Immortality can be seized if the reigning champions add another banner to their already-historic campaign, which saw Golden State break the all-time win total in a regular season with 73 victories to surpass Michael Jordan’s 1995-96 Chicago Bulls. That feat, however, will lose its luster if the Warriors fail to defend their title.
What Golden State has going for them is home court advantage throughout – they were 39-2 at Oracle Arena – and the game’s best player in Stephen Curry.
The sharpshooter proved he was just scratching the surface last year and has raised the bar with an eye-popping return this year en route to becoming the first leading scorer to reach the 50-40-90 club (at least 50 per cent on field goals, 40 per cent on 3-pointers and 90 per cent on free throws).
Steph Curry's incredible season
- Averages 30.1 points per match
- Averages 5.4 rebounds per match
- Averages 6.7 assists per match
- Has hit record 402 triples
As if that wasn’t enough, Curry also became the first to make 400 three-pointers in a season, shattering his own record set last year (286) with 116 more triples (402).
As well as boasting a player that could become the first unanimous MVP in NBA history, the Warriors also has history in their favour.
The three other teams to have won at least 69 games – the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers and the 95-96 and 1996-97 Bulls – all went on to lift the title, while eight of the 10 teams to win at least 67 games also raised the Larry O’Brien trophy.
Their biggest threat is another team with 67 victories this season – the San Antonio Spurs. Led by coach Gregg Popovich, San Antonio are once again one of the top contenders and vying for a sixth championship since 1999.
While Tim Duncan remains cemented as a pillar, the Spurs handed the reins on the floor to young superstar Kawhi Leonard and experienced power forward LaMarcus Aldridge.
Although the Warriors rightly received much of the acclaim, San Antonio weren’t far behind with a 67-15 record, tying the 1985-86 Boston Celtics for the best home record ever at 40-1.
The Spurs can meet Golden State in the Western Conference finals, but will have to improve on the one win they earned in the four regular-season meetings between the two if they are to pull off an upset.
Regardless of which powerhouse comes out of the West, the Eastern Conference is expected to once again be represented by LeBron James’ squad at Cleveland.
The four-time MVP has been in five straight Finals and last year nearly dragged the injury-ravaged Cavaliers past the Warriors before falling in six games. Even after a roller coaster season which saw former assistant coach Tyronn Lue take over for the fired David Blatt, the Cavs still finished at the top of the conference with a 57-25 record.
More importantly, after not having Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love when it mattered most last June, they’re in a relatively healthy state as they search for the franchise’s first title.
The Toronto Raptors appear to be the only team capable of ending James’ Finals run and finished just one game behind Cleveland with a franchise-best mark of 56-26.
Regular-season success is nothing new for the NBA’s only team above the border, but they’ve yet to be a force in the playoffs, reaching the conference semi-finals just once in their 21-year history. Despite winning 48 games in 2013-14 and 49 games last season, the Raptors suffered first-round exits.
In Oklahoma City, the Thunder are gearing up for what could be their final chance at a title with Kevin Durant. The superstar is a free agent this summer and there have been rumblings he could leave, especially if OKC disappoint.
With Durant and the explosive Russell Westbrook, who tied Magic Johnson for most triple-doubles in a season with 18, the Thunder have arguably the best duo in the league which gives them a chance against any given opponent on any night.
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