Golden State Warriors

Did Steve Kerr bluff about his plan to rest the Warriors?

Published Mar. 23, 2016 8:29 p.m. ET

Jovan Buha

Heading into the 2015-16 season, the Golden State Warriors' goal was to defend their 2014-15 title and win back-to-back championships.

Somewhere along the way, they started 24-0 and the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls' 72-win record became realistic. Now, 70 games into the season, the Warriors are 63-7, needing to go just 10-2 -- which sounds shockingly easy for them -- to win 73 games and break the record.

The issue is that chasing the record could tire out Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, who will all sorely be needed in the latter three rounds when the Warriors could face the Spurs, Thunder, Clippers and Cavaliers.

Head coach Steve Kerr said earlier this month that rest would take precedence over the record, and that's probably the smart move. But when asked if he's discussed sitting out some games over the final 12 games of the season, Curry said he hadn't been approached ... yet:

At the end of the day, the record is nice and all, but it's meaningless if the Warriors lose to the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals or the Cavaliers in the Finals.

If the Warriors are healthy, neither team can likely take them down. But if any of their top players are banged up, the series can shift the other way. Resting Curry, Green and Thompson -- as tough as it could be to drop a winnable game -- could prevent that.

Even though Kerr hasn't discussed the option of sitting games out with Curry yet -- or at least that's what Curry is willing to publicly admit -- it's a conversation that is likely to happen at some point over the next week or two once the Warriors clinch the league's best record.

Or it could happen sooner. After Wednesday's contest with the Clippers, the Dubs host the Mavericks and the Sixers and then the Wizards -- three games they should probably win, with or without Curry. Could he or Green or Thompson rest then?

Simply put, winning 69 or 70 games and the title is better than 73 wins and no championship. It's a difficult decision, to be sure, but this is where priorities kick in (championship > regular-season record).

Knowing the Warriors, though, they'll likely pull off both.

Jovan Buha covers the NBA for FOX Sports. Follow him on Twitter: @jovanbuha.