Golden State's quest to beat Bulls' record getting tough
When Golden State rallied late in the fourth quarter and beat Utah in overtime Wednesday, it seemed as if the Bulls' 72 victories in the 1995-96 season was finished as the NBA record.
After Boston beat the Warriors 109-106 on Friday, snapping Golden State's NBA record 54-game home winning streak, coach Steve Kerr wasn't so sure.
"I do think the constant questions and talk about, whether it's home win streak or record or whatever, I think all that stuff does take its toll, whether the players know it or not, whether it's a conscious thing or not, and it probably has taken a little bit away from, as I said our process, or our work," Kerr said Saturday.
Of course, Kerr knows about piling up 72 wins firsthand, since he played on the '95-96 Bulls.
"It's exactly the same," he said. "Honestly, it was exactly the same. Constant media questioning about the streak.
"In fact, if you look back at that season we lost two home games in the last week, 10 days of the season, both by a basket or 1 point. We were, I think, I want to say 37-0 or something that season at home and we lost two of our last four."
Kerr's memory is correct, the Bulls lost close games to Charlotte and Indiana at the United Center late in the season. The loss to Boston left Golden State's record at 68-8.
By the way, before Boston's victory, the Bulls were the last team to defeat the Warriors at Oracle Arena, on Jan. 27 last season.
SVG seeks a miss:
Detroit coach Stan Van Gundy tried his best to butter up the Bulls before Saturday's game.
"(Nikola) Mirotic and (Doug) McDermott, it seems to me recently, never miss a shot," he said. "Watching them on film it's like, 'Darn, miss a shot at one point.' Obviously, Mirotic is on fire the last couple of games, and McDermott, he's one of the best shooters in the league. If he gets time to get a shot off, you don't feel too good about it on the other bench."
Van Gundy also talked about his fear of backup point guard Aaron Brooks, citing the 29 points scored by Dallas guard J.J. Barea on Friday.
"Those small quick guys who can also shoot the ball have given us more problems than really any other type of point guard all year," Van Gundy said.
Schedule is uneven:
During his pregame talk with reporters, Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy called Saturday's showdown for the No. 8 seed his team's "biggest game of the year." He also complained about having to play it on the second leg of a back-to-back.
Detroit lost at home to Dallas on Friday, while the Bulls had the night off. The Bulls do have a back-to-back Sunday in Milwaukee.
"When you play the most back-to-backs in the league, you get used to it," Van Gundy said. "We play five more back-to-backs than they do. That's what the NBA calls equitable scheduling. But the advantage is you're in that situation a lot so guys are used to it."