Well that was interesting…
After 28 regular season games, straddling a NBA title and MVP award, column inches can finally be reclaimed from the bay area, and we can all stop talking about the streak. Well, almost anyway.
Here’s a historic roundup of this week’s biggest winners and losers:
Good Week
Dec 12, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Michael Carter-Williams (5) reacts in front of Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) after a Bucks basket late in the fourth quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. The Bucks beat the Warriors 108-95. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Milwaukee Bucks
There were no shortage of impressive teams over the last week.
The Toronto Raptors have hit their stride, losing one of their last nine games. The Hornets, ditto. The Spurs and Thunder went 8-2 over the same time span.
But this feature isn’t just about who wins the most games. And even though their two wins and two losses weren’t particularly noteworthy in terms of results, the Bucks did at least do something right this week.
Quite simply, they made history. And it isn’t the first time.
It was their 108-95 win against Steph Curry’s Golden State Warriors that ended the best ever start to a season in NBA history, stopping the streak squarely at 24-1. And the win was as dominant and convincing as the scoreline suggests. Not only was it the first time this season that the Warriors have been held under 100 points, but they only led the game for all of 1 minute and 35 seconds.
It seems like the only ones who weren’t surprised by the win were the Bucks’ fans – who wore printed shirts with slogans ranging from ’24-1’, ‘The streak stops here’, and ‘Stick that in your Antetokounmpo’. Although not actually the last one.
But maybe we shouldn’t have been surprised. The team that snapped the Lakers’ still record 33-game winning streak in 1972? These Milwaukee Bucks.
Although we’re pretty sure Kobe and Co are safe. Even 33 wins overall would be a stretch for them this season.
Honourable mentions: Kevin Durant, Toronto Raptors, Charlotte Hornets.
Bad Week
Adam Silver and the NBA
It was in everyone’s best interest for the streak to continue. And by everyone, we mainly mean Adam Silver.
Not only were we seeing the unstoppable rise of everyone’s favourite three-point machine and all around nice guy, Steph Curry, we were also playing witness to history. Something we may have mentioned a few dozen times. Ish.
But the real problem came down to scheduling. Even though we were only a few games away from officially seeing something that had never happened before, ever – the game wasn’t even on TV. So the only way you could have seen this particular historic moment was if you were a League Pass subscriber.
Why didn’t the powers that be, AKA League Commissioner Adam Silver, do everything he could to make more of a concerted effort of getting the game live? After all, if it’s good for the audience, and gets people talking about basketball, then it’s good for the league. Right?
It was must-see-TV. Quite simply, they blew it.
Now let’s all agree not to speak about anything Warriors-related until at least Boxing Day. You know, the day after their game with the Cavs.
Don’t worry folks, that one is on TV…
Honourable mentions: Other people that run the NBA, not named Adam Silver.
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