Jordan sat down with Mike Tirico for an "MJ: Insights to Excellence" conversation.
Knicks show late fight, but can’t overcome disastrous middle quarters in 123-117 loss to Celtics
The Knicks were defeated by the Boston Celtics 123-117 on Tuesday night at TD Garden.
Here are some takeaways...
- The Knicks have been up-and-down on the road this season, but they got off to about as good a start as you could ask for in this one. Josh Hart continued his strong play, dropping 11 points in the first seven minutes, and New York knocked down four of their first seven attempts from downtown to quickly open a double-digit advantage.
- The Celtics' offense finally found their footing after an early timeout, but New York's hot shooting continued. Boston turned to the 'Hack-A-Mitch' strategy on Mitchell Robinson in an effort to slow down the momentum in down the stretch in the first, but they still found themselves trailing by 11 after 12 minutes.
- The second quarter was a much different story. The Knicks put together one of their worst quarters of the season, losing their composure after some foul calls didn't go their way, and Boston was able to take advantage. The Celtics used a long run to cut into the deficit, and eventually open an advantage of their own, which they carried into the break (58-52).
- Boston outscored the Knicks 37-20 in the middle frame; their leading scorer, Jaylen Brown, was responsible for 18 of those points, as he finally found his touch after going just 2-for-5 from the field in the opening quarter.
- The Celtics were able to keep the momentum going coming out of the break. New York eventually found their groove and was able to get the deficit down to six points, but Brown led Boston on another scoring barrage and they carried their largest lead of the game into the final frame (18).
- The Knicks' second unit helped them regain some momentum in the opening minutes of the fourth. The starters then returned to the court, and behind Mikal Bridges' hot shooting and Karl-Anthony Towns' three-point play, they were able to cut the deficit all the way back down to three points.
- Clutch buckets from Towns, Hart, and Bridges helped New York hang around down the stretch. The Celtics received big plays of their own from Jordan Walsh and Brown in the closing minutes, though, and they were able to just barely hang on for the victory. Brown finished with a game-high 42 points on 16-of-24 from the field.
- Derrick White knocked down four threes, Walsh had eight points on a perfect night from the field and six rebounds.
- Jalen Brunson tied his season-high with 11 assists, but shot an inefficient 6-of-21 from the field (15 points). With the captain struggling it was Bridges who led the way for the Knicks' offense, finishing with 35 points on 12-of-17 from the field and 8-of-12 from three-point land.
- Towns had 29 points and brought in seven boards, Hart ended with 19 and seven boards of his own.
Game MVP: Jaylen Brown
Brown took things over after a quiet first quarter, finishing with a game-high 42 points.
Highlights
Josh Hart drills the three to open the scoring! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/2xbCLg1tT1
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) December 3, 2025
DEUUUUUCCCCCCCEEEEEEEEE pic.twitter.com/oLERAaV8n0
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) December 3, 2025
JOSH HART 🎯 pic.twitter.com/uHHFPzpR0s
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) December 3, 2025
Tyler Kolek with the floater! pic.twitter.com/WeUV5plihr
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) December 3, 2025
What's next
The Knicks return to MSG to host the Hornets on the second night of a back-to-back Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
Kaufman-Renn has 19 points and 13 rebounds as No. 1 Purdue beats Rutgers 81-65
Trey Kaufman-Renn had 19 points and 13 rebounds for his fourth double-double this season to lead top-ranked Purdue over Rutgers 81-65 in the Big Ten Conference opener for both teams Tuesday night. Braden Smith added 16 points and eight assists for the Boilermakers (8-0). Fletcher Loyer had 12 points and Gicarri Harris scored 11 off the bench.
No. 7 Michigan St beats Iowa 71-52 to open defense of Big Ten title
Coen Carr had nine of his 15 points in the second half after Jeremy Fears Jr. scored 10 of his 14 points in the first half, helping No. 7 Michigan State remain unbeaten with a 71-52 win over Iowa on Tuesday night in the Big Ten opener for both teams.
No. 4 Duke fends off furious rally from reigning champion No. 15 Florida in frantic finish at home
For a half, Duke look poised for a runaway win against the champs. But Florida rallied for a last-minute lead before a late Duke bucket quelled the comeback.
Syracuse hangs on to stun No. 13 Tennessee, marking Vols’ second straight loss
Tennessee has now lost back-to-back games after its upset win over Houston in Las Vegas.
Thunder show Warriors why they can threaten Golden State's historic 73-9 mark
Thunder show Warriors why they can threaten Golden State's historic 73-9 mark originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – The Warriors own the most impressive of regular-season NBA team records, most wins in a season. They took it from Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls not quite 10 years ago, but it’s already facing extinction.
They now know why: The Oklahoma City Thunder want the record — and have the goods to take it.
The Thunder rolled into the Bay Area on Tuesday night flashing such shiny possessions as month-old NBA championship rings and a gaudy 20-1 record that sits high atop the league. Golden State, for all its gallant second-half effort to get close, didn’t have enough to avoid a 124-112 loss because OKC’s closing lineup turned lethal.
The Warriors’ comeback attempt was inspiring insofar as it came without Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler III. Coach Steve Kerr turned to random lineups, and they worked – until they didn’t.
“I didn’t learn much,” Draymond Green said of the second half, when the Warriors outscored the Thunder 68-61. “But I hope our guys learned that if we play hard, we can compete with anybody.
“Whether Jimmy is out there or Steph is out there or not, it’s going to be much tougher. The margin for error is a lot less. But you give yourself a chance, and that’s all you can ask for. I hope that’s what we collectively learned.”
To be fair, OKC was taking full advantage of weakened prey. Curry is sidelined with a quad contusion, and Butler, a game-time decision with gluteal contusion, played 15 valiant first-half minutes before hobbling into the night with a sore left knee.
Yet the Warriors, who trailed by as much as 22 in the third quarter, got back in the game. With Seth Curry (14 points in 14 minutes in his Golden State debut) and Pat Spencer (15 points in 12 second-half minutes) leading the charge, the Warriors even took a lead inside the final five minutes, momentarily delighting the sellout crowd (18,064) at Chase Center.
The Thunder’s response was typical of a champion. Neither flinching nor blinking, they ignored the blood on their face and started coming at the Warriors like a squadron of specially trained soldiers, calmly smothering their offense, surgically eviscerating their defense and leaving them for the buzzards with a blistering 18-5 closing run over the final 4:40.
When the Thunder was seriously threatened, their leaders – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren – turned clinical when it mattered most. OKC took eight shots inside over the final 4:40 and made seven.
“They’re 21-1 for a reason,” Kerr said. “Shai is the MVP for a reason. He goes 5 of 6 from three; the step back at the top of the circle was a huge shot. And it’s one you kind of have to live with. You don’t want him getting to the rim. And they made big shots. Isaiah Joe made a corner three. Jalen Williams made a big shot.
“So, give them credit. They’re NBA champs for a reason.”
Champs, yes, but the Thunder are aiming higher. They want to accomplish what the Warriors did not in 2016, which is set a record for wins and then repeat as champions.
“It’s hard, man, but I do think they’re capable,” Green said. “You just need so many things to go right though. Like health, which they kind of plow right through health, so it really don’t matter. You need a lot of breaks to go your way.
“They’re on the right track. And like I said, they’re more than capable. I think 73 wins took some years off my life. It’s hard. But like I said, they’re capable of a lot.”
The Warriors concluded their five-game homestand with a 2-3 record and will be at .500 (11-11) when they fly to Philadelphia on Wednesday to open a three-game tour through the Eastern Conference.
They’ll fly to Philly without Curry, who will stay in the Bay Area and rehab with Rick Celebrini, with the belief that he’ll be cleared when the Warriors return home and face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Dec. 12. Butler’s immediate availability is in question.
The Warriors are trying to find themselves while shorthanded.
Meanwhile, OKC will go home with a 21-1 record that puts it well within reach of the record 73 wins Golden State compiled in the 2015-16 NBA season. They might not get there, but they seem to have the necessary thirst for triumph.
Seth Curry, unsurprisingly, fits seamlessly with Warriors in loss to Thunder
Seth Curry, unsurprisingly, fits seamlessly with Warriors in loss to Thunder originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO — If anyone can ignite a Chase Center crowd in an instant, it’s a Curry.
Without superstar Steph Curry (quad contusion) for Tuesday’s 124-112 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder at Chase Center, his younger brother, Seth, who Golden State re-signed on Monday after waiving before the start of the 2025-26 NBA season, provided that signature Curry spark with 14 points, two rebounds and two assists on 6-of-7 shooting from the field and 2 of 3 from 3-point range in 17 minutes in his Warriors debut.
Curry helped fuel a monstrous 44-28 third quarter for Golden State, which trailed by 19 points at halftime before storming back to lead by as many as four points in the fourth quarter.
“It felt good, it felt good,” Curry shared postgame. “I’ve been waiting to get on this floor for a while now and the fans showed me a lot of love when I stepped on the floor and it felt good to go out there and make my first shot, kind of ease the pressure a little bit. And then from there, I’m just playing basketball.”
Seth’s performance, albeit not the typical Earth-shattering “Curry Flurry” that Golden State has grown accustomed to over the years, was impressive, and came as no surprise to Warriors coach Steve Kerr and his new teammates.
“He comes from the greatest shooting family in the history of basketball,” Kerr said. He’s a pro, the guy’s been around for a long time and he’s helped win a lot of games for a lot of teams. He kept himself ready and he just knows how to play. He’s in the right place at the right time, he doesn’t turn it over, he’s a good passer and he fights defensively. It’s great to have him.”
“It’s in his blood,” Warriors guard Pat Spencer added. “He’s always been a shooter, man. He’s got the green light to shoot it from anywhere on the floor just like his brother. We have full confidence it’s going in.”
Tuesday’s game was Curry’s first real NBA action since April 11 of last season, when he scored 17 points for the Charlotte Hornets in a loss to the Boston Celtics.
There appeared to be no sign of rust.
“It felt normal, it felt natural,” Curry said about his return to the court. “I was a little nervous, I wasn’t sure how I would feel when I got out there. It’s probably been seven, eight months since I played a game, but once I got up and down a couple times, it was basketball. Nothing new.”
The Warriors are hoping to have Steph, who will not travel with the team on its upcoming three-game road trip, back for the Dec. 12 game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. While his absence leaves a massive void in the starting lineup that nobody can fill, Golden State knows Seth is more than capable of replicating some of what his older brother can do on the court.
“Just to add that level of shooting,” forward Draymond Green explained. “He’s led the league in 3-point percentage multiple times, and at one point, I know he was the career leader … Just being able to add Seth and him come out and get going. What he did tonight was great for us, but the one thing we know he can do and we expect him to do is shoot the ball, so it’s on us to make sure we get him looks.”
For one of the greatest shooters in NBA history, that seems like the right call.
Steph Curry won't travel on Warriors' road trip, out for the next three games
Steph Curry won't travel on Warriors' road trip, out for the next three games originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Steph Curry, out since last Wednesday due to a right quad contusion, is scheduled to be re-evaluated on Thursday, but coach Steve Kerr took some of the guesswork out of the equation.
Curry won’t travel with the Warriors for their upcoming three-game road trip to Philadelphia, Cleveland and Chicago.
“He’s going to stay home. It was a long shot for him to play in the back-to-back and we don’t play again until Friday,” Kerr told reporters after the Warriors’ 124-112 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday at Chase Center. “So it just makes perfect sense for him to stay home with [director of sports medicine and performance] Rick [Celebrini], get the rehab done here, get his work in and hopefully be ready for Minnesota next Friday.”
Curry sustained the contusion and muscle strain in the Warriors’ 104-100 loss to the Houston Rockets last week at Chase Center.
The Warriors initially ruled Curry out for at least a week, but he will miss over two weeks if he returns next Friday.
The Warriors were able to beat the lowly New Orleans Pelicans without Curry on Saturday, but Golden State could have used the 37-year-old on Tuesday.
Instead, the two-time NBA MVP was forced to watch the loss from a suite. But he got to watch his younger brother, Seth, make his Warriors debut.
Seth Curry, who signed a contract for the rest of the season on Monday, scored 14 points on 6 of 7 from the field and 2 of 3 from 3-point range.
The elder Curry certainly enjoyed the display.
But he will like it even more when he can get on the court with his brother, and based on Kerr’s statement, that should come on Dec. 12 against the Timberwolves.
What we learned as Warriors' epic comeback falls short in brutal loss to Thunder
What we learned as Warriors' epic comeback falls short in brutal loss to Thunder originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – As predicted, the key to stopping the machine that is the Oklahoma City Thunder is a Warriors team being down both Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler.
No, the Warriors didn’t win, falling 124-112 Tuesday night at Chase Center. What they did do is flip a switch in the second half and fight until the very end.
The Warriors outscored the Thunder 68-61 in the second half behind a plethora of role players answering the call.
Curry missed his second straight game due to a quad contusion. Butler, who came into the game questionable, did not play the entire second half. Butler played 15 minutes in the first half and was a minus-13. He scored six points on 2-of-7 shooting and grabbed three rebounds.
Seth Curry made his long-awaited Warriors debut and was even better than anybody could have expected, scoring 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting while playing 18 minutes off the bench.
Pat Spencer tied his career-high of 17 points, going 8 of 14 from the field, and added six assists without any turnovers. Brandin Podziemski also scored 17 points to go with four rebounds and four assists, but his four turnovers were a team high for the Warriors (11-11).
Reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dropped 38 points for the Thunder (21-1).
Here are three takeaways from the Warriors’ loss to end a 2-3 homestand.
Butler Tries To Power Through
It was exactly three weeks ago when the Warriors lost by 24 points to the Thunder, with Steph Curry, in a game that they trailed by as much as 36. Beating the defending champions with their superstar was a tall enough task. Without him, the proposition felt impossible.
After seeing the scary fall Butler took Saturday night in the Warriors’ win against the New Orleans Pelicans, sitting him would have been understandable. But after being questionable all day due to a left gluteal contusion, Butler played and gave his best effort.
Butler was scoreless in the first quarter and only took one shot. He was ultra-aggressive to begin the second quarter, taking six shots and scoring six points. Halfway through the second quarter, Butler, slightly limping, went to the Warriors’ locker room. He returned for the final two minutes of the first half.
The Warriors trailed by 11 when he exited the Warriors’ bench, and 14 once he returned a few minutes later. Trouble came in the final few seconds of the first half. Butler tried to cut behind the Thunder’s defense and wound up with a bad limp.
Butler was not on the floor or on the bench to begin the third quarter. At the end of the third quarter, he officially was ruled out the rest of the game because of left knee soreness.
Seth’s Sensational Debut
Steve Kerr, during his pregame press conference, said he wouldn’t hesitate to play Curry after waiting to be signed for the last six weeks. The wait finally ended at the end of the first quarter. Curry was the Warriors’ 11th player to see the floor, coming in for the last 23.8 seconds of the first quarter.
He then started the second quarter, too. Curry’s first shot attempt and make as a Warrior came with a little more than eight minutes left in the first half when he beat the buzzer and nailed a stepback jumper. The long-distance shooting the Curry family is known for showed up a little over a minute later.
Those were Curry’s only two shots of the first half, making both. Curry was a big part of the Warriors’ third-quarter flurry, finding his rhythm and getting better as the game went on.
Curry, after scoring five points in the first half, scored nine in the second half – four in the third quarter and five in the fourth. The last thing he looked like was a player who had been on a month-and-a-half sabbatical. His first game as a Warrior was as encouraging as it possibly could have been.
Stunning Second Half
Watching the Warriors without their Batman and Robin of Steph Curry and Butler can feel like putting anchovies on pizza. Cereal without milk. Dry, bland, and straight up gross.
Except something sparked inside them coming out of halftime without their top two stars. What looked to be a blowout loss became an absolute battle. The Warriors went from being down 19 points at halftime to making it a two-point game going into the fourth quarter, even cutting the deficit to one point with less than two minutes remaining in the third.
After scoring just 44 points in the first half, the Warriors exploded for 44 points in the third quarter. A total of 10 Warriors played in the third quarter, and seven scored. Spencer scored nine points, Podziemski scored eight, Draymond Green scored seven, Gary Payton II and Jonathan Kuminga scored six, and Curry and Buddy Hield each scored four.
A three from Payton at the 8:28 mark of the fourth quarter gave the Warriors their first lead since it was 6-5. Each team kept throwing a combination of haymakers and body blows, connecting each time and never letting up. The more talented team just happened to prevail in the end.
The Thunder scored 33 points in the fourth quarter, nine more than the Warriors’ 24.
Zion Williamson out with adductor strain, reportedly will miss 'extended time'
New Orleans will never be able to build anything meaningful without a solid foundation it can rely on.
Zion Williamson, who has missed more than half of the struggling Pelicans' games this season, has been diagnosed with a grade 2 right hip adductor strain, the team announced. While the Pelicans would not put an official timeline on his return, he is going to miss "extended time" and will be re-evaluated in three weeks (but is likely out longer), reports Shams Charania of ESPN, a claim confirmed by others.
The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that Zion Williamson has been
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) December 2, 2025
diagnosed with a grade 2 right hip adductor strain. Medical imaging taken this morning confirmed the injury. Further updates will be provided as appropriate.
It's unknown when the injury happened. Williamson played against the Warriors on Saturday night but sat out the second game of the back-to-back Sunday against the Lakers.
The Pelicans have been 9.8 points per 100 possessions better with Williamson on the court this season, and he has averaged 21.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game in the 10 games he has played. New Orleans is a league-worst 3-18 on the season and — as has been much discussed around the league — does not control their own first-round pick, having traded away the rights to Atlanta to move up in last year's draft and select Derik Queen.
Williamson's injury history is long and well documented. He missed eight games earlier this season due to a hamstring strain, but since his return, he has played in 5 of 7 games for the Pelicans. The two-time All-Star played in just 30 games a season ago and has played in 65+ games just once in his six NBA seasons prior to this one (and he will not reach that threshold this season either).
It's not just Williamson who has been injured this season, the Pelicans have had their five highest priced players miss time. Dejounte Murray remains out recovering from an Achilles tear suffered last season, Herbert Jones (calf), Trey Murphy III (elbow) and Jordan Poole (quad) also have been out.
Jimmy Butler exits Warriors vs. Thunder game at halftime due to knee injury
Jimmy Butler exits Warriors vs. Thunder game at halftime due to knee injury originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
After a trip to the Warriors’ locker room in the second quarter, Jimmy Butler was not on the floor to begin the second half of Golden State’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night at Chase Center.
The Warriors star ultimately was ruled out of the game with a sore left knee near the end of the third quarter.
Butler originally was listed as questionable for the game with a glute contusion after a hard fall in Saturday’s win over the New Orleans Pelicans, but was cleared to play shortly before Tuesday’s tip-off. He appeared to be in discomfort following a play — which included losing his shoe — with 6:36 to go in the first half before heading to the Warriors’ locker room, and he then returned to the bench shortly after.
Butler didn’t come out of the locker room following the halftime break, however, and Gary Payton II started the second half in Butler’s place as Golden State trailed 63-44 against the defending NBA champions.
Up until his exit, Butler had scored six points on 2-of-7 shooting with three rebounds and one assist in 15 minutes of play. The Warriors already are without Steph Curry in Tuesday’s game, who is missing time with a quad contusion.
Jimmy Butler exits Warriors vs. Thunder game at halftime after awkward play
Jimmy Butler exits Warriors vs. Thunder game at halftime after awkward play originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
After a trip to the Warriors’ locker room in the second quarter, Jimmy Butler was not on the floor to begin the second half of Golden State’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night at Chase Center.
Butler originally was listed as questionable for the game with a glute contusion after a hard fall in Saturday’s win over the New Orleans Pelicans, but was cleared to play shortly before Tuesday’s tip-off. He appeared to be in discomfort following a play — which included losing his shoe — with 6:36 to go in the first half before heading to the Warriors’ locker room, and he then returned to the bench shortly after.
Butler didn’t come out of the locker room following the halftime break, however, and Gary Payton II started the second half in Butler’s place as Golden State trailed 63-44 against the defending NBA champions.
Up until his exit, Butler had scored six points on 2-of-7 shooting with three rebounds and one assist in 15 minutes of play. The Warriors already are without Steph Curry in Tuesday’s game, who is missing time with a quad contusion.
Observations after Sixers smoke Wizards, Maxey scores 35 in 29 minutes
Observations after Sixers smoke Wizards, Maxey scores 35 in 29 minutes originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
After suffering a double-overtime loss Sunday vs. the Hawks, the Sixers cruised to a low-stress win Tuesday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
They notched a 121-102 victory over the Wizards and moved to 11-9 on the season.
Tyrese Maxey posted 35 points, six assists, four steals and four rebounds.
The Sixers were down Joel Embiid (right knee injury recovery), Quentin Grimes (right calf soreness), Kelly Oubre Jr. (left knee LCL sprain) and Trendon Watford (left adductor strain).
The 3-17 Wizards were shorthanded on the second night of a back-to-back.
The Sixers will host the Warriors on Thursday night. Here are observations on their win over Washington:
Strong second unit
The Sixers ran plenty of first-quarter plays for Paul George and he was aggressive as a jump shooter. George sunk two catch-and-shoot three-pointers in the first.
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse turned to his bench relatively early. Justin Edwards, Jared McCain and Adem Bona were all on the floor after a little over five minutes.
Bona committed a foul on his first defensive possession, biting on a Marvin Bagley III pump fake. The Wizards took the game’s first six free throws and went up 18-12 on a CJ McCollum mid-range jumper.
The Sixers’ bench then started to cook.
McCain swished a three off of a baseline out-of-bounds play and made two driving layups in his first stint. Edwards also knocked down a pair of threes in the first quarter, breaking through a recent slump. He’d gone 4 for 24 beyond the arc over his past seven games. Bona had several possession-earning hustle plays that didn’t show up on the stat sheet, including a forced backcourt violation.
Maxey in his comfort zone
Jabari Walker and Eric Gordon joined the mix in the second quarter. Walker drilled two straight corner threes and a Maxey jumper gave the Sixers a 54-40 lead.
Maxey looked extremely comfortable leading the Sixers’ offense.
He followed up a season-high six turnovers Sunday with zero giveaways and seemed to get wherever he wanted to go.
Seconds after Maxey sat late in the second quarter, he had the pleasure of watching an explosive, audacious Edgecombe slam.
Regulars rest in the fourth
The Sixers led by a dozen at halftime, but the Wizards scored the first seven points of the third quarter. George and Drummond missed jumpers late in the shot clock. Drummond picked up his fourth foul with 9:16 left in the third.
Edgecombe’s effort and athleticism helped the Sixers snap out of their funk and avoid another poor third quarter. He grabbed gritty offensive rebounds on consecutive possessions. The first board led to a George three, the second a Dominick Barlow and-one layup.
The Sixers blew the game open late in the third quarter. McCain drained a transition three. Maxey found a groove and rapidly piled up points. After burying a step-back three, he snagged a steal and coasted the other way for a fast-break dunk that put the Sixers up 99-73.
Maxey subbed out to start the fourth quarter and it was soon abundantly clear he (and all the Sixers’ regulars) would be able to stay on the sidelines the rest of the night.
Drummond threw down a put-back dunk and splashed a corner three. The Sixers led by as many as 36 points, rookies Johni Broome and Hunter Sallis checked in, and Maxey finally finished a game with under 30 minutes. The NBA’s minutes leader logged a season-low 29.
Warriors' Steve Kerr marvels at ‘remarkable' Thunder's historic start to season
Warriors' Steve Kerr marvels at ‘remarkable' Thunder's historic start to season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO — Steve Kerr knows better than anyone in NBA history what it takes to break the single-season wins record.
He has done it twice.
First, as a player on the iconic 1995-96 Chicago Bulls team that went 72-10 in the regular season before securing its fourth of six NBA championships in eight years.
Then, as the coach of the 2015-16 Warriors, who went 73-9 in the regular season before losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.
Fast-forward to this season, and Kerr and the Warriors are preparing to face off against the defending-champion Oklahoma City Thunder, who enter Tuesday’s game at Chase Center with an NBA-best record of 20-1.
Not only are the Thunder off to a blistering-hot start, to put it mildly, but OKC currently is on pace to go 78-4 this season, which would shatter the records set by both of Kerr’s iconic teams.
While there is a long, long, long way to go before we officially are on Record Watch, this is the first team since the Warriors broke the record nine years ago that actually feels like they have a very real — if not likely — shot of doing the previously unthinkable.
So what will it take? Nobody knows better than Kerr.
“Overall team mindset of zero agendas, just win every night,” Kerr said pregame Tuesday when asked about the formula to win 70-plus games. “Obviously great talent, but I think high-IQ players [that those teams] had really high IQs individually and as a team, and that’s what I see with OKC. Really, really smart players, good coach, really connected. They’re on pace to shatter the record, it’s pretty remarkable what they’re doing.”
Oklahoma City went 68-14 in the regular season last year before notching 16 more victories in the playoffs, which gave the Thunder 84 total wins on the season, the third-most in NBA history.
Care to guess which two teams had more?
Not only have the Thunder picked up right where they left off in June, but they’re arguably more well-rounded as a team and playing better this season than they did throughout all of last year.
“They have a deeper level of confidence now that they’ve won it all, and then the continuity is so powerful,” Kerr explained. “All their actions that they’re running, they’re so comfortable with. They’ve expanded their offense a little bit, they have a little more motion than they did a year ago. And so these are all things that, in my experience, happen after the championship. After the first one. You’ve got a little different swagger, a little different belief. Next year is the harder one.”
We’re only 21 games into the regular season, and months away from Oklahoma City potentially needing to have some difficult conversations about how to approach the stretch run and how to put its stars in the best position to hoist another Larry O’Brien Trophy this summer.
However, if the Thunder’s potential record chase is anything like Kerr and the Warriors’, there might not be many conversations to be had.
And if there are, the message should be simple.
“We had a game late in the year in Memphis, maybe four or five games remaining, and I was really intent on playing a lot of people and not wearing our guys out,” Kerr recalled when asked if there was a moment where the Warriors decided they were going for the record. “At halftime, Draymond [Green] pulled me aside. He said ‘We really want this thing, let’s not mess around in the second half.’ That was the only discussion I really remember around the record.”
At some point, Oklahoma City will suffer its second loss. Will that be on Tuesday night against a Golden State team, or pieces of one, that once reached the mountaintop that the Thunder currently are climbing?
It seems unlikely, as the Warriors on Tuesday will be without superstar Steph Curry (quad contusion), who led his team to 73 wins nine years ago, but even the mightiest of teams can fall on any given night.