The distraction known as chasing 73 wins has finally derailed the Golden State Warriors.
Tuesday, Stephen Curry and the Warriors laid an egg in an overtime loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, an encounter that looked like the most winnable of the team’s remaining schedule as the chase for 73 wins hit the home stretch.
There, all five Warriors starters scored in double digits but still lost 124-117 because the defense simply couldn’t slow Andrew Wiggins, who poured in 32 points while rookie big man Karl Anthony-Towns posted 20 points and 12 rebounds. What really stood out was Golden State’s trademark, as the team shot just 34 percent from deep.
So the question becomes obvious—should the Warriors chase 73 wins?
It’s a distraction, as Draymond Green told ESPN.com’s Ethan Sherwood Strauss:
Asked whether the Warriors had gotten caught up in the hype of possibly setting an NBA record for wins in a season, Green responded, “Honestly? Yes.” Then he corrected, “I wouldn’t necessarily say caught up in the hype.”
Green also said the Warriors are ready for this particular segment of the season to finish.
Hitting 73 wins would mean going undefeated down the stretch, which isn’t as easy as it sounds, even for these Warriors.
The Warriors have to face the San Antonio Spurs twice and dance with the Memphis Grizzlies twice as well. The latter isn’t much of a problem as Golden State has had its way with Memphis, but it’s Tim Duncan and the Spurs who pose a serious problem. The Warriors lost to the Spurs in San Antonio back in March and coincidentally enough, the second matchup with the Spurs comes on the road again.
The easy answer? Forget chasing the record.
It’s funny many will consider the Warriors a failure if they don’t hit the record given the amazing season they’ve had. But this group of players doesn’t seem to care what outsiders think all that much, anyway. Trying to go undefeated over these next four games, brutal as they are, doesn’t make sense. There’s no reason for the Warriors to overexert themselves ahead of the playoffs. Going down in history would be nice, but doing so while potentially ruining a shot at a championship doesn’t make sense.
Many want to see the Warriors make history. But Curry and Co. have been consistent in their message all year long—they want to win a title.
Expect the Warriors to keep chasing the end goal and stay true to their message.