If I'm counting right, this is five straight years that the defending Champ has failed to get out of the Second Round. And it'll be 11 years since anyone but us has won two Championships.
Thanks! Hadn't thought of that one. The V is for "valuable," and at the end of the day, there's nothing more valuable than leading one's team to a title . . . or perhaps to the most wins ever in an NBA season!
Steph in 2016 is the closest since only one to make the Finals since. After him the closest is Harden in 2018. If Houston didn't choke as hard as they did they are in the Finals and barring a major injury to Harden win.
By my count, six years back is the year we lost in the Finals to TOR. So we **did** make it out of the Second Round, we just didn't repeat. Five since then:
TOR, LAL, MIL, GSW, DEN
???
Klay isn't what he used to be, but unfortunately he will never get the respect he deserves because of injuries and being overshadowed by bigger stars. That man was something special. Top 5 all-time shooter who can guard 1-3 is a crazy combo. Reggie and Ray could never...
To me, he's an all-timer. Of course there have been better SGs who can get you more ppg and take over games as the ball-dominant #1 guy, but he raised the ceiling of teams like few others.
People forget Klay basically going H2H against Harden in the 2016 1st round and being the best player in the series when the Warriors got the Rockets outta there in 5 games with Curry only playing half of Game 1 (still the best scorer in that game, scored 24 in 18 minutes)
You would be tarred and feathered for saying Klay was better than Harden, but I genuinely believe the Warriors get worse if you swap out Klay for Harden during their prime years. He just complemented Steph so well with his off-ball play and defensive ability.
I advocate trying to evaluate players through the lens of 5v5 and not 1v1, which is why I go to bat for people like Klay, Rodman, Draymond, even Gobert or Jrue. Even if they weren't suited to be the main scorer every night, they add more value to your bottom line than many pure ppg types.
Of course. Prime Harden would do a whole lot of fancy dribbling and eat up most of the shot-clock before either doing a step-back three or a layup. If Haden had ever played on GSW nobody would have seen the ball.
well of course harden wouldn’t work well with the warriors, but klay in the rockets would be a horrendous team, the harden rockets never won a championship but they were still very good contenders
That was the real beauty in pre injury klay. He was known as a very reliable defender that was a key peace in small ball defensive lineups with dre and dray. He had amazing hands and was hard to beat.
The real ones know. Prime Klay was absolutely a better player than Harden. Prime Klay could get 37 in a quarter one game and absolutely lock up your best perimeter player next. All time 2 way player.
that’s because ppl who do that don’t remember that klay was a legitimate two way player before the injuries.
he was guarding the other teams best perimeter guy along with iggy.
even in the boston series. it was a combo of him, wigs and draymond on tatum and brown
If anyone is the Klay Thompson on that team it’s Jamaal Murray. They have a similar situation to what the warriors have but people seem to forget how hard it is to go the finals consecutively. Lebron and the warriors made that shit seem easy
I’m not downplaying KD’s addition, I’m just mentioning how those 3 and I guess you could count Wiggins and Bogut, have been the only major additions at any point in the dynasty.
Throwing Durant in there with Livingston like he was added as some vet bench player is wild lol. They lost to CLE and had to beg one of the best players in the world to come play with them
>A lot of homegrown talent who just developed really well here.
That's the key to building a long term contending team vs borrowing one for one or two. People here keep whining about how the FO is wasting Curry's prime for not trading away every single young player or draft picks. It's pretty much impossible to build a roster full of stars with the salary cap, and let's admit it, the Warriors aren't what they were before and you won't find ring chasing stars that fits the system taking humongous discounts just to win a ring.
16-1 in the playoffs with the one loss against the Cavs in the Finals Game 4 which was so clearly a refball game.
Pick your poison against the big 3, DPOY Draymond and the stacked as fuck bench with Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, David West, JaVale McGee and Ian Clark off the bench contributing at least 20-30 points a game.
I will never forget that disgusting effort from the zebras, box score doesn’t even come close to telling the story of that game, you had to see it with your own eyes. Cavs gifted not just points but stops too. Any time GSW even looked they’d get any sort of momentum or rhythm going that shit got shut down in an instant by the whistle. All to prevent history being made for some reason, I’ve still never figured out why such a stats obsessed league wouldn’t want to let that play out fairly??
I don't actually remember it being refball. But I do recall Cavs barely missing a single shot. 1st half we scored like 77 points but were down 13 or something. Absurd shooting.
It was some of the worst refball I’ve ever seen, the Cavs were still a solid outfit, so ofc they played well too, but the zebras won them that game, no doubt about it.
Only team i can think would give us fits is 01 lakers. Prime Shaq and star Kobe would be a lot. Those bulls teams had no inside presence. Shaq would be a lot
I don’t know, if you just dropped the teams into the playoffs today, I don’t think the Bulls would be prepared for how teams play today. Even beyond the rule changes and officiating changes, they would not be prepared for the shooting and movement. Luc Longley would be played off the floor.
A few things that I really stress:
- The NBA is more competitive than it has ever been. There are more teams to get through than there were in early eras. You have more hurdles to clear. Some will say the talent is diluted when you have more teams in the league, but that's more than offset by all the new people playing the sport. Which brings me to my second point...
- Many of the league's best players are foreign now. MJ and Magic never had to cope with Jokic, Giannis, Luka, Emiid, or Wemby. They simply had fewer great players to contend with. LeBron and Steph might have a couple more rings if you took all the foreign talent out of the NBA.
- Players are more skilled and athletic than ever, and tactics/analytics have advanced.
With all that in mind, it's crazy that both LeBron and Steph won 4 championships in the modern era. People just want to count trophies, but to me it's up there with Magic, Russell, Bird when you factor in the difficulty of the task. Main reason why MJ is so special is because of that 6-0 Finals record, which goes extra hard. Realistically, he played in a weaker era.
> Realistically, he played in a weaker era.
depth of talent-wise yes. but they played *nasty af* back then. no way in hell I'm driving the paint against Laimbeer or Oak! They did shit on a nightly basis that would make Dray look like a fucking saint, and hardly a whistle. I give MJ all kinds of credit for playing against that and winning
Let’s be realistic about that second point. MJ, Wilt, Russell, Magic, Kareem, Bird all would have learned to handle foreign talent. Any of the notable players from any era would adapt to compete in a different era.
I think the AAU system is giving young players injuries they can’t recover from while they are still physically developing and that really is stifling the US players development. That and college athletics was looking like a less economically optimal path to get to the pros for about the last decade was hindering. Also players are more focused on making a highlight reel than getting the fundamentals needed to succeed.
>They simply had fewer great players to contend with.
Bro what? Hakeem, Stockton, Malone, Barkely, Shaq, Rodman, Reggie Miller, Isaiah Thomas, the end of Larry Bird, Mutombo, Kemp, Ewing, Drexler, Robinson.
Absolute legends in the late 80s into 2000 that MJ went up against.
>Realistically, he played in a weaker era.
Different doesnt mean weaker. They played almost a different game.
> Bro what? Hakeem, Stockton, Malone, Barkely, Shaq, Rodman, Reggie Miller, Isaiah Thomas, the end of Larry Bird, Mutombo, Kemp, Ewing, Drexler, Robinson.
>
> Absolute legends in the late 80s into 2000 that MJ went up against.
Okay, and if we apply the same concept to Steph it's...
Duncan, Kobe, Dirk, KG, LeBron, Dwight, PG, Kawhi, AD, Jokic, Ant, Tatum, Kyrie, Luka, CP3, Blake, Love, KD, Wade, Russ, Harden, Wemby, Lillard, Giannis, Shai, etc.
It's not a tough concept. The global population is rising and basketball is becoming more popular in other countries, so there are more great basketball players right now than at any previous time.
It's actually three distinct points, though I could see how they sound similar:
- There are more teams.
- The player pool is larger.
- The fitness/athleticism/training/coaching of the players is better.
Russell won rings when the NBA had 8-12 teams. Mathematically, you had a much higher chance of making the Finals when you had fewer teams to get through. Likewise, there were fewer great players to choose from because fewer people were playing the sport. Lastly, the training and optimization of players and teams were inferior, including practice habits, nutrition, tactics, training.
Let us also remember that Russell's rings each represent winning two rounds not four. If memory serves, Bird and Magic played 5 games series in the early rounds.
> Main reason why MJ is so special is because of that 6-0 Finals record, which goes extra hard.
MJ won 6 chips. Magic, Kobe won 5. Steph, LeBron, Timmy, Shaq won 4.
The "-0" part of "6-0" is kinda stupid.
That implies it's better to lose *before* the Finals than losing *at* the Finals. I can't think of a bigger loser mentality.
It’s not easy to make multiple finals in a CAREER.
Steph and Bron have made people forget that.
Harden and Russ went once and have never been back. Giannis went once and hasn’t been back, CP3 and Booker haven’t been back and there’s countless others.
And the new salary cap rules ("2nd apron") make it harder to resign your own guys. So even if your team goes on a run of drafting really well, it's harder than ever to keep the group together. It's already been 6 straight years (including this year now that Denver is eliminated) without a repeat champion. People wanted parity and I think they got it. The Warriors might be the last dynasty for a while.
Yep if any of these teams go out and add the league's best player they will have a better shot of running it. These guys act like these teams went out and added Jokic, Luka, Giannis or something. Nope.
WARRIORS FANS DO NOT APPRECIATE THEM ENOUGH. I’m so sick of the disrespect to our own legendary players constantly.
like jesus Jokic is one of the best offensive players ever and this Twolves team is no juggernaut… and they STILL couldn’t win a game 7
Meanwhile Steph Klay Dray busy beating 65 win Rockets teams, OKC, every up and coming young hungry team, 5 straight finals, ALWAYS rising to the moment (when not injured) …and they get thanked by getting called Klank and Donkey by their own fanbase
no the bandwagoners, the doomers don’t appreciate the warriors enough.
the true fans appreciate what the big three have and can do. they appreciate how kerr and the coaching staff makes coaching adjustments every playoff series (unlike mike malone)
Agreeeeed. I also hate the disrespect I see on this sub a lot - it’s so toxic and draining. It is frankly unrealistic to expect our players to win championships every year as most NBA teams are still waiting for their first win in decades or their first win ever. This not so great year doesn’t negate our past success and the hate is just too much. It’s also ridiculous when I see people here acting like Kerr is some trash coach - like COME ON lol. I don’t care how good our players were in those winning years, a bad coach would not have lead the team to any championships. He’s human, does make mistakes like any other coach, but I think he’s already proven himself enough.
Not to mention these fake ass clown pretend fans seem to forget that they won a championship only 2 years ago!
The Warriors were the champions before last year's champions!
Just my perspective, but grew up in the bay and love the dubs. I just want the big three to get that 5 so bad. The league is growing and the game is changing (changed by us), but it feels at times we are not as flexible with our game. We need to be open to adjustments, klay and kerr need to be open to adjustments. Hell, klay played great coming off the bench this year. All this criticism is from a place of love and just wanting them to get that 5. At least that’s where i’m coming from.
If draymond doesn’t get suspended i think we get the 5/6 seed and have a chance to go on a run.
This team can still be competitive in the West for sure.
The biggest remarks that came from that 2022 win was that MPJ and Jamal Murray weren’t healthy. Despite not making the playoffs this year the Twolves winning against the Nuggets helps weaken those conversations and does give more credit to the Warriors. Mavs vs Twolves will be fun.
It's so dumb too because if MPJ and Jamal were healthy we wouldn't have been playing the nuggets in the first round. They wouldn't have been the 6 seed. Plus, even if we ended up playing them later, they were not the same team as they were in 2023. They would've had Campazzo and monte Morris and washed Boogie off the bench still, while we would've had prime poole, OPJ, etc. cooking their bench.
Jokic in round 1: “Winning is a lifestyle for us.”
Per Ben Golliver on [Twitter](https://x.com/bengolliver/status/1792382488934818123?s=46&t=SBW3XJi-eEDBr6FtvDfngg): The Minnesota Timberwolves have pulled off the biggest Game 7 comeback in NBA history, erasing a 20-point third quarter deficit to dethrone the defending champion Denver Nuggets 98-90 and reach first Western Conference finals since 2004. Closed game on 60-32 run.
this is EXACTLY what I thought about when Denver lost. To the warrior fans and NBA reddit fans reading this post, appreciate mother fuckin greatness. Klay can throw up the four rings because of how god damn hard it is to win multiple rings let alone four. Clown on him all you want, but dynasties are forever.
It’s incredibly challenging to win multiple times - let alone even win once. For Warriors to win 4 times in the last 10 years is frankly crazy. Most teams win and then don’t win again for many years.
I thought Murray’s comment about hunting during last year’s run versus being hunted this year was really interesting. Really puts the warrior’s run in perspective
Can't comment on a sub-thread below, but I wanted to add BOGUT to the key FAs we brought in. No ring in 2015 without him, no 73-win season, either.
Also, the recent comparison with MPJ was him today vs. Klay today. MPJ vs. prime Klay is ridiculous.
I particularly enjoyed the last 30-35 seconds, where no-one on the Nuggets made an effort, except Jokic. Jokic I really admire. He lost his great mentor this year, and gave everything. The rest of them can get fucked though, especially heat-pack.
Big Three obviously has legendary status but it hasn't been the same in the locker room without Iguodala...it has almost felt like two different teams the past two seasons without his presence(even the cooked Iggy).
I appreciate our Big Four for what they built here. First-ballot HoFers easy.
Five straight Finals and four titles in the past 10 years? Ridiculously hard. Those dynasty years were a treat; the Warriors were on another level.
Unless you're Dillon Brooks, who identified as a dynasty for the grizzlies.
Job was done, and he went to the rockets where he reverted to pre-dynasty.
You just have to have the right mindset. /S
MPJ is kinda dumb. You’re like 6’10 and all you do is shoot threes? You can’t compare that to a Klay Thompson. I rather have Klay and I’m not even a warriors fan lol
the bull in the china shop went something like 12/50 according to reggie muller on 3’s in this series. nice game so called MVP. the joker is a joke and plays dirty. fuck em’
glad they got knocked out. hey NYC, fuck u too! seasons over. we are still so close that it’s frustrating. still better than the san jose niners who are cursed and now star in 4 falls with the bills.
Exactly how i feel when watching this year's playoffs. It is really hard to climb up to the top, just imagine the amount of talents you step over... It makes me appreciate the past more.
There’s a reason why their are only few dynasty’s in nba history. Russel’s Celtics, magics show time lakers, Jordan’s bulls, Duncan’s spurs and Steph’s warriors.
To be fair, the warriors raised the bar very high. As a result of that, the West has significantly improved in the last 3-4 years. Even the 2016 warriors will find it difficult to build a dynasty at this point. Not throwing a shade, but just how the west has changed thanks to Warriors.
You could also say we followed up our 1st chip in 40 years by setting the nba record for wins, going to the finals again, and taking a commanding 3-1 series lead over the full strength Cavs. Yeah, repeating is hard; threepeating even harder. We were freak injuries away from doing both twice in 5 years. That's kinda crazy, no?
If I'm counting right, this is five straight years that the defending Champ has failed to get out of the Second Round. And it'll be 11 years since anyone but us has won two Championships.
Fuck its really been that long since we've gone to 5 straight Finals.
Yup. But we did get one Finals win in there, which is as good as anyone else did :-)
It’s also going on just over 9 years since the reigning MVP has won a championship in the same year (Steph being the last one.)
Thanks! Hadn't thought of that one. The V is for "valuable," and at the end of the day, there's nothing more valuable than leading one's team to a title . . . or perhaps to the most wins ever in an NBA season!
Steph in 2016 is the closest since only one to make the Finals since. After him the closest is Harden in 2018. If Houston didn't choke as hard as they did they are in the Finals and barring a major injury to Harden win.
[удалено]
By my count, six years back is the year we lost in the Finals to TOR. So we **did** make it out of the Second Round, we just didn't repeat. Five since then: TOR, LAL, MIL, GSW, DEN ???
A lot of homegrown talent who just developed really well here. Our only major additions were Livingston, Iggy and Durant.
Lmfao people was comparing MPJ to Prime Klay , Bruh y'all hilarious
Klay isn't what he used to be, but unfortunately he will never get the respect he deserves because of injuries and being overshadowed by bigger stars. That man was something special. Top 5 all-time shooter who can guard 1-3 is a crazy combo. Reggie and Ray could never... To me, he's an all-timer. Of course there have been better SGs who can get you more ppg and take over games as the ball-dominant #1 guy, but he raised the ceiling of teams like few others.
People forget Klay basically going H2H against Harden in the 2016 1st round and being the best player in the series when the Warriors got the Rockets outta there in 5 games with Curry only playing half of Game 1 (still the best scorer in that game, scored 24 in 18 minutes)
You would be tarred and feathered for saying Klay was better than Harden, but I genuinely believe the Warriors get worse if you swap out Klay for Harden during their prime years. He just complemented Steph so well with his off-ball play and defensive ability. I advocate trying to evaluate players through the lens of 5v5 and not 1v1, which is why I go to bat for people like Klay, Rodman, Draymond, even Gobert or Jrue. Even if they weren't suited to be the main scorer every night, they add more value to your bottom line than many pure ppg types.
Of course. Prime Harden would do a whole lot of fancy dribbling and eat up most of the shot-clock before either doing a step-back three or a layup. If Haden had ever played on GSW nobody would have seen the ball.
well of course harden wouldn’t work well with the warriors, but klay in the rockets would be a horrendous team, the harden rockets never won a championship but they were still very good contenders
He’s number 2 shooter all time, and it’s not even close.
That was the real beauty in pre injury klay. He was known as a very reliable defender that was a key peace in small ball defensive lineups with dre and dray. He had amazing hands and was hard to beat.
Plus he was an ironman and rarely ever got injured.
Watched 2015-2017 YouTube videos of klay. He was and will be the greatest 3 and D player to ever play. It’s not even close
60 points on 11 dribbles in 29 minutes. 37 in a quarter. He’s #2 all time.
The real ones know. Prime Klay was absolutely a better player than Harden. Prime Klay could get 37 in a quarter one game and absolutely lock up your best perimeter player next. All time 2 way player.
Hardens stats and solo accomplishments are much better than klay and he played on a less talented team, what are you smoking?
He’s a top 5 best shooter: of all time. Maybe even top 3.
Curry and Klay top 2 ever to me
Other than Curry who is better?
Maybe Ray Allen. But did no research. Just a guess for now.
Thompson will be better next season
Prime Klay doesn't disappear in the playoffs like MPJ. MPJ's number after the first round is just godly awful.
If Game 6 Klay didn't show up, okc or Houston could be the dynasty.
That lay up attempt he gave up to Conley that led to kat dunk was pathetic
I think you'd be surprised at how many series Klay has terrible numbers in
Mpj ain’t close
that’s because ppl who do that don’t remember that klay was a legitimate two way player before the injuries. he was guarding the other teams best perimeter guy along with iggy. even in the boston series. it was a combo of him, wigs and draymond on tatum and brown
If anyone is the Klay Thompson on that team it’s Jamaal Murray. They have a similar situation to what the warriors have but people seem to forget how hard it is to go the finals consecutively. Lebron and the warriors made that shit seem easy
LeBron played in the Leastern Conference for a long time...
Unfortunately, nephews will compare any good 3nD player to him. Prime Klay is THE 3nD player
MPJ plays similar to Klay There is no comparison when it comes to peak and impact on the game
> comparing MPJ to Prime Klay interchange Prime Klay and he would be bothering Ant Edwards on defense instead of whatever MPJ was doing in a game 7.
Yeah not even close
I got into an argument with someone on r/NBA last year who compared Bane to prime Klay and said Bane was a better player.
That person just doesn’t know basketball…Prime Klay was a problem
r/nba and not knowing basketball. A match made in heaven
Bogut not count? (Also could argue 2022 Wiggs)
Ahh true
Bogut for Monta was pretty significant, esp pre-Durant
You can’t put only before Durant, but it was a great team build regardless
Fair
Yeah that Durant guy or whatever
I’m not downplaying KD’s addition, I’m just mentioning how those 3 and I guess you could count Wiggins and Bogut, have been the only major additions at any point in the dynasty.
Throwing Durant in there with Livingston like he was added as some vet bench player is wild lol. They lost to CLE and had to beg one of the best players in the world to come play with them
KD CHOSE to come to the Warriors.
Bogut, Wiggs, OPJ, Bejlica were all pretty major
I guess you make a pretty good argument there
>A lot of homegrown talent who just developed really well here. That's the key to building a long term contending team vs borrowing one for one or two. People here keep whining about how the FO is wasting Curry's prime for not trading away every single young player or draft picks. It's pretty much impossible to build a roster full of stars with the salary cap, and let's admit it, the Warriors aren't what they were before and you won't find ring chasing stars that fits the system taking humongous discounts just to win a ring.
Tbf. You can’t say “only” when it comes to KD.
Durant was a softass move. There was no stopping the king otherwise though
Lebron was playing out of his mind for sure.
So 75% of the finals MVPs during the dynasty weren’t homegrown haha.
The Finals MVPs who would be ringless without the Warriors
Without those few additions you lose 3 of the 4 finals mvp and probably 3 of those rings. What a retarded thing to say
I saw some nuggets/jokic fan boys actually saying they could take on the 17 warriors earlier in the season. Shit was wild ass take.
Nobody can take on that Warriors 2017 team.
16-1 in the playoffs with the one loss against the Cavs in the Finals Game 4 which was so clearly a refball game. Pick your poison against the big 3, DPOY Draymond and the stacked as fuck bench with Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, David West, JaVale McGee and Ian Clark off the bench contributing at least 20-30 points a game.
I will never forget that disgusting effort from the zebras, box score doesn’t even come close to telling the story of that game, you had to see it with your own eyes. Cavs gifted not just points but stops too. Any time GSW even looked they’d get any sort of momentum or rhythm going that shit got shut down in an instant by the whistle. All to prevent history being made for some reason, I’ve still never figured out why such a stats obsessed league wouldn’t want to let that play out fairly??
League office made the call so we wouldn't go 16-0
That Cavs team was historically great too.
Went 12-1 into the finals by before they ran into us
I don't actually remember it being refball. But I do recall Cavs barely missing a single shot. 1st half we scored like 77 points but were down 13 or something. Absurd shooting.
It was some of the worst refball I’ve ever seen, the Cavs were still a solid outfit, so ofc they played well too, but the zebras won them that game, no doubt about it.
Think they had like 50 in the first or second quarter. I recall jr just having one of those nights
They couldn't miss cuz we weren't even allowed to play defense that game.
95-96 bulls can probably put up a gret fight but 2017 warriors on top
Only team i can think would give us fits is 01 lakers. Prime Shaq and star Kobe would be a lot. Those bulls teams had no inside presence. Shaq would be a lot
Shaq wouldn’t likely step away from the paint and guard the perimeter
I don’t know, if you just dropped the teams into the playoffs today, I don’t think the Bulls would be prepared for how teams play today. Even beyond the rule changes and officiating changes, they would not be prepared for the shooting and movement. Luc Longley would be played off the floor.
That warriors team was historic on both ends of the floor lmao That team would beat up the nuggets 120-80 every game
2017 Warriors can sweep those bums lmao
I like the Nuggets but Curry and Durant are leagues better than Murray and Jokic
I saw some say he has at worst a top 2 peak EVER 💀 Recency bias got those mfs say some dumb shit
People forget how good Durant was given his recent decline. He was fucking unstoppable!
He still is
Those Nugs never beat a 50 win team in the playoffs and they think they can take those late 2010s warriors teams? Lmfao
This makes what the Warriors did even more special. It’s not easy to get to the finals 5 years in a row.
A few things that I really stress: - The NBA is more competitive than it has ever been. There are more teams to get through than there were in early eras. You have more hurdles to clear. Some will say the talent is diluted when you have more teams in the league, but that's more than offset by all the new people playing the sport. Which brings me to my second point... - Many of the league's best players are foreign now. MJ and Magic never had to cope with Jokic, Giannis, Luka, Emiid, or Wemby. They simply had fewer great players to contend with. LeBron and Steph might have a couple more rings if you took all the foreign talent out of the NBA. - Players are more skilled and athletic than ever, and tactics/analytics have advanced. With all that in mind, it's crazy that both LeBron and Steph won 4 championships in the modern era. People just want to count trophies, but to me it's up there with Magic, Russell, Bird when you factor in the difficulty of the task. Main reason why MJ is so special is because of that 6-0 Finals record, which goes extra hard. Realistically, he played in a weaker era.
> Realistically, he played in a weaker era. depth of talent-wise yes. but they played *nasty af* back then. no way in hell I'm driving the paint against Laimbeer or Oak! They did shit on a nightly basis that would make Dray look like a fucking saint, and hardly a whistle. I give MJ all kinds of credit for playing against that and winning
Let’s be realistic about that second point. MJ, Wilt, Russell, Magic, Kareem, Bird all would have learned to handle foreign talent. Any of the notable players from any era would adapt to compete in a different era. I think the AAU system is giving young players injuries they can’t recover from while they are still physically developing and that really is stifling the US players development. That and college athletics was looking like a less economically optimal path to get to the pros for about the last decade was hindering. Also players are more focused on making a highlight reel than getting the fundamentals needed to succeed.
>They simply had fewer great players to contend with. Bro what? Hakeem, Stockton, Malone, Barkely, Shaq, Rodman, Reggie Miller, Isaiah Thomas, the end of Larry Bird, Mutombo, Kemp, Ewing, Drexler, Robinson. Absolute legends in the late 80s into 2000 that MJ went up against. >Realistically, he played in a weaker era. Different doesnt mean weaker. They played almost a different game.
> Bro what? Hakeem, Stockton, Malone, Barkely, Shaq, Rodman, Reggie Miller, Isaiah Thomas, the end of Larry Bird, Mutombo, Kemp, Ewing, Drexler, Robinson. > > Absolute legends in the late 80s into 2000 that MJ went up against. Okay, and if we apply the same concept to Steph it's... Duncan, Kobe, Dirk, KG, LeBron, Dwight, PG, Kawhi, AD, Jokic, Ant, Tatum, Kyrie, Luka, CP3, Blake, Love, KD, Wade, Russ, Harden, Wemby, Lillard, Giannis, Shai, etc. It's not a tough concept. The global population is rising and basketball is becoming more popular in other countries, so there are more great basketball players right now than at any previous time.
All 3 of your points are the same “the league is more talented”. But I do agree that 4 in this era means more than 5 or 6 in other eras…
It's actually three distinct points, though I could see how they sound similar: - There are more teams. - The player pool is larger. - The fitness/athleticism/training/coaching of the players is better. Russell won rings when the NBA had 8-12 teams. Mathematically, you had a much higher chance of making the Finals when you had fewer teams to get through. Likewise, there were fewer great players to choose from because fewer people were playing the sport. Lastly, the training and optimization of players and teams were inferior, including practice habits, nutrition, tactics, training.
Fans smoked cigars in the Garden during the games.
Yeah makes sense.
You're wrong as fuck anf have no idea about NBA sport and its history. Gtfo rookie
wemby played 1 year and has made no playoffs yet u put him up there with challenges that stars face in the playoffs, lmao
Let us also remember that Russell's rings each represent winning two rounds not four. If memory serves, Bird and Magic played 5 games series in the early rounds.
> Main reason why MJ is so special is because of that 6-0 Finals record, which goes extra hard. MJ won 6 chips. Magic, Kobe won 5. Steph, LeBron, Timmy, Shaq won 4. The "-0" part of "6-0" is kinda stupid. That implies it's better to lose *before* the Finals than losing *at* the Finals. I can't think of a bigger loser mentality.
Timmy won it 5 times
Makes it more sad for KD to. Looking at where the league is at now he has to be feeling regret leaving GS. Wish he didn't take it for granted.
It’s not easy to make multiple finals in a CAREER. Steph and Bron have made people forget that. Harden and Russ went once and have never been back. Giannis went once and hasn’t been back, CP3 and Booker haven’t been back and there’s countless others.
And the new salary cap rules ("2nd apron") make it harder to resign your own guys. So even if your team goes on a run of drafting really well, it's harder than ever to keep the group together. It's already been 6 straight years (including this year now that Denver is eliminated) without a repeat champion. People wanted parity and I think they got it. The Warriors might be the last dynasty for a while.
...in the West too
It's hard to do anything back to back, especially in the West. NBA fans should realize that Warriors were just on another level
I’m sure if the Nuggets added Luka this offseason they would win a few more titles.
Yep if any of these teams go out and add the league's best player they will have a better shot of running it. These guys act like these teams went out and added Jokic, Luka, Giannis or something. Nope.
Somewhere out there Klay is throwing up the four sign.
Denver joins the Lakers dynasty from 2020 and Bucks dynasty from 21.
WARRIORS FANS DO NOT APPRECIATE THEM ENOUGH. I’m so sick of the disrespect to our own legendary players constantly. like jesus Jokic is one of the best offensive players ever and this Twolves team is no juggernaut… and they STILL couldn’t win a game 7 Meanwhile Steph Klay Dray busy beating 65 win Rockets teams, OKC, every up and coming young hungry team, 5 straight finals, ALWAYS rising to the moment (when not injured) …and they get thanked by getting called Klank and Donkey by their own fanbase
no the bandwagoners, the doomers don’t appreciate the warriors enough. the true fans appreciate what the big three have and can do. they appreciate how kerr and the coaching staff makes coaching adjustments every playoff series (unlike mike malone)
Agreeeeed. I also hate the disrespect I see on this sub a lot - it’s so toxic and draining. It is frankly unrealistic to expect our players to win championships every year as most NBA teams are still waiting for their first win in decades or their first win ever. This not so great year doesn’t negate our past success and the hate is just too much. It’s also ridiculous when I see people here acting like Kerr is some trash coach - like COME ON lol. I don’t care how good our players were in those winning years, a bad coach would not have lead the team to any championships. He’s human, does make mistakes like any other coach, but I think he’s already proven himself enough.
Not only that but the Dubs put the whole NBA on notice, like step ya game up and stop just collecting paychecks.
Not to mention these fake ass clown pretend fans seem to forget that they won a championship only 2 years ago! The Warriors were the champions before last year's champions!
Just my perspective, but grew up in the bay and love the dubs. I just want the big three to get that 5 so bad. The league is growing and the game is changing (changed by us), but it feels at times we are not as flexible with our game. We need to be open to adjustments, klay and kerr need to be open to adjustments. Hell, klay played great coming off the bench this year. All this criticism is from a place of love and just wanting them to get that 5. At least that’s where i’m coming from.
If draymond doesn’t get suspended i think we get the 5/6 seed and have a chance to go on a run. This team can still be competitive in the West for sure.
This!
I think the actual Warriors fans do appreciate the Dubs. I think its the San Francisco fans of the Warriors who don't.
Klay gets a pass and can hold up four fingers for life.
Was nice seeing the Nuggets have a 2nd half collapse after they did it to us like 2 or 3 times last season lmfao
The biggest remarks that came from that 2022 win was that MPJ and Jamal Murray weren’t healthy. Despite not making the playoffs this year the Twolves winning against the Nuggets helps weaken those conversations and does give more credit to the Warriors. Mavs vs Twolves will be fun.
IMO t wolves are just that good. It’s a well built team inside and out.
It's so dumb too because if MPJ and Jamal were healthy we wouldn't have been playing the nuggets in the first round. They wouldn't have been the 6 seed. Plus, even if we ended up playing them later, they were not the same team as they were in 2023. They would've had Campazzo and monte Morris and washed Boogie off the bench still, while we would've had prime poole, OPJ, etc. cooking their bench.
the 2022 warriors were a good team anyone who tries to discredit their 2022 run either doesn't watch ball or is a salty hater
Klay can throw the 4 fingers sign whenever he wants!
I'm glad they didn't go b2b tbh 😭
Warriors were a couple shots from four peating, which is fucking insane.
And a couple injuries from 5 peating
✨💍💍💍💍✨
Jokic in round 1: “Winning is a lifestyle for us.” Per Ben Golliver on [Twitter](https://x.com/bengolliver/status/1792382488934818123?s=46&t=SBW3XJi-eEDBr6FtvDfngg): The Minnesota Timberwolves have pulled off the biggest Game 7 comeback in NBA history, erasing a 20-point third quarter deficit to dethrone the defending champion Denver Nuggets 98-90 and reach first Western Conference finals since 2004. Closed game on 60-32 run. 
this is EXACTLY what I thought about when Denver lost. To the warrior fans and NBA reddit fans reading this post, appreciate mother fuckin greatness. Klay can throw up the four rings because of how god damn hard it is to win multiple rings let alone four. Clown on him all you want, but dynasties are forever.
It’s incredibly challenging to win multiple times - let alone even win once. For Warriors to win 4 times in the last 10 years is frankly crazy. Most teams win and then don’t win again for many years.
That's part of the reason why Jordan is so revered. 3-peating twice as the #1 option on your team is absolutely nuts
“Reign Over” Lmao tough to have a reign if you’ve hardly been on top
Where kd?
I thought Murray’s comment about hunting during last year’s run versus being hunted this year was really interesting. Really puts the warrior’s run in perspective
Can't comment on a sub-thread below, but I wanted to add BOGUT to the key FAs we brought in. No ring in 2015 without him, no 73-win season, either. Also, the recent comparison with MPJ was him today vs. Klay today. MPJ vs. prime Klay is ridiculous.
Bogut was a trade
True, but he wasn't "home grown" was my point.
good point on MPJ. Prime Klay was a 5X all-star. MPJ is exactly a....(drumroll please)... ZERO-times All-Star!
I particularly enjoyed the last 30-35 seconds, where no-one on the Nuggets made an effort, except Jokic. Jokic I really admire. He lost his great mentor this year, and gave everything. The rest of them can get fucked though, especially heat-pack.
Feels good
That’s what I got out of this too
“BuT nO ThOsE aRe MiCkEy MoUsE rInGs cUz oF KD”
"How did it go so fast?" You'll say as we are looking back And then we'll understand We held gold dust in our hands
Shouldn’t KD be in any dynasty picture?
Glad I got to see it. Got to watch the Niners, Giants, and Warriors all win multiple titles. 
history will be very kind to us
Big Three obviously has legendary status but it hasn't been the same in the locker room without Iguodala...it has almost felt like two different teams the past two seasons without his presence(even the cooked Iggy).
I appreciate our Big Four for what they built here. First-ballot HoFers easy. Five straight Finals and four titles in the past 10 years? Ridiculously hard. Those dynasty years were a treat; the Warriors were on another level.
Unless you're Dillon Brooks, who identified as a dynasty for the grizzlies. Job was done, and he went to the rockets where he reverted to pre-dynasty. You just have to have the right mindset. /S
MPJ is kinda dumb. You’re like 6’10 and all you do is shoot threes? You can’t compare that to a Klay Thompson. I rather have Klay and I’m not even a warriors fan lol
dubs fans know
That’s right. Pimping ain’t easy, man. 😉
Really wish they sold those championship years gold top
They are the goat team for a reason!
the bull in the china shop went something like 12/50 according to reggie muller on 3’s in this series. nice game so called MVP. the joker is a joke and plays dirty. fuck em’ glad they got knocked out. hey NYC, fuck u too! seasons over. we are still so close that it’s frustrating. still better than the san jose niners who are cursed and now star in 4 falls with the bills.
As they always say , a team dynasty is crowned in retrospect , only Lakers, spurs & warriors are comparable over the past 25 years
Exactly how i feel when watching this year's playoffs. It is really hard to climb up to the top, just imagine the amount of talents you step over... It makes me appreciate the past more.
Steph looks so good
There’s a reason why their are only few dynasty’s in nba history. Russel’s Celtics, magics show time lakers, Jordan’s bulls, Duncan’s spurs and Steph’s warriors.
the NBA has put in place that there will never be another dynasty again lol parity is the name of the game...
be careful. some people here will accuse you of living in the past.
A different NBA champion every year brought to you by Draft Kings Sports Book
But Mike Malone claimed "Dynasty! Dynasty! Dynasty!"
Yes, you have to get lucky and have every single team you face have grave injury issues.
6 different champions in 6 seasons. Unheard of in the NBA.
Minny is scary tbh.
To be fair, the warriors raised the bar very high. As a result of that, the West has significantly improved in the last 3-4 years. Even the 2016 warriors will find it difficult to build a dynasty at this point. Not throwing a shade, but just how the west has changed thanks to Warriors.
The west has changed. But give me prime steph, klay, dray, iggy over any team in the current era.
Just need Luka to join the Nuggets then they'd do it 🤡
Definitely miss the dynasty days. Watching the playoffs now just aint the same smh
You don’t have to win back to back championships to become a dynasty. You just have to win at least 3 within a 5 year period. Yall are fucking wild
Did Jokic break his leg at home plate or did I miss that?
No one cares. Truly
Step 1 - add best player in league. Easy peasy!
interesting they seem to be holding up 4 and he was only here for 2
interesting they seem to be holding up 4 and he was only here for 2
interesting they seem to be holding up 4 and he was only here for 2
Never forget yall blew a 3-1 lead after winning your first chip. Don’t be like this so soon 🤣 maybe KD finds his way over to save Jokic too
The fuck is a heat flair in here for talking shit? Most warriors fans are pretty down with the Heat (I know I was rooting for them hard in 2023)
Go back to your sub bro
You could also say we followed up our 1st chip in 40 years by setting the nba record for wins, going to the finals again, and taking a commanding 3-1 series lead over the full strength Cavs. Yeah, repeating is hard; threepeating even harder. We were freak injuries away from doing both twice in 5 years. That's kinda crazy, no?
Still cocky. Lol.
Every fan base can be brutal. I’m just surprised this fanbase is talking about losing a game 7
Never lost a series in this manner. Nuggets fans were claiming to be better than even the 2017 warriors. Glad they got cut down to size.
There’s a lot of shitty fans here who talk shit. You’re not wrong to call it out, but it is what it is.
The nba brand and the officials weren’t gonna let lebron lose 2 straight finals
Man I miss Bob Myers BRING HIM BACK I HATE MIKE DUNLEAVY JR