2015–16 Golden State Warriors season
[4] Warriors' head coach, Steve Kerr, has a significant connection to the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, as he previously served as a point guard for the team during that specific season.
[4][5][6][7][8] However, they were defeated in the NBA Finals by the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games, having lost the series despite initially leading with a 3–1 advantage.
[9] The Warriors began the 2015–16 season by winning their first 24 games, eclipsing the previous best start in NBA history, set by the 1993–94 Houston Rockets, the 1948–49 Washington Capitols, and later the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2024 at 15–0.
[11] The Warriors broke a 131-year-old record of 20–0 set by the 1884 St. Louis Maroons baseball team, to claim the best start to a season in all of the major professional sports in America.
They also won 28 consecutive regular-season games dating back to the 2014–15 season, eclipsing the 2012–13 Miami Heat for the second longest winning streak in NBA history.
Curry won the scoring title, averaging 30.1 points per game and led the league in steals and had the best free throw percentage.
He became the seventh player to enter the 50–40–90 club (he shot 50% for field goals, 45% for three-pointers and 91% for free throws during the entire regular season).
Before the opener, the Golden State Warriors revealed their first title banner in 40 years and received their championship rings during a ceremony acknowledging the 2014–15 champions.
[19] On November 4, the Warriors won their fifth straight win after handing their division rival, the LA Clippers, their first loss of the season.
[20] Eight days later, the Warriors won their tenth straight game after beating the Timberwolves, recording their first ever 10–0 start in a season in franchise history.
[24] On November 27, the Warriors set new franchise records for longest winning streak (17) and three-point field goals made (22) in a 135–116 victory over the Phoenix Suns.
[27] Golden State's 131–123 win on December 8 over the Pacers in Indianapolis improved their road record to 13–0, the best such start to a season in NBA history.
[33] In a win against the New York Knicks on January 31, Green tied Hall of Famer Tom Gola's franchise record of nine triple-doubles in a season.
[3] On February 13, Klay Thompson won the Three-Point Contest at the All-Star weekend, beating Stephen Curry 27–23 in the final round.
On March 3, the Warriors tied the 1995–96 Chicago Bulls for the longest regular-season home-game winning streak in NBA history (44 games), with a 121–106 victory at home against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
[38][39] On March 7, the Warriors won their 45th-straight regular season home game over the Orlando Magic, eclipsing the 1995–96 Chicago Bulls 44 wins in a row, to claim the NBA record.
[40] With a Los Angeles Clippers' loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on March 13, the Warriors officially clinched the Pacific Division title for second consecutive season and fourth time overall.
[41] The Warriors dished out 32 assists against the Philadelphia 76ers on March 27, the 39th time this season the team has had a 30-assist game; the most in the NBA since the 1991–92 Chicago Bulls finished with 40.
Golden State became the first team in NBA history to score 1,000 three-pointers in a single season during their 136–111 win against the Portland Trail Blazers.
By defeating the San Antonio Spurs on April 7, the Warriors became only the 2nd team in NBA history to reach 70 wins in a season, joining the 72-win 1995–96 Chicago Bulls.
After defeating the Spurs again on April 10, the Warriors tied the NBA record for most regular-season wins with 72, previously set by the 1995–96 Chicago Bulls.
Curry made 10 three-pointers against Memphis, making him the first player in NBA history to hit 400 threes in a single season; he finished with 402.
[15] Curry became the seventh player to enter the 50–40–90 club, where he shot 50% for field goals, 45% for three-pointers and 91% for free throws during an entire regular season.
[15] Golden State beat the Houston Rockets 121–94 on April 24 to go up 3–1 in the first round series, in doing so they set the NBA record for threes made in a playoff game, hitting 21-of-40 (.525).
[1] The Warriors eliminated the Houston Rockets on April 27 with a blowout victory of 114–81, winning the series 4–1 and progressing to the Western Conference Semi-finals to face the Portland Trail Blazers.
[42] On May 9, a 132–125 OT win over the Portland Trail Blazers put Golden State up 3–1 in the series, Steph Curry scored 40 points in his first game back after being out injured for 15 days with an MCL sprain.
[14] On May 11, the Warriors beat the Trail Blazers 125–121 in Game 5 to clinch the series and advance to the Western Conference finals for the second consecutive year, where they faced the Oklahoma City Thunder.
On May 26, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson were named to the 2015–16 All-NBA Team, the first time three Warriors have earned the accolade since the 1955–56 season when Neil Johnston, Paul Arizin, and Jack George were selected.
Curry angrily responded by throwing his mouthguard into the stands and hit a fan, which resulted in a technical foul and the first ejection of his career.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr also received a $25,000 fine for his criticism of the officiating, which he felt was biased against Curry, in the post-game press conference.
