Metta World Peace might have added another ounce of pressure on a Los Angeles Lakers team that is being predicted to win it all this upcoming 2012-2013 season.
"We definitely want to beat the Bulls record and go 73-9, that's definitely something that I want to do. Whoever is out there at the beginning of the season then we gotta get it. It's as simple as that. We just have to go get it," said World Peace.
"You try to snatch records before you leave this earth. You gotta try to do a lot of great things so it's definitely a goal."
The Lakers are getting ready to enter the season with a superstar lineup. Steve Nash, Antawn Jamison and Dwight Howard were additions over the break. Pau Gasol came back from the 2012 London Olympics and played great basketball for Spain down the stretch.
With a better bench, the Lakers are facing a season filled with expectations.
But the being better than the 1996 Bulls? I highly doubt they'll approach that record.
First of all, last time I checked Kobe Bryant was all about winning championships and the leader of this team.
Now, the Lakers are good, they might even be great, but it's not like Michael Jordan came back from retirement and announced to the world that they were going to finish with the best record ever in the NBA, they just went out and did it.
Jordan and Scottie Pippen spent years playing together and had already won three championships together. That team had players like Toni Kukoc, Dennis Rodman, Ron Harper, Steve Kerr and Luke Longley.
Kobe and Gasol have been on the same team, but Nash and Howard are newcomers. It will be the first time they play under the same system with Mike Brown.
The Lakers might even have to start the season without their big man Howard in the middle of the floor.
A big factor that will prevent the Lakers from reaching this milestone is their struggle on defense. Though Coach Mike Brown is defensive minded, the Lakers had an average defense in 2011. They gave up 95.9 points a game while averaging a score of 97.3
The Bulls of 1996 averaged 105.2 points a game, but only gave up 92.9 points a game to their opponents. That is over a 10-point differential.
Being in the Western Conference the Lakers will compete against Oklahoma City, San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Clippers, who are teams that finished in the Top 4 in the NBA along with the Lakers.
Last season the Lakers were 4-5 against these three teams. That is more than half of the nine loses the team would have in the season.
World Peace might have said this as a form of motivation, but he might have been reaching way beyond the stars with this goal.
For now, Metta World Peace should stick to talking about the Lakers' chances of winning a championship. Being better than the 1995-1996 Bulls, however, is out of the question for now.
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