Can Grizzlies squash Warriors’ record hopes?
It, quite literally, all comes down to this: Golden State can set the NBA single-season wins record with a victory on the final night of the campaign.
To surpass the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, though, the Warriors must defeat the team that pushed them to the limit over the weekend. Memphis would love nothing more than to finish the deal – and ruin history – tonight.
Oddsmakers at online sports book Bovada.lv fully expect Steve Kerr’s club to dethrone Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and the rest of that legendary collection. Golden State is a whopping 17-point favorite at home, with an over/under figure of 213 points.
While the Warriors would shock the world by losing at Oracle Arena, the Grizzlies also have a lot on the line. Dave Joerger’s staff clings to the fifth playoff seed in the Western Conference, but it’s a tenuous grip in light of an injury-riddled stretch. In fact, Memphis has to beat Golden State and hope that Dallas succumbs to San Antonio to prevent falling to sixth.
Anyone who witnessed last Friday’s thriller, however, knows the Grizzlies won’t back down from the Pacific Division titans. The Warriors barely held off Memphis, 100-99, as Draymond Green scored the final points on a tip-in. Probable MVP Stephen Curry was limited to 3-of-14 shooting from beyond the arc then, but bounced back with a 37-point outburst vs. the Spurs 24 hours later.
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Expect a similar explosion in what is sure to be an unconscionable atmosphere. Golden State will achieve the stuff of legends this evening, albeit in a closer tilt than many are forecasting.
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