Golden State Warriors Reach 21-0
The defending NBA champs, the Golden State Warriors, have started the season 21-0 after a close win in Toronto on December 5th. The Warriors won the game 112-109, getting 44 points from reigning MVP Stephen Curry.
The Raptors led by as many as 13 points in the first quarter and by 10 points at halftime. Heading into the 4th quarter, the Raptors were winning 85-to-84. But Stephen Curry’s 15 points in the 4th quarter were too much for Toronto and they lost the game.
Of the Warriors’ 21 wins this season, 11 of them have come on the road. The team now has a 25 -game winning streak dating back to last season, which is good for the third-longest streak in NBA history, trailing the 2012-2013 Miami Heat (27) and the 1971-1972 Los Angeles Lakers (33).
The Warriors’ amazing winning streak has a lot to do with point guard Stephen Curry, who won the NBA MVP and finals MVP last season. On the season, Curry is averaging 32.6 points per game, shooting a ridiculous .527% from the field and .468% from the three-point range. Curry is also shooting .932% from the free throw line and is getting his teammates involved, averaging six assists per game.
No one in the NBA has been able to contain Curry, and many teams may start to double team him. The good thing for the Warriors is that they have many other capable weapons on the offensive end of the floor. Shooting guard Klay Thompson has struggled slightly to start the season but is a very capable scorer averaging 17 points per game while shooting .454% from the field.
And perhaps the unsung hero of the Golden State Warriors is forward Draymond Green. Many people don’t know who Draymond Green is, but Warriors fans know just how important he is to the team’s success. Green is averaging nearly a triple double per game with 12.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 7.2 assists, leading the team in rebounds and assists. He is a great all-around versatile, defensive player.
As a team, the Warriors are leading the NBA in points per game (115.1) and assists per game (29.1). They have already broken the record of best starts in NBA history and have a legitimate shot to break Michael Jordan’s 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls single season wins record of 72 games. With eight more wins, the Warriors could tie for the longest winning streak in NBA history at 33 games.
Basketball fans may be witnessing history in the making as this 2015-2016 Warriors team could go down as one of the greatest teams in basketball history.