EVER SINCE THE Golden State Warriors began to rack up a relentless win streak, the big question was whether they could break the 20-year Chicago Bulls’ record.
In 1996, Phil Jackson’s iconic team featuring the holy trinity of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman, claimed their fourth championship in six seasons after going 72-10 for the regular season.
With just four games to go, the Warriors are 69-9 and have lost two of their last three games.
To break the record, they need to go unbeaten from now until the end of the campaign, which wraps up next week.
Tonight, it could all unravel for them as the San Antonio Spurs visit Oakland. And they will be keen to play party poopers.
Even if they fail to win tonight, the Spurs will get another chance on Sunday when the Warriors come to Texas – where they lost by eight points recently.
The Spurs have enjoyed a terrific season too and are 65-12, the second-best side overall. They’ve played 39 of those games at home and are still to be beaten there.
They’ll will fancy their chances of a possible championship too – their fifth in the last thirteen years.
Going back two decades, the Bulls accomplished something no team had previously done – they won 70 games. They hit the magic number with four straight wins and closed out the regular season with two victories from their final three games.
Even with Steph Curry’s super-human performances, the Warriors have buckled recently. There was the unexpected loss to the Timberwolves while the Celtics got the better of them too. Even their victory over the Utah Jazz came after overtime.
The Warriors’ run has led to inevitable comparisons but the Bulls’ key players from that glorious side are adamant they were better.
Earlier this week, Pippen claimed his Bulls team from 1996 would sweep the Warriors in a hypothetical series.
Bulls in four (games). I don’t think we’d take a night off. I think my size and length would bother Curry a little bit”.
Pippen added that he’d limit Curry, whose points-per-game average for the season is 30, to less than twenty.
Rodman was similarly dismissive.
“The game has changed so much. I don’t think that Golden State can even last or even come close to even playing with us in the ’90s because, back then, you could actually kick peoples’ ass, you could throw punches, you could do all the stuff like that. Now, you can’t do anything. No, I don’t think they can beat us.”
The most interesting aspect to the debate is that the Warriors are coached by Steve Kerr, who was part of that 1996 Bulls’ roster.
He’s become increasingly jaded by the question of which team is better but when the Warriors were on their way to claiming last year’s championship (his first as a coach), he did admit the Warriors lacked one crucial element that the Bulls had.
“We had this guy named Michael Jordan on that team. That year, I think we were 41-3. So if we can go 21-1 the next 22 games, come talk to me.
What I remember that year is there were about 10 games where Michael just decided, ‘We’re going to win,’” Kerr said. “And every other team on Earth would have lost those 10 games. And Michael Jordan was … there’ll never be another one. Nobody has ever come close, and I don’t think anybody ever will. He wanted to break that Lakers record of 69 wins, so he decided we would do it, so we did it. There’s only one Michael.”
And how does Jordan feel about all of this?
He’s remained relatively silent on the topic though according to the Warriors’ Klay Thompson, he has little issue with the reigning champions creating history.
Still, it would appear unlikely at this stage allowing that glorious Bulls side of 1996 to remain immortal.
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Cannot wait for this.
watching this in Tenerife on Sunday can’t wait COYBIB
Cian o Sullivan won’t start Sunday.
Looking forward to it, should be a great game
Great looking bench !!! …would be nice if full team plus subs could parade ….it’s a 15 plus subs game nowadays
Come on the DUBS!
Still 31 against 1. That’s cool! We Dubs are invincible!
Hope the traffic wasn’t too bad for you heading home for the weekend!
Please park responsibly when you come to Dublin for the All-Ireland! You ain’t at home, we’ll clamp your a$$!
Come on you Boys in Blue
johnny cooper to be booked within first 20 mins then taken off in second half to avoid being sent off
Think Michael Fitzsimons is unlucky not to start, he may not be the most naturally gifted player, but he is the one Dub that can keep Gooch out of the game with his exceptional marking ability.
Not deserving of an all Ireland win..Kerry to show their greatness
Why are they not deserving of an All Ireland win?
How they disgraced themselves against Mayo
If you remember both teams disgraced themselves in the drawn game ! In the replay the game was played in the spirit of the sport and the dubs came out on top ! Jealous and petty dub bashers
One of the top 2 teams in the country. Anyone that tries to say they’re not deserving of an All Ireland based on one game where BOTH teams were far from behaving like choir boys is talking waffle. As for the original comment, you’re from Tralee, that answers my question.
Brian are you deserving of your mot
I cant wait till sunday.hopefully quieten these fellas for a decade. #sammightaswellhavestayedathome #hopehegotareturnticket
Winning on Sunday will quieten us for a decade? Haha ok then! Oh and save the hashtags for Twitter.
#we’llsee #superiormidfield #superiorforwards #whatstheoddsofconnollylastingthegame #mustbesomethinginthewater #surewe’lltakethemarkhamcupalso
You uninteresting bore.
Never met an interesting one to be honest.
Well Bernard! Hope you got to put your feet up on the empty seat booked for Sam’s return trip home?? I think those ‘superior forwards’ of yours must have left their kicking boots at home! Brian, what happened to this greatness Kerry we’re going to show us?!?!
Kerry for your holliers Dublin for the Sam! Wan the Dubs!!!!!!!
Two players from the South side, yeah lets split the county in two.
3 actually
3 actually, o carroll, o Sullivan and Bastick.
Thumbs up there Eamo
Macauley , McManamon,Byrne .Ó Conghaile and Fitzsimons as well
3 from south side clubs which is how it would be divided I presume.
Kind of goes to show what a stupid idea it would be.
And one from Meath
We’ve actually annexed Meath so your comment is null and void.
We’d love an all-Ireland….all Ireland would hate that…..C.O.Y.B.I.B.
We’ll be marching down from Ringsend,
And from Ballyfermot too.
From Eastwall and Marino,
To support the boys in Blue.
For 2 long years we’ve waited
and there’s nothing left to prove
So lets here it now from Dublin
Gavin’s army’s on the loose.
The Jacks are back!
Not much of a march from eastwall to Marino.
Will be interesting to see if O’Sullivan starts. If he’s not fully fit don’t start him, not worth using a sub earlier than planned because he’s not fully fit. Fingers crossed he’s ready and able!
He is starting Aideen
No, he’s named to start. Whether he starts on the day is a whole other story. Team sheets can change on the day.
Aideen the only way you can start an individual in the GAA with questions over fitness is from the start. There is no other way. If he has to be subbed so be it, but if you don’t start him, bring him on as a sub and he has to come off again, your down another sub.
Fair point! I should have worded that ‘if he’s not fit don’t play him’.
That depends on the nature of the injury to be fair, it’s a blow if he’s skinned and gone after 10 mins but if he has an hour of football in him it’s worth a shot.
But there’s no way of knowing if he has an hour of football in him till you put him out there and hope. I can’t imagine he’s been able to prove himself by running rings around everyone in training, it’s only been 12 days – it’s all about deciding whether it’s worth the risk I suppose!
Two superb teams.losing Marc and Paul murphy massive body blows for us but IN FITZ WE TRUST.. CIARRAI ABU
IMO McAuley should be starting
both defences to be in bother! kerrys better forwards to shade it In my view
It will be a game of bench warfare very tight to call. whoever gets the most impact from the bench will win hope its the dubs . . . COYBIB
Kerry hoping to give Dublin a game.
Unusual to hear Kerry given a hope, ye must be rattled!
Do the business, Dean Rock
Michael dara is goin to start for certain
I wouldn’t be so sure. Bastick is better at playing the holding role and generally a bit better defensively than Michael dara. McCauley could be the winning of it if it’s still tight in the last 20 mins if he comes on fresh. At his best he’s a nightmare to play against and would give Dublin a huge lift and Kerry won’t love seeing him come on fresh if the game is still in the melting pot
Come on the dubs!!!!!!!!!
Yerra, hopefully we’ll keep it close in the first half, and shur we’d be delighted to come within ten points.
gavin has never started the 15 he picked on friday he’s fooling nobody
Osullivan done his hammer less than two weeks ago he can’t possibly play on it , he’s gonna make it worse and miss the club championship doubt hel be risked but if so start him and see how long he lasts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4VTn2PCxn8&sns=em
Michael Donnellan of Galway would walk onto that team