Lead by head coach Steve Kerr and assistant coach Luke Walton, the Golden State Warriors finished the 2015-2016 NBA season with an overall record of 73-9. This record bested the mark that the Chicago Bulls set with a regular season record of 72-10 in the 1995-1996 season. The Warriors capped off their historic year with a 125-104 win over the Memphis Grizzlies at Oracle Arena on April 13.
The Warriors knocked down 19 three-pointers in the game, 10 of which were made by star guard Stephen Curry. In total, Curry had 46 points, even though he rested the entire fourth quarter.
Curry is in the midst of having the greatest year of his career. He averaged 30 points per game while dishing out nearly seven assists per night in his seventh season. This year he shattered his own record of 286 made three-pointers in one season by hitting 402 threes.
Coming off an NBA title last season, the defending champions started off the year by winning their first 24 games. At the mid-season mark, Golden State was 37-3 with a perfect record of 19-0 at home. They continued to dominate the competition after the All-Star break, finishing with a 36-6 record in the second half of the season.
Of the Warriors nine losses, only two were unexcusable as they came at the hands of the lowly Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves. Their most significant wins were against the star-studded San Antonio Spurs and Cleveland Cavaliers, two teams who they could possibly end up facing in their playoff run this year.
Even though Curry is the team’s main attraction, his supporting cast is what makes the team great. Forward Draymond Green nearly averaged a triple-double with 14 points, 9.5 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game. Star swingman Klay Thompson averaged 22 points per contest, knocking down 42.5 percent of his three’s. Not to be forgotten, reigning NBA Championship MVP Andre Iguodala averaged seven points per game while contributing four rebounds per game in his minutes off the bench.
For the duration of the playoffs, the number one seed Golden State Warriors will have home-court advantage. In the first round they are set to play the eighth seeded Houston Rockets, providing an interesting matchup against one of the game’s best scorers in James Harden.
Be out on the lookout for Curry and the rest of Warriors to be making noise throughout the playoff season. Given the way that Golden State is playing right now, it looks as though their chance to repeat as NBA champions is quite realistic.
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