Thunder eye 73-win milestone as fast start fuels lofty goals
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LAS VEGAS — Speaking before Friday’s NBA Cup media sessions, Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said the team “absolutely” intends to chase the league’s single-season record of 73 victories set by the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors.
“Winning matters,” he told reporters. “No matter what form it looks like to me, so absolutely.”
The comments come with Oklahoma City off to a historic 24-1 start, matching the Warriors for the best record ever through 25 games. The Thunder face the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday in the NBA Cup semifinals; that contest will count toward regular-season standings and winning streaks.
Comparisons to Warriors’ pace
Spurs forward Harrison Barnes, a starter on Golden State’s 73-win squad, said the Thunder are “probably on track” to eclipse the mark, though he warned of the toll the pursuit can take. Barnes recalled that the Warriors’ drive to surpass the previous 72-win benchmark of the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls was “tiring,” and Golden State ultimately fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 NBA Finals.
Streak hits 16 straight
Oklahoma City has won 16 consecutive games, nearly halfway to the NBA-record 33-game streak set by the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers. Gilgeous-Alexander admitted he did not know the 33-game figure until informed Friday. “Wow, that’s a lot more games to win,” he said. “We are so far from that. But hopefully we get there. That’s the goal.”
Cup experience carries over
The Thunder fell to the Milwaukee Bucks in last season’s NBA Cup championship, the lone trophy that escaped them. Gilgeous-Alexander insisted that prior experience does not change the team’s approach in Las Vegas this year. “Whenever you get a chance to play for something and win, it’s always the goal to win,” he said. Forward Jalen Williams echoed the sentiment: “If we are going to apply ourselves to anything, let’s do it to the best of your ability and try to win.”
Gilgeous-Alexander emphasized that a championship remains the ultimate objective, yet he and his teammates plan to maximize every opportunity along the way. “If we didn’t get better tonight, then we wasted an opportunity,” he said.
Source: ESPN
