The 2015-16 regular season is over for the Golden State Warriors, and they couldn’t be happier.
On Wednesday night, with a decisive win over the shorthanded Memphis Grizzlies, the Warriors secured their 73rd victory of the year, breaking the NBA’s previous record of 72 wins. It’s been a wild ride for the reigning champions, who will begin their title defense with a first-round date against the Houston Rockets, and they couldn’t be more ecstatic that it’s over, per Zach Harper of CBS Sports:
“There is definitely a relief to just be finished with it,” Draymond Green said after pushing for the chance to go for 73 wins for so long. “It’s kind of been a question probably because we got to 15-0, 14-0, and everybody was looking like oh, this where the ’96 Bulls were. So it’s been kind of lingering overhead for that long now. So just to get it done, it’s definitely a relief. But now the real stuff starts, so got a whole ‘nother challenge, and that relief doesn’t happen until you win a championship.”
Indeed, it looked like the chase for 73 started to weigh on the Warriors. Well that, or they were just bored. They got caught in a trap game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, were smothered by the Boston Celtics and nearly lost to the shorthanded Grizzlies on Monday night. It was difficult to tell whether they were in cruise control mode or just plain nervous.
Whatever the issue, it’s gone now. The Warriors have 73 wins. They are the best regular season team in league history.
Now the real test begins.
There isn’t a team on paper, not even the San Antonio Spurs, that can beat the Warriors four times in seven tries. Another title seems like a formality. And we’ll soon know whether that feeling incites complacency in the Warriors or if entering the postseason alone is enough for them to permanently flip the switch they flipped on Wednesday night.
