You know the Golden State Warriors' traveling show is in town because autograph-seeking fans early Monday morning started lining up on the sidewalk outside the team's hotel across Target Center.
That's what happens when you're 62-7 and aimed at surpassing the Chicago Bulls' record 72-10 season from two decades ago. At shootaround this morning, Warriors coach Steve Kerr admitted there's some similarities between the crowds those Bulls team (on which Kerr played) attracted and the ones his team now draws.
But the Warriors' 87-79 loss Saturday at San Antonio -- the one in which the Spurs' defense forced superstar Stephen Curry into a rare 4-for-18 shooting night -- reminds that they're still human after all.
No NBA team has gone an entire season without losing two games consecutively. The 1984-95 Boston Celtics came the closest, going 74 games that season before doing so.
Both the Warriors and San Antonio have gone 69 games so far without losing consecutive games.
"We haven't lost two in a row all year, which is a remarkable stat," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "It has never been done before in NBA history, to go through an entire season, and it's probably the thing I'm most proud of with this group, how they've responded from losses. Whether it's being refocused or being angry and just being competitive, we've always responded well. Hopefully, we will again tonight."
The Wolves probably would be better off if the Warriors hadn't arrived at Target Center angry or refocused or competitive or whatever you want to call it.
"It's not (easy)," Wolves guard Ricky Rubio said about the prospect of playing the Warriors after a loss. "But we have confidence. We've been playing better lately and we have to focus on our game."