The Golden State Warriors met up with the Oklahoma City Thunder Thursday night for the final time this regular season. The Warriors had won the first two meetings, but both games were close, which provided some optimism for the Thunder. In the second meeting within the past week, the Thunder started off hot, but they could not hang on as the Warriors completed the season sweep.
This was Golden State's 55th win of the season already, and there is still a month left before the regular season is over. It is clear that the Warriors are the prohibitive favorites to win back-to-back NBA Championships, but many people believed that the Thunder were one of the teams that could possibly beat them in a series. That remains a possibility considering all of the games have been close, but the Warriors have pulled out each one so far and have shown they are superior.
This win for the Warriors had a little more importance than their 54 previous wins because it tied them with the Bulls for longest home court winning streak of all-time at 44 straight. Golden State has the potential this season to set a lot of NBA records, so this may be the first of many. The Warriors will look to break the tie on Monday when they host the Orlando Magic at Oracle Arena.
The big record everyone is talking about with the Warriors, though, is breaking Michael Jordan's Bulls record of 72 wins. After the win on Thursday, the Warriors remain ahead of the pace as the Bulls had 54 wins through 60 games while the Warriors are at 55 through 60.
The story of this game could easily be how the Thunder continue to blow late leads, and they have blown many, but the Warriors are doing things we just haven't seen. Whenever the Warriors play at home now, it is virtually a foregone conclusion that they will win. The only question is whether Stephen Curry will play in the fourth quarter because the game could easily turn into a blowout no matter who they're playing.
The Warriors are only 3.5 games ahead of the Spurs for the top seed in the Western Conference, but with the rate they have been winning, it is very likely that they get home court advantage through the playoffs. If and when that happens, good luck to everyone that has to play them in a series because they are showing that they are unbeatable at home. The Thunder supposedly matchup with the Warriors the best, but even they were swept in the regular season, so it would seem as though maybe nobody has a chance to beat this all-time great team in a series.
