WE’RE a day away from witnessing potential history.
The Golden State Warriors, the NBA’s equal best team of all time, go up against the injury riddled Memphis Grizzlies for a chance to stand alone as the greatest of all time.
With a record of 72-9, they have equalled the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls’ single season wins mark, and have a chance to make it 73 against the Grizzlies on Thursday, AEST.
The Warriors opened at $8 to break the Bulls record, after starting the season with a record 24 straight wins.
In December, the Warriors had been slashed into $2.90 to break the record with WilliamHill.com.au, the bookie’s Tim Ashworth saying at the time that 99 per cent of punters betting on the market had backed them in.
Those punters are now one win away from claiming their winnings, after the Warriors vanquished the San Antonio Spurs to equal the record, earlier this week.
Sportsbet.com.au has them at a ridiculously skinny $1.02 to beat the Grizzlies and break the record, with a loss at $10.
So what is standing in the way of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and their crew from making history, and winning punters some dough?
Not a whole lot, but the looks of it.
The Grizzlies have been decimated by injury and actually set an NBA record of their own – albeit a more dubious one than what the Warriors are chasing.
They have had more players suit up this season than any other team in history – 28 in total, one more than the mark set but the 1996-97 Dallas Mavericks.
It would be a monumental upset if the Grizzlies, minus the likes of superstar centre Marc Gasol and under rated point guard Mike Conley, were to somehow defeat the Warriors in the last game of the season.
But there would be plenty of basketball romantics, brought up in the days when Jordan, Pippen and Rodman were dominating the hard wood, who will be hoping they can.
Some say it would be justifiable for the Warriors to tie with the Bulls, but there are also many who hope to see the mark broken.
The Bulls cruised through the season, becoming the first team to eclipse 70 wins, and won the title in six games over the Seattle Supersonics, after going through the playoffs dropping just one game.
It was said that it never would be broken, but versatile star Draymond Green says the Warriors have the blessing of His Airness to stand alone at the top.
“Go get the record,” Green said, recalling what Jordan told him during the season.
“Y’all don’t win this record, I’m going to be hot, and I’m blaming you.”
Coach Steve Kerr was a member of the Bulls’ side in 95-96 and was philosophical when asked which team was better.
“It’s really a hard question to answer – not just because you’re comparing eras, but also because it’s literally tough for me to answer grammatically,” he said.
“I don’t know who we is and I don’t know who they are.
“I’ll just say if the two teams played each other, there’s no question we could beat us.”
Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry has put together a season to marvel at. His feats on the court – and especially from the three point line – are of the calibre that we will tell stories about to our kids.
And he is going for a record of his own.
His four three pointers in the season record tying win over the San Antonio Spurs earlier this week gave him 392 for the year.
He needs eight against the Grizzlies for 400.
If you don’t think he’s going to be firing off like an automatic weapon, you don’t know NBA basketball.
“I promise you if I get to 399 and I know it, I will chuck,” Curry said.
“For sure. But that’s the only thing I can guarantee.
“You want to shoot well, be aggressive, be ready for that night and hopefully good things happen.
“That’s kind of the only way I can approach that number. It doesn’t really mean anything in the grand scheme for me.
“I shoot the ball. That’s what I do every single night.
“If it doesn’t, I’ll be still very satisfied with the way I shot the ball in the regular season.”
Some are wondering if Curry will be a unanimous MVP.
He is all but a shoe in to make it two trophies in a row with the major bookies already closing their MVP markets.
The Golden State Warriors are on the cusp of history and they know it, but, whether it’s 73-9 or 72-10, it don’t mean a thing without the ring.
2016 NBA title markets:
Golden State Warriors ($1.62)
San Antonio Spurs ($5)
Cleveland Cavaliers ($5)
Oklahoma City Thunder ($18)
Toronto Raptors ($23)
Los Angeles Clippers ($26)
Atlanta Hawks ($51)
Boston Celtics ($56)
Miami Heat ($71)
Charlotte Hornets ($101)
Indiana Pacers ($101)
Memphis Grizzlies ($101)
Portland Trail Blazers ($151)
Detroit Pistons ($201)
Utah Jazz ($276)
Dallas Mavericks ($326)
Houston Rockets ($326)
Odds provided by sportsbet.com.au
