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Stephen Curry celebrates another dominant game Wednesday night. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty)
Stephen Curry celebrates another dominant game Wednesday night. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty)

Warriors Complete NBA's Best Regular Season Ever With 73rd Win

Warriors Complete NBA's Best Regular Season Ever With 73rd Win

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End of game: 73-9

It's official.

Step aside Michael, Scottie and the rest of the Chicago Bulls. The 2015-16 Golden State Warriors just completed the best regular season in NBA history: 73-9.

For Steph and company, Game 82 was a victory lap. They got out to a big lead early and were able to rest most of their starters during the fourth quarter.

Curry led with 46 points and Thompson chipped in 16. The final score was 125-104, but it felt much bigger than that.

Warrios finish the season 73-9, the best record ever. (Photo: Ezra Shaw/Getty)
Warrios finish the season 73-9, the best record ever. (Photo: Ezra Shaw/Getty)

The Oracle crowd got to bask in win #73 and broke out a rare sight at the Warriors home arena — the wave. The throng finished the game with an extremely loud "WARRIORS" chant as time ran down.

Sponsored

The playoffs start this weekend, and the new magic number becomes 16 — the number of wins needed to complete a championship run. Game One, against the Houston Rockets, is this Saturday at 12:30 p.m.

"Now let's go get that championship," Draymond Green said to the capacity crowd at Oracle -- the team's 175th consecutive sellout.

End of Three: 400 and 46
Another quarter, another set of milestones for the best player in the world.

Curry hit three-pointers number 400, 401 and 402. He also added a few more inside buckets, topping 40 points for the game. By scoring more than 41 in the last game of the year, Curry moved his scoring average on the season to over 30 points per game.

This might be a good time to mention: No one in NBA history has ever unanimously won the Most Valuable Player award. Think the best player on the first team to win 73 games has a chance? Add in 400-plus threes made. Add in a five point per game increase in scoring from his MVP season a year ago.

Could Curry be the first unanimous MVP ever?

The game has felt like a victory lap, but at the 5-minute mark in the third quarter Dub Nation got a scare when Curry collided with Memphis' Zach Randolph and appeared to get hit in the head. Oracle went silent, but Curry appeared to avoid an injury and stayed in the game.

With the Warriors up 21 points going into the fourth quarter, it's probably safe to assume we've seen the last of Steph and the others starters, unless the backups give up this big lead.

Halftime: Up big

The Warriors take a 20-point lead into the half, up 70-50.

Curry cooled down a bit, but finished the first half with a game-high 25 points.

With three minutes left in the first half, the Warriors opened up a their first twenty-point lead of the game, 61-41.

A Golden State Warriors fan holds a sign as the team appears to be closing in on win #73. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
A Golden State Warriors fan holds a sign as the team appears to be closing in on win #73. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Not to be undone by his fellow Splash Brother, Klay Thompson put on a shooting demonstration of his own, hitting four three-pointers and 16 points in the first half.

The biggest question in this game appears to be how much does Steve Kerr play his starters in the second half with win #73 looking twenty-four minutes away. A last-minute flurry from Curry looked like he wanted to take the second half off. But now just one three-pointer away from 400, the raucous Oracle crowd is sure to see their star guard take the floor in the second half.

Halfway to history.

End of 1st Quarter: Warriors lead 37-23

Steph Curry is unbelievable. After a somewhat timid first few minutes of the game, the MVP of the league took over, scoring 20 points in the quarter and making six threes.

Curry now has 398 three-pointers made on the season, just two shy of 400 — a number once thought impossible.

The Warriors outscored Memphis 18-0 on fast break points.

Twelve minutes closer to seventy-three. Thirty-six minutes left.

giphy (1)Just minutes before tip-off the Warriors found out who they will be playing in the first round of the playoffs: James Harden and the eighth-seed Houston Rockets. Full schedule is expected to be announced soon.

Pre-game:

OAKLAND, CA - APRIL 13: Stephen Curry warms up prior to the game against the Memphis Grizzlies. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - APRIL 13: Stephen Curry warms up prior to the game against the Memphis Grizzlies. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Hours before tip-off and all was calm inside Oracle Arena.

Draymond Green bobbed his head to the music while he warmed up. Stephen Curry came out for his normal pre-game routine — dribbled two balls at once, drained dozens of shot from all over the court.  Hundred of fans filed in expecting to see history.

Now, we're just minutes away from tip-off.

Stay tuned throughout the game for updates as the Warriors inch closer to seventy-three.

Oracle Arena will be bathed in blue tonight — empty seats before Wednesday night's game.
Oracle Arena will be bathed in blue tonight — empty seats before Wednesday night's game. (Adam Grossberg/KQED)
Several hours before tip-off, the stage was set for game 82.
The calm before the storm — several hours before tip-off, the stage was set for game 82. (Adam Grossberg/KQED)

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