On the TUNNEYSIDE of SPORTS December 21, 2015 #572 Up next… Roadkill!
After further review…The Golden State Warriors, NBA Champs of the 2014-15 season started the 2015-16 with the winning streak that finished their championship season still intact. The Warriors rattled off 17 victories to set a new NBA scoring record for most consecutive season-opening wins, and kept right on going. The 20th win, BTW, was in Charlotte against the Hornets (116-99) with Steph Curry’s father, Dell, watching from the stands. Dell played 16 seasons in the NBA — 10 of them with Charlotte. It was a sensational start for the Warriors, with shooting guard and playmaker Steph drawing much of the attention.
Following that Charlotte victory, the Warriors won three more, and then faced the powerful Boston Celtics in the “Gaw-den” for their sixth straight road trip game on December 11th. The Warriors won that one 124-119 in double overtime to push the record to 24 straight!! That double overtime of 58 minutes (48+5+5) took nearly three hours to play, finishing about 10:30 p.m. EST. The T*E*A*M then flew to Milwaukee arriving about three a.m. for the Bucks game that night (December 12th) – tip-off at 7:30 p.m. CST!
Seven straight games on the road is tough enough, but to play two games some 900 hundred miles apart in less than 24-hours is unreasonable. What were the NBA schedule makers thinking? Surely, those schedulers could not have predicted the OT game in Boston. However, these talented basketball players are running at full speed for that time on the court, and need at least a day off between games. The Bucks ended the Warriors winning streak at 24 with a 108-95 defeat. To their credit there is no grumbling over the scheduling coming from the Warriors camp, but the T*E*A*M’s accomplishment would have been an even greater marketing opportunity for the NBA without the scheduling controversy. On December 18th the Warriors struggled at home, but beat the Bucks 121-112.
• So what price success? As the TUNNEYSIDE celebrates its 11th year, we THANK YOU for being wonderful readers and supporters of these columns/blogs. We wish you a joyful and peaceful Christmas and holiday season, and leave you with these stirring words often attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson:
To laugh often and much,
To win the respect of intelligent and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal
of false friends;
To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child,
a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition;
To have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.
Will Emerson’s words encourage you to be a better person this holiday season as well as in 2016?
To contact Jim go to www.jimtunney.com or email him jim@jimtunney.com.
Jim’s new book “Another 101 Best of TunneySide of Sports” will be available just after Christmas.
