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5 reasons the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors are the greatest team of all time

By Gerald Bourguet

Jun 12, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35), guard Stephen Curry (30) celebrate with his caught Riley in game five of the 2017 NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 12, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35), guard Stephen Curry (30) celebrate with his caught Riley in game five of the 2017 NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
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Golden State Warriors
Jun 12, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) is introduced before the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers in game five of the 2017 NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

5. They won 67 games…with KD missing 20

It’s hard to give too much credence to this bullet point, but this one bears worth repeating: The Golden State Warriors won 67 games this season with their best player missing 20 games.

To put this in historical context, only 13 teams have ever won 67 or more games in an NBA season, and only nine of those 13 went on to win the title.

So yes, considering these Warriors accomplished both — despite missing a guy who averaged 25.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.1 steals per game on .537/.375/.875 shooting splits for 20 games — is pretty damn impressive.

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Now, to be fair, 10 of the team’s 15 losses came with KD on the floor (we’re not counting the loss to the Washington Wizards, in which Durant was injured after two minutes of floor time). So even if he had played all 82 games, the most additional wins you could theoretically tack on here would be five.

Those five theoretical wins with a healthy KD would push the Dubs to 72 hypothetical wins, tying them with the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls for the second-best record in league history. Paired with such a dominant championship run, they’d have more than enough steam to seriously challenge that legendary squad for the “greatest season in NBA history” crown.

However, we can only put so much stock in “theoretical wins” or what the Warriors might have done with KD suiting up for an extra 20 regular season games. The Dubs still went 16-4 without him, and their win percentage with him (.823) would translate to just over 67 wins for a full 82-game season.

Still, there’s something to be said about a team’s depth, balance and additional star power when its best scorer, rebounder and shot-blocker misses nearly one-fourth of the season, plus two playoff games…and the team still wins 67 freaking games and a championship.

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