2018 NBA Finals: LeBron James, Warriors’ legacy and the 5 biggest takeaways

1. This could become the greatest dynasty the NBA has ever seen

I hesitate to call the Golden State Warriors the greatest NBA dynasty we’ve ever seen. Greatest collection of talent? Definitely. But Bill Russell’s Celtics won 11 freaking championship and Michael Jordan’s Bulls pulled off two three-peats in one decade. Even with the way the game and the league have advanced, those two still take the cake.

However, this is the most dominant four-year stretch in NBA history, and the scary part is, it might just be getting started.

The Warriors have won titles in three of the last four years, and in the one year they lost, they won a regular season record 73 games and came one Draymond Green suspension shy of probably finishing it off in five games.

Fortunately for the Dubs, that suspension and ensuing seven-game loss opened the door for what might wind up being the NBA’s greatest modern dynasty when all is said and done.

Remember, Russell’s Celtics played in a league with nowhere near 30 teams, and Jordan’s Bulls never had a four-year stretch quite like this thanks to MJ’s baseball retirement.

Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston will begin to fall off as age comes for them, but Stephen Curry is only 30, and even as his athleticism begins to fade, his shooting, ball-handling, passing and basketball I.Q. will make him a formidable threat well into his 30s.

The same could be said for the 28-year-old Klay Thompson and the 29-year-old Kevin Durant. The 28-year-old Draymond Green’s game (and defense) relies on his athleticism a bit more, but he’s way too smart and too damn annoying to not be able to contribute well into his 30s. Jordan Bell and Patrick McCaw could very well wind up being Green/Iguodala replacements too.

Throw in the fact that useful veterans are going to be willing to take less money for their shot at a championship and this team won’t hurt for depth until the NBA truly reaches a breaking point in its thirst for competition.

We’re not there yet, which is why this historic offense — which also ranked first in both offensive and defensive efficiency during the 2018 NBA Playoffs — will continue to churn out all-time seasons for the foreseeable future.

Next: The 50 greatest NBA players of all time (updated, 2016-17)

Get used to this Golden State Warriors dynasty that’s already cemented itself as one of the greatest in NBA history, because it’s probably not going anywhere anytime soon.