Warriors Defeat Spurs, 112-101; Quotes of the Night

The Golden State Warriors handily defeated the San Antonio Spurs once again. Here are the best quotes from last night.

The Golden State Warriors proved, once again, why they’re the best basketball team in the world. They defeated the second place San Antonio Spurs pretty easily, tightening up their defense and attacking the rim at will. In arguably the most important game of the season, the Warriors handled business. The matchup of the century included the first time to teams with 65+ wins faced each other in the regular season.

There was a lot on the line for both teams in this one. The Warriors needed to win this one to ensure home court advantage throughout the playoffs. Yes, a 70 win team didn’t clinch until they actually won their 70th game. Golden State also find themselves in a tough spot where they have to win out in order to break the Chicago Bulls’ all-time single season record.

Now the Warriors are in a tough spot. With the playoffs rapidly approaching, should they rest or should they chase the record in their final three games (Memphis Grizzlies twice, Spurs once more)? It’s the question everyone has been asking and even head coach Steve Kerr doesn’t seem to know the answer.

Kerr trusts his players and he understands that they are all fierce competitors. As a member of that Bulls team, Kerr also understands that chasing 72 doesn’t happen every day. As much as he might want to rest some guys, he might not really have a choice.

Draymond Green told the team that if they needed to rest to do so. With this group of guys, it’s hard to imagine many will willingly take themselves out of the game. Stephen Curry knows the stakes.

Harrison Barnes, who erupted for 21 points, seems to agree with the MVP.

Center Andrew Bogut pointed out the obvious, sharing the sentiment with a member of that Bulls team Scottie Pippen who said “72-10 don’t mean a thing unless you got that ring.” The record is great, but the players understand that the title is what matters the most.

Everyone has been debating who would win: these Warriors or those Bulls. Well, Kerr, a member of both teams, was asked and finally put the matter to bed. Sort of. Per the TNT broadcast:

"“…it’s a really hard question to answer – not just because you’re comparing eras, but also because it’s literally tough for me to answer grammatically. I don’t know who ‘we’ is and who ‘they’ are.”“I’ll just say this: If the two teams played each other, there’s no question that we could beat us.”"

Got ’em.