Last season the basketball world watched as the Golden State Warriors put together a historic regular season, posting a record-setting 73-win season.
This season, they are honing in on history once again. Already enjoying a postseason record 14 straight wins, the Warriors and the NBA world are following their potential path to a 16-0 playoff record, capped off by an NBA title.
But Warriors Draymond Green says the team has one singular goal in mind and it has to do with a title, not win-loss records.
“We made that mistake of circling 73 [wins] and worrying about the wrong thing before,” said Green.
Green experienced what happened first hand as the Warriors gave up a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals to the eventual champion Cleveland Cavaliers.
This season, Green says, the Warriors aren’t concerned with an undefeated postseason run.
“It doesn’t matter,” Green said.
“It would be great, a great story (an undefeated playoff run). …if we were able to do that, I don’t think when I talk about a championship I’d say we were the only team to go 16-0. I think I’d say we won a championship. That’s all that matters.”
Steph Curry echoed Green’s sentiments.
“No, because we’re not [chasing it],” Curry said (h/t ESPN).
“We have a huge hurdle to get over tomorrow. … Game 3 has been a little rough for us historically — and especially in this building. So, to give ourselves a chance at even coming closer to thinking about that, we need to really, really just lock in and give every effort we have on [Wednesday] and how hard this 48 minutes is going to be to really seize control of this series.
“We talked about it before, that 16-0 doesn’t matter in any stretch of the imagination unless that’s a closeout game.”
But, people can’t help themselves but to debate the “what ifs”, such as what if the Warriors do go 16-0? Would that make them the best team in NBA history?
More specifically, does that put them ahead of the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls?
“I don’t think it ends the argument. Two different eras, playing against different teams,” Green said in response.
“To say if we were to go 16-0, we beat four teams 16 times in a row. But they weren’t the four teams they had to beat.
“I still don’t think there is a comparison to make. Only thing you can measure is the numbers. Everyone wants to make history, but I want to win four games. I just want to win four games. Championship is history. That is the only history we need to make.”
For now, the Warriors are focused on Game 3, a critical game for the Cavs, who need to avoid going down 3-0 in the series.
If they do, than the chatter about the Warriors going 16-0 will be impossible to ignore, despite what anyone on the team says.