Washington (AFP) - Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors dominated
the NBA in 2015, winning the team's first league title since 1975 and
starting the 2015-16 campaign with a record-setting win streak.
Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry during the game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden |
As the year began, LeBron James was pulling together an injury-hit
Cleveland Cavaliers team in his first season back in his home region
after vowing to make the Cavs a champion.
And while eyes were focused on
his revival of the Cavaliers and their run to the NBA Final, 3-point hot
shot Curry was sparking the Warriors to the Western Conference crown
and a spot in the NBA Final against James and Cleveland.
LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers drives down court during the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Quicken Loans Arena |
An
injury to Kyrie Irving in the opener hurt Cleveland and not even James
could summon the heroics to deny the Warriors their fourth league crown
and the first in 40 years, Golden State winning the best-of-seven series
four games to two.
And they
have been winning ever since, even though coach Steve Kerr missed the
record start of the 2015-16 season with back pain and illness and
assistant Luke Walton guided Golden State's historic run.
The Warriors made a record 24-0 start to the 2015-16 NBA season before
losing 108-95 at Milwaukee on December 12, shattering the old mark of 15
wins to start a season set by Washington in 1948-49 and matched by
Houston in 1993-94.
Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers drives to the basket during the game against the Toronto Raptors at the Air Canada Centre |
Golden State's run of 28 wins in a row over two seasons marked the
second-longest run in NBA history, five shy of the record 33 wins in a
row by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1971-72 campaign.
-- 'Tangible goals' --
The Warriors eclipsed the previous second-best NBA win streak of 27, set by Miami in the 2012-13 season.
And Golden State was well on the
way to making a run at the best one-season record in NBA history, the
72-10 mark set by the Chicago Bulls in 1995-96.
"It's important to have tangible goals that you can look at and work for," Curry said.
"We do a great job of staying in the moment.
"You
can't really get too far ahead of yourself. There's so much that can
happen in this league over 82 games. The great teams are the ones that
can focus on each individual game."
There was another record streak, but of a more dubious nature, as the
Philadelphia 76ers started the 2015-16 season 0-18, matching the NBA
record for most losses to start a season set by the 2009-2010 New Jersey
Nets.
Over two seasons, the 76ers had
lost 28 games in a row before their 103-91 triumph over the Los Angeles
Lakers, the longest losing streak in North American pro sports, two
losses past the record NBA win droughts by the 2013-14 76ers and
Cleveland in 2010-11 -- both done over only one season.
Kobe
Bryant announced in November that his 20th season with the Los Angeles
Lakers would be his last in the NBA, the 37-year-old guard concluding a
career that saw him win five NBA crowns and two gold medals with the US
squad.
Injuries slowed the once-amazing moves that made Bryant one of the league's most spectacular superstars.
"My
heart can take the pounding, My mind can handle the grind, But my body
knows it's time to say goodbye," Bryant wrote in a poem announcing his
decision.
Bryant says he
would like to play for the United States at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro
Olympics, a possible golden grand farewell rather than the dismal season
the Lakers appeared doomed to suffer after a 3-20 start.
San
Antonio center Tim Duncan, 39, and guard Manu Ginobili, 38, pondered
retiring but returned to the Spurs alongside guard Tony Parker for one
more bid for the crown.
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