It has truly been a special year in the NBA.
There have been 1,423 team-seasons in NBA history, and never before has a team won 73 games. The Golden State Warriors will have the opportunity to do just that when they host the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday.
The Warriors have already made history by setting the record for most wins to start a season and by being the first team to go through a full season without ever losing two straight games. Again, 1,423 NBA teams have come and gone and none have done any of these things.
But of course, the specialness of this season goes beyond the champs. With one more win, the San Antonio Spurs will be the greatest second best regular-season team in NBA history (they’re currently tied with the 2008-09 Lakers). As great as the Spurs have been over the last 19 years, they had never won 65 games before.
The Warriors have the same NetRtg (plus-11.4 points per 100 possessions) as they did last season. Then, it was 4.6 points per 100 possessions better than the next best team. This time, it’s not even good for the best mark in the league. The Spurs have taken things to a new level, and it can be argued that they helped push the Warriors to the brink of history.
While we wait for what could be an epic Western Conference finals, we can also celebrate more specialness around the league. The Eastern Conference took a collective step forward, Russell Westbrook went triple-double crazy, Paul George emerged as a better player than he was before he suffered a horrific injury, the Portland Trail Blazers defied expectations like no team in recent memory, and Kobe Bryant wrote the final chapter on what has been an incredible 20-year career with a single franchise.
There’s still a record to be broken and some housekeeping to be done in the final three days of the regular season. But it’s time for the playoffs to begin and see if the Warriors can cap off their historical season with a second straight championship.
* * *
? Last week: Last playoff spots still up in the air
? This time last year: Warriors were the best team — and surprise — of 2014-15 — The last playoff spot in the West and the last two spots in the East were still up for grabs, and seeding was very much unsettled. The Wolves were finishing the season on a 12-game losing streak, the Knicks and Magic combined to score a record-low 15 points in a quarter, and Thabo Sefolosha had his leg broken in New York.
? Plus-minus stud: Chris Paul (LAC) was a plus-61 in three games last week.
? Plus-minus dud: Julius Randle (LAL) was a minus-68 in four games last week.
? Hero team of the week: Golden State (3-1) — Two wins over the close-to-full-strength Spurs is a good week, whether or not it puts you on the brink of history.
? Zero team of the week: New Orleans (1-3) — The Pelicans went 1-2 against three of the four worst teams in the league, losing by a combined 35 points to the Sixers and Suns.
? Team to watch this week: Utah — The Jazz play a huge game against the Mavs on Monday, and then could have their season on the line in Kobe Bryant’s last game.
? East vs. West: The West is 232-217 (.517) against the East in interconference games, with one interconference game – Chicago at New Orleans on Monday – remaining. This was the second best record the East had vs. the West in the last 17 years.
? Toughest schedules so far: 1. L.A. Lakers, 2. Philadelphia, 3. Milwaukee
? Easiest schedules so far: 1. San Antonio, 2. Golden State, 3. Cleveland
Schedule strength is based on cumulative opponent record, and adjusted for home vs. away and days of rest before a game.
? High jumps of the week: Dallas (+5), L.A. Clippers (+4), Orlando (+4)
? Free falls of the week: Indiana (-6), Minnesota (-3), Denver (-3)
* * *
Pace: Possessions per 48 minutes (League Rank)
OffRtg: Points scored per 100 possessions (League Rank)
DefRtg: Points allowed per 100 possessions (League Rank)
NetRtg: Point differential per 100 possessions (League Rank)
The league has averaged 98.1 possessions (per team) per 48 minutes and 103.9 points scored per 100 possessions this season (up from 96.3 and 103.0 last season).
* * *
NBA.com’s Power Rankings, released every Monday during the season, are just one man’s opinion. If you have an issue with the rankings, or have a question or comment for John Schuhmann, send him an e-mail or contact him via Twitter.
