Golden State Warriors chase history

The NBA champions emerge from the All-Star break ready to break the single-season wins record

Courtesy of Keith Allison

Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry pictured with Washington Wizards point guard John Wall during a Feb. 3 game.

Alan Ruiz, Reporter, Scottsdale Chronicle

Records are meant to be broken according to the sports world and that’s exactly what the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association are on a quest to do.

At the 2016 All-Star break, the Warriors, who are led by reigning league-MVP Stephen Curry and fellow all-stars Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, have a league-leading 48-4 record, which is the best start in league history through 52 games, according to Sports Illustrated.

“It’s quite an entertainment to see these guys take the court every night,” Warriors fan and Bay Area native Sean Trejo said. “It would be incredible to see them break that record, but the ultimate goal is to hoist that Finals trophy in June. Obtaining that best record would mean nothing if we’re not repeating as champions in the end.”

The defending NBA champions started 24-0 – the best unbeaten start in league history – and have continued to display excellent team chemistry throughout the first 52 games. They seem destined to make a deep run in this year’s postseason.

“It’s pretty satisfying,” Curry told NBA.com’s Bob Baum about the team’s fast start to the season. “We handled a lot of different challenges pretty well this first half of the season.”

The Warriors are in pursuit of the Chicago Bulls’ 72-10 record, which was achieved during the 1995-1996 season. The Bulls, who were led by the likes of Hall of Famers Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, went on to win the NBA championship that season, and are considered by NBA.com to be the league’s best team of all-time.

“It doesn’t faze me one bit,” Bulls fan and Chicago native, Daniel Doolan said. “They can break that record for all I care but in my eyes, that 95-96 Bulls team is still the best team of all time. I’m willing to bet money that we would easily beat these Warriors in a 7-game series.”

The Warriors have to win 25 of their remaining 30 games in order to write their names in the history books. They do, however, have to play the West’s next three top teams over those 30 games. The San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Clippers are all on their remaining schedule for a total of five games.  A tough remaining schedule against a slew of probable playoff teams means the Warriors will have their work cut out for them as they chase history.