The Warriors at 70

I can't specifically pinpoint the game where I wanted the Warriors to start making history, but I can only assume it was at some point during their initial 24-0 run to kick off what has been an amazing 2015-16 campaign. 55 games later, the Golden State Warriors have accomplished what only one other team has: they have won 70 games in a season.

I was privileged to watch the Warriors take on the Spurs in Oakland last night on TNT. After the witnessing the recent pitfalls of a nearly unblemished team - tough losses to Boston and Minnesota on their home floor - I was on pins and needles from wire to wire even with the sizable lead the home side held over San Antonio for much of the game.

Once the final buzzer sounded, the fanfare wasn't as loud as I expected. Many fans in Oakland filed out of the building before the end of the game as if it were win #2 on the season. But at least this was a plateau that was finally reached. After the lead against Minnesota slipped away, part of me wondered if the Warriors would lose out the rest of the way and remain at 69 wins. I wondered if they would just be the team that almost did it but ultimately fizzled out. I was worried that the air they were in would not be as rarified as I hoped it would be.

Alas, the Warriors were able to stretch out and reach that nearly unattainable rung on the ladder of all-time great seasons. However, there are still a few games to go if they truly want to be the best.

I'm personally satisfied with 70. I really just wanted an all-time great team that "my era" could call its own, and putting 70 (or more) in the win column essentially solidifies that (assuming they win the title). The next step is seeing if they can truly set themselves apart from the rest. Draymond Green has stated publicly that he wants to win it, and the Warriors have come too far to not be competitive. I mean, they might as well considering they would most likely want momentum heading into the playoffs.

Even though there is unfinished business over this final week, the Warriors have already accomplished a lot. Regardless of their outcome in the postseason, they have already clinched their place in NBA lore.

The Best Passive-Aggressive Teenagers in the NBA

Happy Tuesday! I have another Scenario Mode Podcast ready to go!

This week I discuss the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are 44-18 after losing to the short-handed Memphis Grizzlies. I find their locker room drama to be annoying, particularly for a team that's first place in the Eastern Conference. LeBron says they aren't ready for the playoffs. With 20 games left in their season, what do they need to do? With legacies at stake, will they put their differences aside and become a threat to the Warriors and Spurs out west? Click the audio player below to find out!

Steph Curry and the Generational Gap: "You're Gonna Live This Truth"

Steph's 35-foot game winner over the Thunder on Saturday. There's a large contingent of former players that aren't all that impressed by feats like this. I discuss on today's podcast.

It's the debut of the Scenario Mode Podcast! The first topic is about Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors. Go figure.

I try to unpack my feelings towards old-school basketball players downplaying what the 53-5 Warriors are doing and the current state of basketball in this age. I find that while these guys are so defensive of the past, I'm defensive of the present. It's just so annoying to hear in almost every aspect of life (sports, music, culture) that my era sucks and theirs is better. But I'm seeking to learn more about the game and understand just how different or similar things are in this day and age to the past. I just wish former players would try to do the same. Click the play button on the audio player below to listen!

The NBA According to Scenarioball

Happy Monday and Happy Black History Month! I hope you had a great weekend.

A lot of exciting stuff will be coming your way this month, including my first video for the Scenario Mode YouTube channel. I'm still working on my rhythm from recording games to editing to posting. So as of this writing, my first video isn't ready just yet. In the meantime, I decided to give you a post that puts my new game Scenarioball into perspective. While I have done some tabulations for individual games, I eventually wanted to look at my game from a more macro level. The beginning of a new month seems like a good time to reflect.

Below are NBA team Scenarioball stats through January 31st. While the game can get much more advanced by tracking things such as ugly-looking shots and missed open layups, I figured I would keep it simple and look up the tracked stats that you can find in the NBA.com stats section.

It's really cool to see it all laid out in front of me. Here are a few loose observations I extract from the numbers:

• I'm not surprised that in terms of what I enjoy the most about basketball, the Warriors bring it the most and in spades. Every Warriors game I watch has been an event for me. I have been particularly enamored with the play of Steph Curry like almost everyone else, but Golden State's entertainment value is a team effort. I'm looking forward to seeing if they can cap off a historic season, dunking and dropping treys along the way.
• Depsite their underacheiving, the Rockets seem to still be entertaining to watch. I had been avoiding Rockets games up to this point because of the organizational and defensive mess they're in, as well as their outright refusal to play the raw but talented K.J. McDaniels. In the face of these stats, maybe I'll give them a look when they come back around on the national schedule.
• When Doc Rivers replaced Vinny Del Negro as coach of the Clippers in 2013, Blake Griffin quipped that Lob City "[didn't] exist anymore". Yet there they are, leading the NBA in alley-oops, propelling themselves into 3rd place in the Scenarioball standings. A few things turn me off from the Clippers. Among them are Doc's constant whining for calls (more than what's normal for NBA players and coaches), torpedoing his roster with each transaction, and the team's below-average logos and uniforms. Biases aside, there's no doubt the Clippers are fun to watch.
• It's hilarious that the worst team in the league are a Top 10 Scenarioball team, coming in at #9. We should get them a trophy! The Bulls, my favorite team, are all the way down at #20.
• The Brooklyn Nets are at the bottom of the Scenarioball standings with only 118(!) points. They're 48 games into the season, yet are barely over 100 points. If you doubled the Nets' point total, it would still fall short of the second-to-last Hornets. After all of the fanfare of moving into a cool, new arena in the heart of Brooklyn and paying big bucks to be an immediate contender, this franchise has stagnated. The team is attempting to transition with the removal of head coach Lionel Hollins and reassignment of GM Billy King. At this point in American history, however, the future is up in the air. They will be hard to watch for the foreseeable future.

There's a look at the NBA according to basic Scenarioball. Let me know what you think in the comments. Do any of these findings surprise you? Are their teams you enjoy or dislike that are in different places in the standings? I will definitely be updating the stats and adding some advanced categories at a later date. I also want to comb through the college ranks, too, but with 351 schools, that post will take awhile.