Now that the Golden State Warriors’ winning streak has come to an end, it feels like a lot of air has been let out of the proverbial balloon.

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The excitement of following a team trying to fend off challenger after challenger, night-in and night-out, in an attempt to make history made for compelling drama, but the intrigue isn’t gone.

Golden State won’t match or break the Los Angeles Lakers’ 33 consecutive wins anytime soon, but they can still surpass the Chicago Bulls’ record of 72 wins in a season. You could argue either way for which record is more impressive.

As mentioned, the building up of a winning streak comes with daily pressure to keep it going and affords hardly any room for error.

The season-long benchmark is just as difficult to achieve, if not more because it requires razor-sharp focus for such a prolonged period of time – six months really.

What is certain, though, is that every single Warriors game going forward might not be a must-watch anymore. Eyes will be on the team, but not to the magnitude which was present during the later stages of the streak. That feeling, of being at or following an event rather than a game, will be missed. 

The atmosphere which Golden State has recently generated just through their sheer presence has been spectacular. Take the double-overtime contest in Boston against the Celtics on Friday. People who were at the TD Garden that night would tell you the electricity in the arena was reminiscent of the energy of an Finals game during the ‘Big Three’ era of Garnett, Pierce and Allen.

It’s amazing to think any regular season game in December could inspire that type of pure euphoria, but that’s what Golden State bring to the table wherever they go. The immediate stakes aren’t as high anymore and the occasions will be fewer, but does anyone think the Christmas Day meeting between the Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers won’t draw everyone’s attention?

Teams will continue giving Golden State everything they have because they’re still the defending champions, the best team in the league and who everyone is gunning for.

If the Warriors can achieve 73 wins, which they’re well on pace for, then a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in December won’t matter.