The stars did not disappoint.<\/p>\n
And the most-celebrated closing night in NBA regular-season history not only lived up to expectations, it might have exceeded them with a pair of performances that will be talked about for years to come.<\/p>\n
Golden State became the first team to win 73 games in a season, Warriors guard Stephen Curry scored 46 points and topped the 400 3-pointer mark to cap what will almost certainly be his second straight MVP campaign. Kobe Bryant\u2019s career with the Los Angeles Lakers ended in most surprising fashion \u2014 a 60-point game, the first time he\u2019s gotten to that plateau since 2009.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think this has been an amazing day for sports fans, basketball fans in particular,\u201d Bryant said as he wore his Lakers\u2019 uniform about an hour after the game, not quite willing to take it off for the final time. \u201cIt\u2019s been a great day with them setting such an unbelievable record \u2014 you think about that, 73 wins, that\u2019s ridiculous. And then obviously what happened here tonight, it\u2019s been a great night in basketball history.\u201d<\/p>\n
That most everyone can agree on, including President Barack Obama, Michael Jordan and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.<\/p>\n
The Warriors beat the Memphis Grizzlies 125-104, finishing the season 73-9 and breaking the 72-10 mark that was put together by Jordan and the Chicago Bulls and lasted 20 years as the NBA\u2019s all-time single-season standard. Steve Kerr played for that Bulls team, and was the one who went on to coach these Warriors to a level not even that club could reach.<\/p>\n
Jordan congratulated the Warriors in a statement released after the game. He also said, \u201cThe Warriors have been a lot of fun to watch and I look forward to seeing what they do in the playoffs.\u201d<\/p>\n
In other words, Jordan was saying \u2018now go win the title.\u2019 When the Bulls won 72 games, they capped that season with a championship.<\/p>\n
Curry made 10 3\u2019s to get to 402 for the season, officially wrapped up the NBA scoring title, and sent a message to the rest of the league going into the postseason \u2014 that the Warriors are far from satisfied, with Curry saying he was happy that all the team needs to worry about now is getting 16 postseason wins.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just try to keep getting better,\u201d said Curry, who was the MVP last year at 23.8 points per game \u2014 and went to 30.1 points per game this season. \u201cI just want to keep pushing myself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Somehow, the Warriors\u2019 73-win record \u2014 \u201cthe new Golden Standard,\u201d the team called it \u2014 almost seemed overshadowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cNobody really cares about the 73 wins it was all about Kobe today,\u201d Indiana guard C.J. Watson wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s how impressive Bryant\u2019s last game was.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no way I could possibly imagine this happening,\u201d Bryant said.<\/p>\n
Who could?<\/p>\n
Bryant scored 60 points and took 50 shots, the most of any game in his career \u2014 a total that came with the blessing of teammates who just wanted him to score as much as possible one final time.<\/p>\n
\u201cFelt good to be able to do that,\u201d Bryant said, \u201cone last time.\u201d<\/p>\n
And when it ended, the basketball world was buzzing.<\/p>\n
\u201c4-13 should go down in the archives as #MambaDay,\u201d longtime NBA sharpshooter Mike Miller tweeted. \u201c@Kobe Bryant thanks for the memories. It was amazing to be able to compete against u!\u201d<\/p>\n
Added Heat forward Chris Bosh: \u201c73 wins and one dude shooting 50 shots in one game on the same night. Has that ever happened before?\u201d Bosh ended that tweet with the hashtag \u201cawesome.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fans who had to resort to the secondary resale markets paid more than $1,000 for tickets \u2014 or much more in some cases \u2014 just to get a seat to see the Warriors chase history or Bryant play one final time.<\/p>\n
Odds are, none of them left thinking they made a mistake.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhoever paid those crazy … prices for those tickets y\u2019all got y\u2019all money\u2019s worth tonight,\u201d Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson tweeted.<\/p>\n
Fans in Los Angeles bought up just about every piece of Bryant memorabilia they could find at Staples Center, and 350 miles or so up the road at Oracle Arena, Warriors fans cheered long and loud when the 73rd win was finally secure.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe team held itself to a high standard throughout the season, playing with purpose every night and captivating fans around the world with its free-flowing style, spectacular shooting and flair for the dramatic,\u201d Silver said. \u201cKudos to the entire Warriors organization.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not long after Silver released his statement, the NBA put out its schedule for the first round that starts Saturday. The confetti that flew in Oakland was swept up, the champagne that was sprayed on Bryant after his finale had long dried.<\/p>\n
The night was over.<\/p>\n
The playoffs await for the Warriors, but not Bryant. His career is done, and his last act on the floor at Staples Center was a two-word farewell to Lakers fans:<\/p>\n
\u201cMamba out.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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