one-third of its threes on Sunday, they would’ve won the game by one point.

The problem is that after Sunday’s loss, the conversation about the Warriors changed dramatically.

In a game that marked the first time in NBA history where a team with a sub-.200 record beat a team with at least a .900 win percentage, it’s no surprise that the Lakers’ historic upset was the top story of the day. All afternoon, the chatter centered around how this loss impacted the Warriors’ unspoken quest to reach 73 wins and topple the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls’ sterling record of 72-10.

Though Golden State is still on track to reach that mark (73.9 wins, to be exact), it didn’t take long for those silently rooting for the Dubs to fail to point out that the reigning champs still have three contests with San Antonio looming, two of which are on the road. Nights like Sunday can’t happen again for the Warriors to compete in those games, especially for the Splash Brothers.

Of the Dubs’ remaining 21 games, 15 of them come at Oracle Arena, where Golden State is a perfect 26-0. Two of those six road games are in San Antonio where the Spurs are 30-0, yes, but the other four (at Dallas, Minnesota, Utah and Memphis) aren’t particularly frightening.

The number that should be looked at, however, and the number that most will be watching now after this unprecedented upset, is the 2.5-game separation between the Warriors and Spurs for the No. 1 seed in the West.

Next: Dubs On The Decline?

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