Championships are the goal of any sports team from the start to the finish of any season. They mean you’re the best, you outlasted all other teams to be crowned as the cream of the crop. As a Chicago Bulls fan, this season has pretty much become a wash in the chase for a championship. Instead my focus has turned to the team from Oakland, the Golden State Warriors. They are chasing history this season and going for two records, the first perfect home season and the best record in NBA history.
In the 1995 and 1996 season, Michael Jordan, with the help of Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman and others, led the Chicago Bulls to the current best record in NBA history with a record of 72-10. Through the playoffs they only lost three more games on their way to a NBA title against the Seattle SuperSonics. Looking at Golden State, it would sure seem like they have an opportunity to achieve greatness, so as a Chicago sports fan I’ll break it down.
Jordan was a one of a kind player that could take over a game at any moment and while Golden State does not have a Jordan, they do have the “splash brothers.” Steph Curry and Klay Thompson have become two of the best shooters of all time––no room for argument. Either one can shoot near perfect from beyond the arc on a given night and both can heat up in an instant. When one of the “splash brothers” is on, it is near impossible to slow down the Warriors.
The other key thing that the Warriors have, much like the Bulls did, are role players. Andre Iguodala has resurrected his career in Oakland. A solid player for Philadelphia, he was well below mediocre during a couple seasons with Denver. Now, Iguodala is explosive as ever and his shooting touch helps stretch the floor. Another huge player is Draymond Green. A Michigan State alum, Green has come into his own this season. He leads the league for triple doubles and helps cause matchup nightmares when he switches to center when Golden State features their small lineup.
Not all is perfect for the Warriors though. Their Achilles heel is the same thing that makes them so great, and that's their offensive explosiveness. Golden State is not going to beat you with their defense. In only five games have they held their opponents under 90 points this season, and they’ve played 57 games thus far (with February 27th game not included). Down the stretch, games get harder, the playoff push becomes more important, and players need rest. Warriors coach Steve Kerr will have to make an important decision as to how to play his players and that offensive explosiveness might be limited. If this is the case, it would not surprise me to see the Warriors drop a few games.
The Chicago Bulls had some legendary teams, none more so than that 1995-96 season. This years Golden State Warriors are chasing history and have a better chance than anyone to make it. Curry, Thompson, and the rest of that cast are near unstoppable and I honestly would be shocked at this point if they did not achieve the best record of 73-9, if not better. Being the Chicago fan that I am though, I will be sitting over here quietly rooting for them to lose 11 games.
