5 reasons the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors are the greatest team of all time
Golden State Warriors
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
After one of the most dominant seasons in NBA history, it's time to make the case for the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors as the greatest team of all time.
With a dominant gentlemen's sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2017 NBA Finals, the Golden State Warriors just capped off one of the most dominant seasons in NBA history.
Less than a year after suffering the most dramatic collapse in Finals history, the Dubs are champions once again. If coughing up a 3-1 lead in the championship round cost them the title in 2016, their consolation prize of Kevin Durant could result in anywhere from the next 1-5 titles.
As always in times like these, the question now becomes: Are the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors the greatest team of all time?
Because people feel the need to put every single thing that happens in sports into historical context, immediately, it's a question that needs to be answered. By and large, fan bases and NBA spectators are incapable of just sitting back and appreciating a great team, player or game; the knowledge of where it ranks all-time has to be included to fully enjoy it.
In that frame of mind, here's the case for this year's Warriors juggernaut as the greatest team in NBA history.
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.
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.
Golden State Warriors
Jun 12, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) celebrates after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers in game five of the 2017 NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
4. Elite point differential
The 2017 Warriors hold the point differential record for neither the regular season nor the playoffs. And yet, ignoring their place among some of the elite point differentials in NBA history would not be doing their season justice.
In terms of regular season point differential, the Warriors (+11.1) place fourth on the all-time list. They trail only the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers (+12.3), 1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks (+12.3) and the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls (+12.2).
All three of those teams won the championship in their respective seasons, and all three won at least 66 games, cementing their place alongside the Warriors and many of the other legendary teams that come up whenever the G.O.A.T. conversation begins.
However, none of those teams holds up quite as well once the playoff picture comes into focus.
Warriors had the 2nd-largest average scoring margin for any team that played at least 5 games that postseason pic.twitter.com/fFzRD9PF5k
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 13, 2017
The '72 Lakers, who recorded the greatest regular season point differential in NBA history, were nowhere near as dominant in the playoffs, recording a meager +3.5 point differential and losing three of their 15 games en route to the title.
The '71 Bucks boast the best point differential in NBA playoff history at +14.5, but keep in mind that this was an entirely different era with less star talent, where only 12 wins were needed to win a championship. It was basically the equivalent of taking away the entire first round.
As for Michael Jordan's unforgettable Bulls team, they might have made a stronger case in this category if not for a pair of Finals losses to the Seattle SuperSonics after going up 3-0 in the series. Their +10.6 point differential on the way to a title is nothing to sneer at, but it's just a step below the Warriors' +13.5 point differential.
Point differentials aren't the only way to weigh a team's greatness, but they're an effective tool for measuring dominance. For the Warriors to be among these legendary teams for both regular season and playoff point differential — especially in an era where they seem more like video game numbers than real statistics — might make them the most impressive of the bunch.
Golden State Warriors
May 14, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) celebrates after making a basket against the San Antonio Spurs during the third quarter in game one of the Western conference finals of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Spurs 113-111. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
3. Difference between the G.O.A.T. team and the G.O.A.T. season
One of the stronger cases for the Golden State Warriors as the G.O.A.T. team is a simple clarification that this is not an argument for the Dubs having the greatest season of all time. That distinction matters here.
In terms of the greatest or most successful season ever, you'd couldn't go wrong picking the 1995-96 Bulls. They won the most games in league history among teams who actually went on to win the title. The 2015-16 Warriors missed out on that label by losing the championship round and the 2016-17 Warriors missed out on by losing 5-6 more regular season games.
However, there's certainly a case to be made for the Warriors in this debate, as ESPN's Kevin Pelton does here:
Plugged in the 2016-17 Warriors to the formula I used to rank the best NBA teams ever. Do they top the list? https://t.co/5jSXXF2tci (In)
— Kevin Pelton (@kpelton) June 13, 2017
Essentially, Pelton's formula slightly favors the Warriors until factoring in how many injuries befell their opponents during their playoff run. MJ's Bulls probably had a harder path to the Larry O'Brien trophy; the Warriors did what was expected by being historically dominant over shorthanded opponents.
There's also the fun (but ultimately pointless) head-to-head angle to consider. If these two teams could somehow play each other in their primes, who would win?
2017 Warriors > 1996 Bulls pic.twitter.com/Bca2Xxu9sO
— Bruh Report (@BruhReport) June 7, 2017
It's a tough question to truly answer. Changes in the hand-checking rules would factor in here, as would the general direction the league has gone down that favors three-point shooting, versatility and ever-expanding length. Both teams played in a completely different NBA.
The league has changed so much in the last 21 years, but given the way that athletes have evolved and the NBA has gone small with its emphasis on three-point shooting and high-powered offenses, even those historically stingy Bulls defenses would've had problems containing a Stephen Curry-Kevin Durant pick-and-roll.
With that being said, this isn't a simple measure of regular season wins and playoff wins, nor does factoring in point differentials or hypothetical head-to-head matchups end the discussion.
Hi, I wrote a championship column: On the Warriors, dominance, and how legacies crystallize. https://t.co/ZmxpwQycYZ
— Danny Chau (@dannychau) June 13, 2017
The best measure for this question might be one simple question: If you had to pick any team in NBA history as THE bar for league dominance and success and probability of winning a championship against any opponent, who would you pick?
Many would pick Jordan's Bulls. Others would pick these Warriors. But with the way the game and its players have evolved, even the greatest player of all time's team might not hold a candle to this Warriors behemoth.
Golden State Warriors
Jun 12, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) celebrates with forward Draymond Green (23) in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers in game five of the 2017 NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
2. Three-year reign
The larger picture matters here too. While this is not a discussion of the greatest three-year window in NBA history, Golden State's dominance since Steve Kerr took over at the helm has been unparalleled — even when factoring in their defeat in the 2016 NBA Finals.
Over the last three seasons, the Warriors have the best record (including the regular season and the playoffs) over any three-year stretch in NBA history at 254-54 (.825). They've won two titles in that stretch, and if not for a Draymond Green Game 5 suspension, LeBron James entering God mode, Harrison Barnes falling apart or Andrew Bogut's series-ending injury, they'd probably have three.
The Dubs came as close to a championship in 2016 as any team has come without actually winning it, and in order to properly put their 2016-17 season into context, that three-year window featuring a 73-win season to somewhat make up for losing the title matters.
This is not to say the Warriors should be considered the G.O.A.T. team because they've been historically great for three straight years, because you could argue any team that three-peated in NBA history had a better three-year stretch.
But this season was the culmination (up to this point) of that incredible run, featuring the most well-rounded dominance we've seen from any team. It combined the regular season success of 2015-16 with the playoff success of 2014-15, somehow upgrading from Harrison Barnes to Kevin-freaking-Durant in the process.
Coming back from the heartbreak of a 73-win season ending in ruin matters. Doing so in such authoritative fashion matters as well.
This season represents the beginning of an all-time great NBA dynasty (as if it hadn't already begun in 2015). While many other teams could claim the same, we may very well look back on the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors as the beginning of the end for so many other contenders, igniting a reign of terror that lasts half a decade.
Golden State Warriors
Jun 12, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) celebrates after winning the NBA Fianls MVP in game five of the 2017 NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
1. Greatest playoff run ever
The Golden State Warriors are one of 13 teams to win at least 67 games, they did so with KD missing 20 games, they boast the fourth-best regular season point differential and second-best playoff point differential of all time, and in the third year of an ongoing dynasty, they'd be favored in a hypothetical series against any championship team in NBA history.
As if this weren't enough, the Warriors have another dominant distinction to their name: The most impressive playoff run the league has ever seen.
With a nearly immaculate 16-1 postseason record, including an NBA-record 15 consecutive wins, the Dubs put together the best win percentage in playoff history.
Warriors finish 16-1, tying the fewest postseason losses by an NBA champion (1983 76ers and 2001 Lakers) pic.twitter.com/1Z7swGNlW4
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 13, 2017
If not for a historically great Cavaliers team playing its best game of the season in Game 4, the Warriors may have become the first team in NBA history to go a perfect 16-0.
More from Hoops Habit
That didn't happen, and it should be noted that injuries to Jusuf Nurkic, George Hill and Kawhi Leonard made the Dubs' path to their fifth franchise championship easier to varying degrees.
However, Golden State did what historically great teams are supposed to do, dismantling inferior opponents no matter who was on the floor. Their 16-1 playoff record also trumps the 1971 Bucks (12-2), 1972 Lakers (12-3), 1996 Bulls (15-3) or any of Magic Johnson's Lakers or Larry Bird's Celtics teams.
They completed a gentlemen's sweep against the second-greatest player of all time who became the first player to ever average a triple-double in the Finals — yet another testament to how absolutely dominant this Warriors team was.
Let's rephrase it this way: LeBron James, one of the greatest players of all time, played the greatest Finals series of his legendary career, and it barely even put a dent in Golden State's path to the Larry O'Brien trophy.
All of that matters, and the 16-1 playoff record could be an all-time mark that other teams look up to for a long time. Well, at least until next year's Golden State Warriors team.
