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That Golden State Warriors played the San Antonio Spurs Thursday night in a highly anticipated matchup that we'll get to see again soon when the two teams play each other on Sunday in San Antonio. Golden State came out on top 112-101, clinching the 1-seed in the Western Conference and becoming the second NBA team in history to reach the 70-win mark.
RELATED: Shaquille O'Neal Gives Hilarious Advice For Warriors Celebration If They Reach 70 Wins
Normally, this has come to signify a point in time in which the team has accomplished all it can in the NBA regular season and should focus on resting their stars for the playoffs. But Golden State head coach Steve Kerr and his players have other milestones to consider. Namely, the single season record 73 wins.
Including the game in San Antonio on Sunday, the Warriors have three games left. Two of them are against the currently fifth-seeded Memphis Grizzlies, one at home and one in Memphis.
According to ESPN's Ethan Sherwood Strauss, Steve Kerr is unsure of whether or not they should go for the record or rest some players.
“We are going to talk about it tomorrow,” Kerr said Thursday. “We've been putting it off for as long as we were able to, which was until we got the 1-seed. Now that we have that, I'm inclined to give some guys some rest if they need it, but I've sort of made a pact with the guys that if they are not banged up and they are not tired and if they want to go for this record or whatever then – so we got to talk.”
Kerr had stated in March that his players had earned the right to go for the record, but has also discussed the toll that the record is taking on the team.
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“I'm a little uneasy about it. It's not that I'm worried about injury. You can get injured in practice. It's not so much that I want to rest guys to avoid injury, but we do have a back-to-back here. It will be our third game in four nights.”
However, not everyone is as uneasy as the coach. Draymond Green wants to go for the record and believes his teammates will wants the same.
“Think about the year we've had: started 24-0, haven't lost two in a row all year, have had several streaks of seven-plus wins in a row, yet we're still sitting here needing three in a row,” Green said. “That tells you how hard this is to do.”
“Let's face it, we probably will never get to this point again. That's why it's only been done one time. I think most guys in the locker room are all-in, and we'll figure that out this weekend.”
Draymond doesn't seem to be the only one dedicated to going for the record. Teammates Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, and Steph Curry all shared the All-Star power forward's opinion on needing rest, mostly citing their age and lack of a need for rest.
“I'm only 26. When I'm 36, I'll be looking to rest more,” said Thomspon.
Barnes made a similar statement, saying, “I'm 23, so I've got no problem playing the rest of these games, and we'll go from there.”
One thing is for sure. Regardless of whether Steve's Kerr's team breaks the record, Steve Kerr's team will hold the record.
