Chasing history

The Golden State Warriors have been off to a blistering start this year at 14-0 having just defeated the Chicago Bulls at home 106-94. Their 14-0 start marks the best start to a season by a defending champion since the Boston Celtics went 14-0 in the 1957-1958 season. With their win on Sunday night against the Denver Nuggets, the Warriors now hold the record for best start coming off a championship win the previous season.

This would be an incredible accomplishment for this year's Warriors team, but that’s not the only record it is chasing. If the team is able to defeat the Nuggets Sunday night, then it will have a chance to play the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday for a 16th consecutive win, penciling the Warriors in the history books yet again as the team with the most consecutive wins to begin an NBA season. After the Warriors' win Friday night against the Bulls, Stephen Curry was asked about their record and had this to say: “It would be a huge accomplishment because obviously doing something that hasn’t been done in the history of the league is special, but you never know if this opportunity will come back again.”

Regardless of whether the Warriors are able to break this record, by Tuesday night we will be talking about a different record the Warriors have their sights on breaking: the Chicago Bulls' illustrious 72-win season in the 1995-1996 regular season. The Warriors have the chance to do what no team has done before. Through the first 13 games, the Warriors were a perfect 13-0 while the 1995-1996 Bulls were 11-2 through their first 13-game stretch. During their historic season, the Bulls also reeled off an 18-game win streak en route to their 72-10 record. Barring any catastrophic injuries and with a little luck, the Warriors just might surpass the mark set by Michael Jordan and his Bulls team.

One of the bigger questions to ask about all of these records is whether the Warriors even be chasing them. If the ultimate goal of any NBA team is to win an NBA championship, then maybe the Warriors should take a page out of the Spurs' playbook and rest their star players so that they will preserve their health and energy for the playoffs. The Warriors, having such a strong bench, could coast into a playoff spot, so why not play Stephen Curry and his co-stars for 30 minutes per game and allow them to remain fresh down the stretch of the season? It is all a matter of opinion, but one thing is for sure: this record breaking regular season by the Warriors sure is fun to watch.