It Don’t Mean A Thing Without The Ring

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The Golden State Warriors just wrapped a regular season for the ages as they set an NBA single-season record for victories with 73. The previous mark was 72 victories which was held by the 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls who set the mark that appeared to be unbreakable, but don’t tell that to these Warriors.

After winning 67 games last season en route to their first NBA Title in 40 years last year, the Warriors were overlooked coming into this season in spite of bringing back their championship team nearly in tact. All of the hype over the summer was focused on the Cleveland Cavaliers and the San Antonio Spurs, but not on the defending champs who took it to heart which has fueled their historic run.

Steve Kerr

In spite of the Warriors not having their head coach Steve Kerr at the start of the season due to back surgery, Golden State still managed to win their first 24 games this season and they never looked back. In going 73-9, the Warriors became the first team in NBA history to go a full season without losing consecutive games which in itself is a major accomplishment. The Warriors are looking to become the second team in the last five years to repeat as NBA Champions and they’ve done it with an exciting brand of basketball that relies on them spreading the floor due to their quality perimeter shooting. Point guard Stephen Curry is the leader of this Warriors team as he averaged 29.9 per game this season. Curry is looking to take home his second consecutive NBA MVP Award as he and his teammates with the Warriors have been hungry all season long to show how special that they truly are. But all of the Warriors accolades during the regular season won’t mean a thing if they are unable to be the last team standing in two months.

There have been 19 NBA teams that have won at least 65 regular season games through the history of the league, with 15 of them going on to claim the championship that year. Two teams this season have won at least 65 games as the San Antonio Spurs finished this NBA campaign with a record of 67-15 which means that there will be at least one team this season that will be added to the small list of teams that were unable to win a championship in spite of having such a stellar season. But for the Warriors, the odds appear to be in their favor as long as they remain injury free to take home another title this June.

Of the teams that have won at least 65 regular season games, the Warriors are just the fourth team to win that many games as the defending NBA Champions. And whereas that the NBA Playoffs are set to begin this Saturday, the postseason in actuality began for Golden State on opening night this past October as they have gotten every team’s best effort on a nightly basis which has to be a boost to their already immense confidence.

Over the last two NBA seasons which includes the 2015 NBA Playoffs, the Warriors have only lost at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California six times as opponents know that they will have their hands full when they arrive in the Bay Area. And the Warriors protection of their home court will go a long way in their quest to repeat as NBA Champions. Right now Curry is locked in as a perimeter shooter and he has truly benefited playing in an era where the rules are geared to scoring while there is also a league-wide lack of concentration at the defensive end of the floor which makes for him taking and making more open jump shots. As a team, that Warriors shot nearly 49% percent from the floor this season and 41% from beyond the three-point arc which both led the NBA which as that shooting ability allows them to never be truly out of a game while being a big part of their 73 victories.

Stephen Curry

Aside from potentially facing the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals, and the Cavaliers for a second consecutive year in the NBA Finals, Golden State won’t face that many teams in the postseason that have enough depth and athleticism to match up against them which should make the first two rounds of the playoffs a glorified tuneup for them. And in order for the Warriors to fall short of their ultimate goal of winning the NBA Championship, they are going to have to face a team that it willing to focus on the defensive end of the floor enough to make Curry and shooting guard Klay Thompson work for every single point. However the team that has the best chance to prevent the Warriors from winning the NBA Title, is the Warriors themselves.

At times it appeared that the Warriors were ready to crack under the pressure of chasing 73 wins, but each time they responded like true champions. And that pressure and media scrutiny will be taken to another level in the NBA Playoffs. However the fact that the Warriors have already shown that they have what it takes to go all the way should be just what the doctor ordered for them to do it again and solidify themselves as one of the greatest teams in NBA history.

Source: Landofbasketball.com

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By | 2016-04-15T08:55:52+00:00 April 15th, 2016|Categories: National Basketball Association|Tags: , , , |0 Comments

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