Voted NO originally, and still think NO today. No way they stay healthy for this long, and not get caught in atleast 3-5 trap games. Everyone get's caught in trap games!
Other than the Spurs and less so - a healthy Cavs team, I don't see them losing. Even if Steph lays an egg, they have guys that can drop 20-30 if need be. That team is a well oiled machine, and damn... I hate that I love watching them. Spoiler Yes I am, Dave. Yes...I...Am...
I was a definite no at first but this is getting interesting. Warriors will hit a skid or two, but they have a legit chance. It may depend on how bad they want it and if the defensive intensity is still there late in the season. If it is, injuries may be the only thing that stops them. Bench production will be key also. It's interesting they don't play the Spurs until late January (~45th game) and then again 3 times the last 3 weeks of the season. I think 70 games is quite possible but 73 is still not likely.
I still think there is absolutely no way. The pressure of having to continue to win. The worry of injury at the end of the season before the playoffs and they play some good teams during that time too. Rest or play for a record? An injury will happen, it's only a matter of time. I think it's more likely they end 67-69 wins.
Remember before the 96 Bulls, MJ, PIP, and Phil were racing for 70 wins in the 91-92 season. 10 of their 15 losses came within 2 to 4 points. By the time they lost to the Magic by 3, and they couldn't get 70 anymore, they relaxed and gave one up to Boston who had already lost Bird and then Jordan sat out to another loss to the Cavs. I think the experience of how tough it was to try and reach 70+ was one of the reasons that helped the 96 Bulls focus and get over that barrier. The Warriors had a great 67 win last season, the same amount of wins those Bulls ended up with but there was no pressure. They were a surprise team that some didn't even have in their playoff picture in the off season. They had no pressure from the media constantly talking about 70 wins like back then for the 92 Bulls who were trying to repeat. The pressure is now on for these Warriors to A. Keep the streak alive and make history for longest winning streak. B. Reach 70 wins. C. Be the greatest team of all time and pass up the 96 Bulls with 73 wins. C. Repeat as champs. That's just too much pressure for them this year IMO.
Absolutely no way is a strong statement given the first 23 games. They'll definitely lose a few games... but how many? I don't see them losing 15 games like you implied, not at this point unless they decided to rest everyone for long stretches of time. Their second strings already get huge PT; Curry has been logging more minutes than usual lately though, so maybe they drop a couple in the near future when Curry rests.
They closed out the last regular season with a four game win streak... it's officially 27 games... I think they can get the overall count to tie the Lakers at 33 at least... they can hit 72 easy if they start 30-0 and just win 9 out of 10 from there on out...
You seem to view pressure as a negative. I think it's helping them focus. If they had even one loss right now, I think their focus would be a lot lower. Because the streak keeps the "pressure" on, their focus has remained pretty strong. Also, the Warriors seem to thrive on pressure. They turn in some forgettable performances against teams like the Nets and Kings, but then people start talking up the Pacers as a big threat to their streak and the Warriors annihilate them (until they took the foot off the pedal in the fourth). It's also unclear that they'll have to weigh the record against rest. They've won so many games by comfortable margins that they've already been resting guys. None of their players has a particularly high minutes per game. While the Pacers mounted their comeback, the Warriors' starters were resting for most of the fourth...if the bench hadn't had a rare meltdown, they wouldn't have played a minute of the fourth. This team seems custom built to break the record...they enjoy the pressure and they win while managing their minutes.
I just can't see it happening without them burning themselves out for the playoffs. to try and win 73+ games and then compete in a 7 games series with OKC, San Antonio, Clips and Rockets? at some point they have to decide if rest and preparation for the playoffs is more important than a regular season record because once top seeds lock in a good seed/match up they generally slow down and take their foot off the gas the last 7-8 games for rest. I'm very interested to see what this still young warriors team decides to do in the second half of the season. Also worth noting, that lakers team that won 33 games straight only finished the season 69-13.
How are the burning themselves out? Most of their games are over by the end of the 3rd quarter and 4th quarter is basically garbage time. They have good depth and are well balanced. NONE of their players are top 25 in MPG. Highest is Curry at 27 with ONLY 34.4 MPG
Well, according to JVG, breaking the record is much more impressive than winning a championship. http://www.csnbayarea.com/warriors/...rriors-will-lose-celtics?p=ya5nbcs&ocid=yahoo
People remember which team won 33 games, which team won most games, who cares about one of those run of the mill championships unless it is part of a dynasty, but this could be a dynasty in the making.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I asked 41 NBA executives & coaches if they think Warriors will break 72-10 mark. 32 said No, 9 said Yes. 32-9 No</p>— Chris Broussard (@Chris_Broussard) <a href="https://twitter.com/Chris_Broussard/status/676509208439873540">December 14, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Find me 9 more losses. Good luck! This team doesn't lose. This team doesn't beat themselves. From NBA lottery to Western Conference playoff team to NBA juggernaut. All in the last 5 years. Pretty remarkable.
