5. The Warriors are unfair, but they didn’t ruin the NBA
We’ve heard it all before by now. The Golden State Warriors are the 73-win team that came within one win of a championship before adding Kevin Durant over the summer. They’re unfair. They’re a machine. They’re the super-team to end all super-teams. The rest of the league has no hope for the next 3-5 seasons, at least.
Some of that is very true.
The Warriors could very well win the next 3-5 titles, since they have four top-20 players in Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson — all of whom will be locked in for the foreseeable future and still in their primes after this summer.
Stephen Curry with a message for the rest of the NBA: "We're just getting started."
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) June 13, 2017
But even if the final outcome of the 2016-17 NBA campaign was predictable, that’s usually the case heading into most NBA seasons. In any given season, there are really only 1-4 teams that are hands down favorites to compete for a title. This season was no different; it’s just the gap between them and the rest of the field was much larger than usual.
To say the Warriors ruined the NBA is to overlook the selfless, smart and star-studded brand of basketball that was on display 99 times this season. It downplays how important culture, rabid fan support and individual sacrifice are to creating a winning environment.
From drafting well (Curry, Klay and Draymond) to instituting a defense-first mentality (Mark Jackson) and then coupling it with a fun, free-flowing culture (Steve Kerr) to nailing trades (Andre Iguodala) and free agency acquisitions (KD), the Dubs are a model NBA franchise. They’re what other franchises — outside of the San Antonio Spurs and whatever team LeBron James plays on — should aspire to be like.
That goes for both on and off the court. As CBS Sports’ Matt Moore detailed, the Warriors’ dominance could be good for the NBA. In a copycat league, this team isn’t successful only because of its talent. It takes a buy-in from players one through 15.
It takes sacrifice, a team-first mentality, a commitment to defense, a collection of versatile talent, ball movement, off-ball movement, a willingness to make the right pass or the smart play…the list goes on and on.
The 2017 NBA Finals were over in five games, but Games 3 and 5 were superb and extremely competitive, and even Games 1 and 2 were competitive until patented third quarter runs — which, again, featured gorgeous displays of basketball — blew the score wide open.
People may not like the way KD helped destroy parity in the NBA, but why? Was it not LeBron who started the trend of super-teams, albeit on a smaller scale, by joining Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami? Is there something wrong with players taking control of their destinies rather than leaving it in the hands of owners and general managers? Does it really matter he “teamed up” with a contender when that contender was easily the best basketball fit?
With another possible Warriors-Cavs matchup coming in 2018, the insane level of shot-making, passing and defense that was on display this year is something worth looking forward to, especially since this was only Golden State’s first season with KD. Get used to the Warriors and get over resenting them, because they’re not going anywhere any time soon.