It was fun while it lasted, wasn’t it? But if you saw how tired the Golden State Warriors were at the end of their double-overtime victory over the Boston Celtics on Friday night, you had to know they’d be gassed the following night in Milwaukee.
That they were, not to mention hobbled with Klay Thompson playing on a bad ankle and Harrison Barnes missing another game. And like all good things, the streak came to an end.
Tonight they will no doubt begin another one, and Friday night brings a quick revenge game against the Bucks.
As we move along through the season, we can circle four dates on the calendar:
Dec. 25: A Christmas afternoon matchup with the Cavs, who will have two guys who weren’t around for the NBA Finals — Mo Williams and Kevin Love — in their arsenal. Prediction: Warriors by 18.
Jan. 25: The ‘Dubs first matchup of the season with the San Antonio Spurs, who are doing their thing under the radar with so much attention being focused for so long on the Warriors. At this point, it is safe to say that the Spurs are the only legitimate threat to defeat the Warriors in a best-of-7 series.
April 7: Another meeting with the Spurs, with a shot at an NBA record 73 wins within their sights.
April 10: A road game at San Antonio after a game the previous night at Memphis. This could be the make-or-break game in terms of bettering the NBA record of 72 wins set in 1996 by the Chicago Bulls.
I covered that Bulls team the night they set an NBA record (in Milwaukee, of all places) with win No. 70. And let me tell you the main difference between watching those Bulls and watching these Warriors: Golden State is a lot easier on the eyes. I offer a further explanation in this podcast with Damon Bruce on 95.7 The Game in the Bay Area.
(Note: While you are listening, please give a read to two exceptional columns by two exceptional, experienced writers: Paul Ladewski, who was a Bulls beat writer in ’95-96 and now covers the Warriors for the San Francisco Examiner; and Jan Hubbard, the man who wrote the NBA Encyclopedia, whose boots are currently on the ground in Oakland. Links to their columns are below.)
Enjoy.
(RELATED: LADEWSKI: WINNERS AND LOSERS FROM GOLDEN STATE’S 24-0 START)
(HUBBARD: WARRIORS DONE CHASING RECORDS, READY TO CHASE CHAMPIONSHIPS)
Chris Sheridan is publisher and editor-in-chief of SheridanHoops.com. Follow him on Twitter.