Twenty years ago, the Bulls roared through the NBA regular season, setting a record with 72 wins (the 1971-72 Lakers had 69). That benchmark has been occasionally threatened since, but this year’s Golden State Warriors, at 38-4 so far, are perhaps the most serious challengers.
Here’s a month-by-month look at how those legendary Bulls made history and what might keep this year’s Warriors from overtaking them.
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER
FYI: The Bulls’ two losses in November were at Orlando and at Seattle; they went on to sweep the Magic in the Eastern Conference finals and beat the SuperSonics 4-2 in the NBA Finals.
FYI: Golden State’s 24-0 start to the season is by far the best ever; the previous best was 15-0. And 14 of the Warriors’ victories in that stretch came on the road. Just unreal.
DECEMBER
FYI: The Bulls lost at Indiana on Dec. 26, snapping a 13-game winning streak. Three days later, the Bulls clobbered the Pacers by 27 at the United Center.
FYI: Slipping past defending Eastern Conference champ Cleveland 89-83 on Christmas Day went a long way to increasing the Warriors’ credibility, not that they were missing a whole lot.
More Top Picks Best Keyboard Barebones Kits For The Money
JANUARY
FYI: Not. One. Loss. In fact, the Bulls won 18 straight between Dec. 29 and Feb. 2, their longest streak of the season.
FYI: Losing two out of three games in the middle of the month took the Warriors off track slightly. Then they went out and destroyed LeBron James and the Cavaliers in Cleveland. Go figure.
FEBRUARY
FYI: Three losses, including consecutive defeats at Denver and Phoenix. This qualified as a down month, though try not to laugh when you read that.
FYI: So much for a seven-game road trip representing a potential stumbling block. Golden State went 6-1 in that stretch and 9-1 in February, punctuated by Stephen Curry’s long-range game-winner at Oklahoma State in overtime on Feb. 27.
MARCH
FYI: The Bulls suffered by far their worst loss of the regular season on March 10, falling 104-72 at New York. Whatever, Knicks. The Bulls went on to dismiss New York 4-1 in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
FYI: By this point it’s almost yawn-worthy what the Warriors are doing to the rest of the league. Breaking the record is all but a foregone conclusion.
APRIL
FYI: The Bulls lost for the second time at home against Indiana on April 20, ruining their chance to equal the 1985-86 Celtics for the best regular-season home record (40-1).
WARRIORS
Home games: 5
Road games: 2
FYI: Check out these final four games to conclude Golden State’s season: vs. San Antonio, at Memphis, at San Antonio, vs. Memphis. Good luck with that, guys.
@redeyesportschi | [email protected]
Want to find the fitness class that’s right for you? Start with the RedEye Skillz page.