The Golden State Warriors have made no secret they are chasing the all time NBA wins mark of 72 set by the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, and Michael Jordan himself has apparently given them his blessing.
Klay Thompson said Jordan, who led that Bulls team to the high-water mark, told him, “Go ahead and go break the record,” when the two stopped to chat at All-Star weekend.
Either retirement has softened Michael Jordan’s psychotic competitive streak, or Klay Thompson struggles to interpret sarcasm.
However, there is also option three: those words of encouragement are actually just an intricate mind game designed to trip the Warriors up. All season long, the Warriors have fed off the narrative their championship campaign was flukey, channelling that disbelief into motivation for bucking the championship hangover. Now that Jordan and others are “believing” in the Warriors, the motivational kindling needed to stoke the Warriors’ us-against-the-world fire is, in theory, shrinking.
Perhaps that is reading way too much into just seven words, but it would be a classic scheme from the one of the game’s greatest trash talkers.
Regardless, Golden State has a great shot to break the record. They sit at 48-4, which is the best record in league history after 52 games, and only have to go 25-5 in their last 30 games. That is no small feat, but when you look at their track record it seems almost impossible not to happen. A major injury would just about be the only thing that could derail them now.
There are rumblings that Golden State could rest players down the stretch, but if the Spurs keep pace — San Antonio is presently just 3.5 games back — the Warriors might be forced to go full strength to the bitter end. Bad news for the rest of the NBA and great news for fans clamoring to see a major record fall.
