The Legacy of Game 7

— -- The Golden State Warriors never ran from history. Fewer than two weeks into the season, when the defending champions were 5-0, some players were already talking about 73 wins. Those too queasy to think that far into the future reveled in the pursuit of a record-breaking 16-0 start.

The chatter got so loud that coach Steve Kerr, still rehabbing from two offseason back surgeries, visited the team in Los Angeles before its Nov. 19 game against the  Clippers. The Warriors were 12-0 -- four games away from busting their first significant record -- but Kerr wanted his team to refocus. He told them to forget about the record -- that the Clippers wanted to make a statement, and the Warriors needed to remind L.A. of the Western Conference pecking order, team sources remember.