Rozner: Warriors' 73 meaningless without title

Michael Jordan said it over and over again during the 1995-96 season.

Regular-season wins are just that.

They wanted 70. Of course they did. They wanted to do something never before done in NBA history.

But the chase for 70 would mean nothing if the Bulls didn't win the NBA championship in 1996.

It was, after all, about the rings.

Jordan played because he wanted to win and returned to the NBA because he wanted to win championships again.

It was the only thing that breathed life into him, the opportunity to pile up titles, the chance to raise banners.

So 72 was great, but Jordan made certain that every player on that Bulls team understood that the ultimate goal was a title, and without it the record 72 wins would become more embarrassment than achievement.

"Once the playoffs started, no one was talking about 72 anymore," Scottie Pippen said a few months ago when asked about the Warriors' pursuit. "That gave us something to play for during the regular season, but we were all about winning championships and that record (72) wasn't something anyone cared about once we got into the postseason."

Enter the Golden State Warriors, who broke the record this year with 73 regular-season victories, following their championship last June.

But they faced the prospect against Oklahoma City of wearing that record like an anvil necklace for the next 10 years if they had finished their season without even reaching the NBA Finals.

They went down 3-1 to OKC with players trying to do too much and getting away from what made them so great during the regular season. They were feeling the pressure.

Winning Game 5 wasn't a shock, but it's what they did against the Thunder in the fourth quarter of Game 6 on the road that was most impressive. They took OKC apart, and their relentless pressure and offensive intimidation got OKC out of its game and right where the Warriors wanted them.

That was the game that probably won them another NBA championship.

"We were not just down 3-1. We were blown out in two straight games," said Golden State coach Steve Kerr, a member of the '96 Bulls. "Everything started with Game 5, rediscovering ourselves and our style.

"Game 6 was kind of magical. What Klay (Thompson) did that night was special, putting us on his shoulders and allowing us to have this opportunity in Game 7 at home."

Game 7 was pretty much a formality. Even when the Thunder had huge leads in the first half, it never felt like OKC was in control, and then Golden State took over with a 29-12 third period and held on in the fourth.

There's a lot on the line still for Golden State. If they don't win it all, it will be a catastrophe, not only failing to repeat but making their record regular season an afterthought.

For LeBron James, well, it's just another NBA Finals appearance. He's 2-4 on the big stage and there's little he can do now to change the narrative, though an upset of the Warriors would look a lot better than 2-5.

It should be noted that Michael Jordan never lost a chance to repeat.

Never.

The first NBA title was followed by a second and then a third, before Jordan walked away from the game.

When he returned, another three-peat followed, and then another retirement.

The point is whenever the Bulls were defending champions, they defended their championship.

Each and every time. Six trips to the Finals, six titles and six Finals MVPs.

Steph Curry avoided the humiliation of losing in the conference finals and now he's got a chance to add to his growing legacy.

But make no mistake, if the Warriors go down to Cleveland, the story will be about the wasted energy of the regular season and a meaningless record.

The pressure is entirely on them.

brozner@dailyherald.com

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