Welcome to the NBA Hangover. We jot down NBA stuff mostly from last night that we want to talk about. Check it out.
The Bucks have won 15 straight and are 21-3.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Benny Sieu/USA Today.)
The Bucks are 21-3. So are the Lakers. So of course, some are already throwing around the question: can the Lakers surpass 73-9? Not even the Bucks! Just the Lakers!
They’re not even on pace to tie it yet. If they go on this pace, they can be 63-9 and they would lose another game at some point. So it’s already silly to even bring this up.
But because we love to talk about the “what ifs” and the “can theys”, I’ll humor y’all for a second.
So the Warriors went 73-9 in 2015-16. First off, they started off 24-0. At some point, they were 36-2. After that, they lost two out of three. And then they won 11 straight to put themselves at 48-4.
So either the Bucks or the Lakers would have to go 27-1 to even tie that. That already sounds exhausting.
Then the Dubs went on winning streaks of 7, 7, and 6 to get themselves at 68-7. The Dubs then lost another two out of three before winning the last four to get that magical 73 wins.
Anthony Davis did say that a goal for the Lakers was to not lose two in a row. It had only been done once in the regular season and that would be those same Warriors (those same Warriors went on to lose two straight against the Thunder and then THREE straight against the Cavaliers to lose the championship in the playoffs).
But it would take so much energy to even try for 73. They went through a double overtime chore against Boston in that 24th win before succumbing to the Bucks the next night. And there are just so many things that make getting that kind of record difficult. Back-to-backs (especially on the road) are brutal. Playing a game in one city, catching a flight almost immediately, then playing another game the following night can really take a toll. Some coaches like to rest players to help prolong careers AND to save them for the postseason. And of course, we never know when the injury bug hits.
Anyway, I brought it up because I’m stupid (and well, some others did) but I’m not going to talk about this again this season unless either the Bucks and the Lakers are around 41-3 (the record the Chicago Bulls had after 44 games when they went 72-10). Oh, what? They would have to win 20 straight? Well, yeah. Because winning 72 or 73 requires… a lot of winning?
Bullet Passes
The Bulls can’t win a close game this season. They are 1-5 in games decided by five points or less and their only win came during that ridiculous comeback against Charlotte. It’s the difference between 8-17 and, say, 10-15.
Paul George returned to Indiana as a Clipper and scored 36 points against the team that drafted him. One day, his jersey will be retired there but for now, it’s business.
By rule, free agents that signed this past summer are eligible to be traded starting on December 15. So the rumors are starting. For example, Kevin Love would prefer to get traded to Portland. That would actually be an intriguing team if that happens. Still, you never know what happens before trade deadline. After all, we didn’t think Tobias Harris would get dealt by the Clippers when they were doing well last season.
Oklahoma City is intriguing because they’re the classic “stuck in the middle” team at the moment. I can’t imagine getting better within, though, with an aging Chris Paul. We know Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is something, though. I just don’t know who would take Paul at this point unless he gets bought out. And that’s a lot of money.
I don’t think they should blow the team up all the way, though. They should keep Steven Adams.
Detroit Pistons beat the New Orleans Pelicans. Have a clutch shot from former MVP Derrick Rose (yeah, yeah, I know).
Watch This Play
The more impressive game-winner, however, is from Nemanja Bjelica. The Kings were down two with a second left. Then he put it up from Pasadena, Texas. Well, it might as well be Pasadena, California.
(VIDEO CREDIT: NBA.)
What a win for Sacramento.
Rey-Rey is on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass.
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