A Golden Start for Golden State
A Golden Start for Golden State
Ari Esrig ‘18
Well, it’s official: Stephen Curry is a good luck charm for any sports team he plays for or likes.
While Curry’s favorite football team, the Carolina Panthers, are 12-0, the basketball team that he plays for, the Golden State Warriors, is off to the best start in not just NBA history, but North American sports history.
The Warriors record-setting total – 24 straight to start the 2015-16 NBA season – dethroned the previous record-holders, the St. Louis Maroons, a team from the Union Association, a preceding league to Major League Baseball. The Maroons started 20-0 in 1884, more than 130 years ago.
The Warriors earned their 24th consecutive win to the season by defeating the up-and-coming Boston Celtics in thrilling fashion, 124-119, in double overtime. The Warriors, who had beaten their opponents this season by an average of nearly 15 points per game, however, were unable to extend the streak to 25 as they earned their first loss of the year on December 13 to the Milwaukee Bucks, 108-95.
Curry, the defending league MVP and son of retired three-point specialist Dell Curry, is perhaps the biggest reason for Golden State’s amazing start. Curry has been tearing up the league, as his 32.3 points per game leads the league and his 6.0 assists per game aren’t too shabby, either. Curry has also made a league-leading 127 three-pointers in 277 tries for a whopping 45.8 three-point field goal percentage.
The Warriors, however, aren’t just a one-trick pony. Golden State’s lineup is stacked with NBA stars like Curry’s backcourt mate Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Harrison Barnes, Andrew Bogut and reigning Finals MVP Andre Iguodala, all of whom were major contributors toward earning the team’s first championship since 1975.
Obviously, this historic winning streak has brought Golden State a lot of attention for several reasons. Dating back to last year’s regular season, Golden State had won 29 consecutive regular season games, dethroning the 2012-2013 Miami Heat for the second-most consecutive regular season wins in NBA history. The record is held by the 1971-1972 Los Angeles Lakers, who won 33 straight games.
Although the Warriors were unable to surpass the Lakers’ record, perhaps the 72-win 1995-96 Chicago Bulls will be their next target, as they look to top the Michael Jordan-led team’s record for most wins by a team in a single season. It definitely seems like a formidable challenge, but this Warriors team is ready for anything.
It’s a good time to be a Bay Area basketball fan.
