The last time the Warriors won in San Antonio, Stephen Curry was about 8 years old, B.J. Armstrong was their starting point guard, and Tim Duncan wasn’t in the NBA. Well…prior to the Sunday night classic that gave Golden State their 72nd win of the season. No, you read that right. The Warriors have 72 wins while they were handing the Spurs their third loss in a row and ending their home winning-streak in the same moment. Now, no team will end the season 41-0 in their home stadium — but the Dubs have a higher hope in mind, the 73rd win. And with a home game against the banged up Memphis Grizzlies, the chance looks larger than ever.
The first quarter was shaky for the Warriors, a season low 14 points in the first quarter and 0-12 shooting from everyone not named Draymond Green and Curry. However, with physical interior defense from players like Harrison Barnes all the way to Mo Speights, the Warriors held the Spurs to only 19 points themselves. Everyone wanted to win this game, no matter how much Gregg Popovich denies it. He wouldn’t be okay with a 38-year-old Manu Ginobili diving for a loose ball this late in the regular season in the first quarter. And no, Tim Duncan hasn’t been a factor in the Warriors-Spurs games this season so resting or playing him didn’t make a difference.
Harrison Barnes, who had a great game against the Spurs at Oracle Arena on Thursday struggled from the get-go. San Antonio dared him to shoot, but the young forward missed two wide open three-point jumpers from the same spot to start the game and his confidence was shattered. He told CSN Bay Area after the game that he had to remain patient and despite clanking the first few jumpers off the rim, he knew he’d get his in the end. Along with team effort and help, Barnes held Kawhi Leonard to 7-22 shooting from the field and he never got into a comfortable flow within the Spurs offense.
The second quarter was better for the Warriors. Momentum swung when Draymond Green had a firey technical foul and Brandon Rush set a hard screen on Patty Mills that had the team amped up, resulting in who else but Curry to take charge. He carried that with him into the third quarter where he hit back to back threes and stunned the Texas faithful. The Warriors were on the brink of the impossible and made it happen by breaking their losing streak, snapping the Spurs’ home streak, and becoming the second team in NBA history to have 72 wins. Three hours after the win, and fans were still unwinding on social media. A team that not too long ago had Acie Law running point is considered one of the best teams ever. Talk about a transformation.
Doing the unthinkable takes the Warriors to the top tier of the NBA pyramid, where they belong alone. The Spurs are a great team, Golden State is simply better. Any team with LeBron James will be up there until he retires, but the Cavaliers are also on a tier below the Bay Area squad. They are 5-1 against the two teams combined and have won on both of their home floors while protecting theirs. The Thunder and Clippers have also both been swept by the Dubs and never came too close of being a threat to the team. Golden State managed to keep their composure in several situations, whether it came down to Andre Iguodala sinking two crucial free-throws down the wire in Oklahoma City or the Warriors withstanding a late Clippers run.
The Warriors seem to be allergic to losing. After two disappointing losses to the overachieving Celtics and the rising, full of potential Timberwolves, the Warriors beat the Spurs, Grizzlies in Memphis after a late fourth quarter comeback, and the Spurs again on the back end of a back-to-back. They face the Grizzlies again on Wednesday and have a shot at breaking the 1995-1996 Bulls record by winning their 73rd game of the season.
To put that in perspective, the San Francisco 49ers had more losses in their 2015 NFL season. Again, this Warriors team has more wins than the Oakland Athletics had last season.
Golden State also becomes the first team in NBA history to go an entire season without back to back losses, which is remarkable considering how many they had. The mastermind behind it all for both the 95-96 Bulls and 15-16 Warriors? Steve Kerr.
“It just feels like the right place, right time type of thing to be a part of two teams that have performed like this,” the 50-year-old coach said on Sunday after the win.
Next up for the Warriors: a couple of days of rest and then a date with the Grizzlies on National Television Wednesday. ESPN picked up the game and moved Kobe Bryant’s finale to ESPN2. Another couple of days of rest and Golden State begins their quest for back to back titles this upcoming weekend. They will anxiously await the Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets, or Dallas Mavericks and play them in what should be a quick first round series. This 72/73 win season was a slap in the face to the naysayers who said the team was lucky in the 2015 postseason. A championship hangover was notnexistent with this bunch and they look more focused than ever in mid-April. Golden State continues to rewrite history.
“You don’t really think about 72 wins, you just want to get to a championship level,” Stephen Curry said after the Spurs game on Sunday.
Luckily for Curry and the Warriors, no team seems to be on the championship level that they’re at.
The Warriors actually lost to the overachieving Celtics, not the overachieving Blazers!