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So what’s next for this lethal Golden State squad? The record for most consecutive wins is 33 games by the 1971-72 Lakers. While 33-0 is a long way from 16-0, Kobe Bryant says the Warriors are that talented.
“Yeah, they could do it — because they’re good,” Bryant said, via USA Today. “It’s a very young league, and they’ve managed to put together a team of extremely intelligent players and extremely versatile players, and great shooters. And so I see no reason why they couldn’t continue to extend (the record).”
Bryant, 37, is more or less on a farewell tour this season. His Lakers aren’t competitive (2-12) and he’s been struggling, shooting 1-of-14 Tuesday night and 31 percent from the field on the season. He’s stated many times this season will most likely be his final one.
So instead of commenting on his team, Bryant used his 19 years of pro experience to comment on other teams. He discussed the Warriors season and how he thinks they’ll be able to compete moving forward.
“The challenge for them is going to be conflict,” he said. “You’ve got to have some kind of internal conflict (on a team) that keeps the team on edge, you know what I mean? Because if not then it just becomes so easy. You kind of coast, and you kind of fall into a malaise. (Warriors forward) Draymond (Green) seems to be the guy who really drives the team every day in practice, and so they’re going to need to have some type of challenge internally to push themselves.
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“The hardest part about defending is complacency, which doesn’t seem to be a problem. And then you have to have health…But they have the players to do (break the winning streak and defend their title). They have the system to do it, and they have the hunger to do it. So it’s just a matter of going out there and playing.”