Winning at a record clip and entertaining along the way, the Warriors are the toast of sport. All of which makes the job of commissioner Adam Silver that much more enjoyable.
Silver has been on the job a little more than two seasons, so the timing of his promotion from deputy commissioner parallels the rise of the Warriors. He was asked Friday, during an appearance on CSNBayArea’s “Sports Talk Live,” his thoughts on the defending champions.
“Depending where they finish this season, if they surpass that Bulls’ 72-win record, they could go down as one of the greatest teams in history,” Silver said. “And I think then interest will continue to build.”
[POOLE: NBA's Silver: Curry 'would've been great back in the day']
The Warriors are one game ahead of the pace set by the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, who won an NBA-record 72 games. With a win over the Lakers Sunday in Los Angeles, the Warriors would go two games up on those Bulls.
That was, however, a generation ago. Bulls star Michael Jordan has advanced to the owner’s suite. The Internet and social media have dramatically changed access and, moreover, the way all news is covered.
[RATTO: Warriors can only look to themselves as point of comparison]
“I remember some of the great Bulls teams,” Silver said. “Back then, the media approached things differently. There weren’t as many channels, the essence of information. There weren’t, literally, as many channels on television. It was pre-Internet explosion. People tended to congregate around fewer options. In the same way people would analogize some of those great Bulls teams to when the Beatles used to tour – a very dated analogy.
“With today’s Warriors, they’re competing against many more entertainment options. And it’s early days. Let’s see what happens over the next few years. It’s fantastic to watch right now.”
