NBA scores 2016: 72 is great, but Warriors-Spurs in the playoffs is the main event

Stephen Curry’s 37 points led the Warriors over the Spurs to tie an NBA record, plus Kobe Bryant put on a show in Houston and everything else from Sunday in the NBA.

by Liam Boylan-Pett

Apr 11, 2016, 12:00 PM UTC

Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

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NBA Sunday: Warriors beat Spurs for record-tying 72nd win

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The Golden State Warriors beat the San Antonio Spurs 92-86 on Sunday to win their 72nd game this season. Stephen Curry was superb with 37 points as the Warriors caught fire in the second half to end the Spurs' 48-game home winning streak. The win tied the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls' NBA record, and if they can defeat the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night they'll be alone in the record books at 73-9.

To repeat: The Golden State Warriors have won 72 games and should beat the depleted Grizzlies at home on Wednesday to set the NBA record of 73 wins in one season.

It’s unbelievable. It should be celebrated and hyped and everything in between, but most of all, it should set the stage for what for a playoffs for the ages. The Warriors win over the Spurs was just a preview of what’s to come.

Sunday’s game was spectacular, with both teams playing at a high level and showing their full capabilities. It was a defensive battle in the first half, with the Spurs holding the Warriors to 35.1 percent shooting and the Warriors one-upping them by holding the Spurs to 28.6 percent.

Both teams work so hard on both sides of the ball. The Spurs will beat you to the spot where you want to be, and the Warriors can recover faster than any team. The Spurs have Kawhi Leonard locking down whoever he is guarding, and the Warriors have Draymond Green, but it's the team effort from both squads that make them so difficult to go off against.

That is, unless your name is Stephen Curry. He was amazing again on Sunday, hitting shots from everywhere on the court. He had 37 points on 13-of-22 shooting in 35 minutes of play. The Warriors almost coughed away the game at the start of the second half, falling behind by eight, but two Curry threes on back-to-back possessions opened the floodgates for the Warriors offense. The Warriors bench came up big to start the fourth quarter, but Curry led the Warriors as usual by doing seemingly impossible things with the basketball.

Curry wasn’t the only one to catch fire. Both teams found their offensive rhythm in the second half thanks to superb ball movement and constant motion and attacking on fast breaks and half-court sets. The Warriors and Spurs play the game the way it’s supposed to be played. The ball rarely stalls, it’s odd to see it stay in one player’s hands for more than two seconds. That’s why the offenses eventually found a way on Sunday — they’re relentless in their movement and eventually the defense breaks down. The Warriors happened to be more relentless on this day.

For all the heroics of the Warriors, this Spurs team can be better. They were missing Tim Duncan — who isn't necessarily going to make that much of a difference against the Warriors — and Boris Diaw — who could be a huge asset against the small-ball Warriors' lineups. Plus Leonard was only 7-of-22 from the field and 0-of-3 from deep, well below his shooting numbers this season. The Spurs may have lost the season series to the Warriors, but everyone knows they can't be counted out.

That's what makes the upcoming playoffs so great, two of the greatest regular season teams in NBA history are likely to duke it out for a chance to play against LeBron James for the NBA title — barring an upset in the East, of course. The storylines are enticing, and it's all thanks to the Warriors doing the unthinkable and tying, and maybe even surpassing, Michael Jordan and the Bulls.

Sure, how the Warriors do in the postseason will affect their legacy and might render the 72 (or 73) wins moot, but for now, just be excited that these the Spurs and Warriors might face off seven times in the Western Conference Finals and one team could go on to be the greatest in NBA history.

2 other things

There's only two games left on the Kobe Bryant farewell tour

Sure, the Houston Rockets blew out the Los Angeles Lakers, and sure, it was against the porous Rockets defense, but Bryant can still ball. He had 35 points on 10-of-22 shooting in 27 minutes, and was making shots like the Kobe Bryant of old.

The Houston crowd paid their respect to Bryant with a rousing ovation and "Kobe" chants as the Rockets kept their playoff hopes alive. The win moved them to 39-41, and they're a game back of the Jazz with two games to play. James Harden had 40 points and 13 assists in the win. He's going to need performances like that in the final games, too, if the Rockets are going to sneak their way into the postseason.

The Indiana Pacers should be proud they made the playoffs

With a 129-105 win over the Brooklyn Nets, the Pacers clinched a playoff spot. In doing so, they knocked the Bulls out of the playoffs for the first time since 2008. It wasn't some season-defining win for Paul George and the Pacers, but it did solidify a trying season for a team that wasn't necessarily expected to make the playoffs after completely changing their identity. A year ago, George only played six games and they had Roy Hibbert and David West but weren't in the playoffs. Now, they're playing small ball and have found their way into the postseason. George has been great, and Myles Turner is a force down low — he had 28 points and 10 rebounds in Sunday's win. Coach Frank Vogel has gotten the team to buy into his system, and it's paying dividends in Indianapolis.