A few high fives. Some pats on the back. A word of encouragement here and there.
The Warriors remained relatively stoic after clinching a 73-9 record – breaking the 72-10 mark of the 1995-96 Bulls – with a 125-104 win over Memphis on Wednesday.
Draymond Green thanked the crowd after the historic victory, ending his speech with a simple message:
“Now, let’s go get this championship,” Green said.
73? The Warriors already looked focused on the next 16.
Their challenge now – repeating as NBA champions – begins with a first-round series against the Rockets. Golden State doesn’t want to become the next 16-0 New England Patriots or 116-win Seattle Mariners, record-setting teams in the regular season that fell short in the postseason.
But if the Warriors complete a title run, they’ve staked a strong case as the best team in NBA history. They’ve done all they can so far, posting the league’s best-ever record:
Like many of their wins this season, the Warriors cruised tonight. Curry scored 46 points and boosted his single-season 3-pointers record to 402 with 10 tonight – in three quarters.
For all the debate about whether Golden State should rest its players or push for wins down the stretch, early domination took care of that question against Memphis. Most of the Warriors’ starters – Curry, Green and Andrew Bogut – sat the entire final period. A huge win for the history books was pretty mundane for those involved.
Just how they wanted it.
“We’ll be fresh for this weekend,” Curry said.