Tonight is Absolutely The Greatest Night In the History of Basketball
I could almost guarantee you that in 20 years, I'm going to remember everything about April 13, 2016. Where I was sitting, who I was with and what I was thinking; it's all going to be a very vivid memory. Not only is tonight the final game that Kobe 'Bean' Bryant will ever play in the National Basketball Association (or any organized basketball for that matter), but the Golden State Warriors are on the quest for their 73rd win of the season. Providing the Warriors win tonight, this would break the single season record for wins, previously held by Michael Jordan and his '96 Bulls. I cannot think of any one night of sports in my life that carries the amount of history that will be made tonight.
You see, I was born in 1993. I didn't get the privilege of growing up and becoming a basketball player in the prime-time of Michael Jordan's career. Being a truly passionate fan of the game, I'm extremely jealous of those before me that got to experience the greatness that was Air Jordan, follow his successful career, and want to be "like Mike" when they grew up. We didn't completely miss out, though. As a 90's generation, we were introduced to the man that people will forever compare to His Airness, Kobe Bryant.
There were very few names ever heard on the playground than "Kobe!" after shooting a fade-away. There were very few teams played with on our Play-stations and Nintendo's other than the Los Angeles Lakers. And there were very few people in the NBA that stood a chance when matching up to Kobe Bryant. We witnessed the 5 rings. We witnessed the clutch shots. We witnessed the scoring titles and the MVP's too.
Tonight, as a generation that has seen him play throughout the entire course of his NBA career, we witness the end. No matter how you look at it, that is special.
Shifting to the other end of the emotional spectrum, tonight is the biggest game that Golden State will play this season (perhaps until the end of time). Yes, that includes the NBA Finals, in which the Warriors are predicted to win for a second time. Winning 2 titles in a row? That's old news. The Bulls did it. The Lakers did it. The Celtics once won 8 in a row and now the Miami Heat have done it. What hasn't been done (and probably won't be done), is breaking the record for a single season record (72-10) previously held by the Bulls.
If the Warriors beat the Memphis Grizzlies tonight, they will move to 73-9. Call it a bold prediction, but I don't think that we will see a team break that record in our generation's lifetime. In a field full of the greatest basketball players on this planet, that record is damn near perfect.
What might be the best part about tonight, is that both events that are occurring lead directly back to Michael Jordan himself. Kobe Bryant will always be argued about and compared to the Jumpman, while Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors are taking the final step to shatter Jordan and company's 20 year old single season record of 73 wins.
Looking outside of the realm of basketball, I'm not so sure that I've ever heard of any two occurrences with this level of incredible-ness to ever grace the world of professional sports. Have you?
