Steve Kerr and the Golden State Warriors have known for a while now that this year's team has the chance to do something historic. With 11 games to go, the Warriors need nine wins to reach 73, thus breaking the 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls' record of 72 wins in a single season.
Kerr is seeking his second title with the Warriors in as many season as the team's coach, but he knows how fragile NBA rosters can be and employs a rotation strategy to limit his players' usage. He previously stated he would prioritize resting players over chasing the record, but now it seems he will let the Warriors go all out.
"Now we're right there," Kerr said before the Warriors played the Los Angeles Clippers Wednesday night. "That's pretty enticing.
"It's really the players' record. I know they want to get it. So we'll act accordingly."
The Warriors cruised to a 114-98 win over the Clippers in Oakland, the team's 51st straight win at home. As they have done all season, the Warriors beat a quality team with a strong second-half performance, outscoring the Clippers 66-49 after going into the half up by two points.
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combined for 65 points, Draymond Green had 12 points and 12 rebounds, and four bench players had double-digit minutes. That could well be a copy-and-paste sentence for a majority of the Warriors' wins this season. It is that kind of consistency that has the Warriors believing they can win 73 games.
"It's probably a different answer for each person," Curry said before the game, "but this is probably a good checkpoint. Going 10-2 for us is kind of on pace for what we've been doing all season."
Green has been outspoken about going for the record, and since he has been the unofficial mouthpiece of the Warriors, he was likely speaking for the rest of the team. But going for the record might also be necessary to hold off the San Antonio Spurs for home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.
The Spurs are just four games back and have two games against the Warriors still scheduled - one in San Antonio and one in Oakland. Though the games against the Spurs could certainly be a playoff preview, the Warriors can still use their stretch run to get more playing time for role players like Marreese Speights, a possible secret weapon for the Warriors.
