Warriors coach Steve Kerr knows exactly what chasing 72 wins is like. After all, he’s the only person in the Golden State locker room who’s done it before.
The Warriors, who won their first 36 home games of the year, fell 109-106 at ROracle to the Celtics on Friday night. And now, Kerr, a member of the record-breaking 72-10 1995-96 Bulls, says his 68-8 Dubs are going through similar struggles.
Via ESPN’s Ethan Sherwood Straus:
“It’s exactly the same,” Kerr said. “Honestly, it was exactly the same. Constant media questioning about the streak.”
Kerr also admitted that things change when you’re approaching historic territory:
“I think they want the [wins] record,” Kerr said of his players Saturday after practice. “But I think what they probably realize is maybe all the talk and all the focus on the record has gotten us away from the process of who we are.”
He expanded later:
“I do think the constant questions and talk about — whether it’s home win streak or record or whatever — I think all that stuff does take its toll, whether the players know it or not, whether it’s a conscious thing or not, and it probably has taken a little bit away from, as I said, our process or our work.”
Basically, the Warriors are human. It’s kind of shocking.
Even following the loss to the C’s, they remain in a strong spot to topple the 72-win marker. Four of Golden State’s final six games of the year come at home. Two of those six are against the second-place Spurs; one is in San Antonio, the other in Oakland.
But the Spurs could rest some prominent players in either or both of those games, as the Spurs are prone to doing.
The Warriors still have a legitimate chance to tie the best home record of all time, too, held by the 1985-86 Celtics, who went 40-1. But even if they get there, it may not matter. The Spurs, somehow, remain unbeaten at home with only three games remaining in San Antonio. It’s amazing, but we could get the two best home records of all time in the same season.
(ESPN)
