The Golden State Warriors blazed to a record 73rd victory of the NBA season on Wednesday, thrashing the Memphis Grizzlies 125-104 to eclipse the 72-win campaign of the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls.
NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry scored 46 points as the reigning champions broke the mark that seemed unassailable when it was set two decades earlier by that Michael Jordan-led Bulls team.
With their 73-9 record in hand and the confetti falling at a raucous Oracle Arena, the Warriors were already turning their attention to the playoffs and their larger quest for a title repeat.
“Now, let’s go get this championship,” Draymond Green exhorted the delirious crowd.
Green had been a vocal supporter of the race for the record, urging his teammates toward the feat even as some questioned whether the exhausting pursuit could cost them in the post-season.
“It’s a great way to finish off what was an amazing regular season,” said Warriors coach Steve Kerr, a guard on that Bulls team 20 years ago. “I’d never in a million years have guessed that that record would ever be broken. I thought it was like (Joe) DiMaggio’s hit streak. Really. And I was wrong.”
NBA icon Jordan and US President Barack Obama offered their congratulations. “I want to congratulate the Warriors on their amazing season,” Jordan said in a statement. “The Warriors have been a lot of fun to watch and I look forward to seeing what they do in the playoffs.”
Obama, an avowed Bulls fan, tweeted: “Congrats to the @Warriors, a great group of guys on and off the court. If somebody had to break the Bulls’ record, I’m glad it’s them.”
