The defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors made history last April 13, notching their 73rd victory to own the most wins in a single regular season ever.
The team the Warriors eclipsed was none other than Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls, who actually finished their 1995-96 season with a 72-10 record 20 years ago today on April 21, 1996.
The Bulls defeated the then-Washington Bullets, 103-93, to wind up with a record 72 wins, which at the time eclipsed the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers' 69-13 record by three victories. With the record, the Bulls also wound up with the most road wins ever recorded by an NBA team during a regular season in 33, which was also edged by the Warriors by one victory this season.
Although the Warriors' name will always stand above the Bulls in the record books, in many ways the Bulls' mark still resonates as being extra special today. Consider the fact that it took 20 years for a team to break their record and the fact that the Bulls amassed 72 wins when the NBA played a more physical game. Also, at the time there hadn't been a host of rule changes to free up shooters and open up the offense like the Warriors have enjoyed in today's game.
In addition, don't forget that Jordan returned to play the final 17 games of the 1995 season before his Bulls were eliminated by a then-upstart Orlando Magic squad — spearheaded by the one-two punch of Shaquille O'Neal and Anfernee Hardaway — in six games of their playoff semifinals series.
During that offseason, entering the 1995-96 season, critics questioned whether a 32-year-old Jordan could still get the job done and land Chicago another title. Well, soon enough, MJ would silence all his doubters, leading the Bulls to one win after another and changing his game to a more post-up, fadeaway-shooting style, which had him averaging 30.4 points and winning the league's MVP.
After notching victory No. 70, unchartered territory for an NBA at the time, Jordan's Bulls would tack on two more victories to wind up with 72 on the season. They then ran the table, going 15-3 in the postseason, including a six-game NBA Finals victory over the Seattle Super Sonics to win the title.
The Warriors will have to win the championship for their 73-win season to fully resonate for years to come just like the Bulls' mark did.
