In my opinion, the 2017 Golden State Warriors are the greatest team in NBA history. If I had to pick one team to win a basketball game for my life, this is the team I am choosing.
They were almost unbeatable. Golden State went 16–1 in the playoffs, the best single-postseason winning percentage in NBA history. They won their first 15 playoff games, setting the NBA record for the longest postseason winning streak, and finished the playoffs with a +230 point differential, the highest ever for a single playoff run. Their average margin of victory was 13.5 points per game, another NBA postseason record.
They lost one game during the entire playoffs.
To understand how a team that dominant was created, though, we have to go back one year.
From 73–9 to Heartbreak
The 2016 Golden State Warriors looked destined to finish one of the greatest seasons in NBA history. They won an NBA-record 73 regular-season games, Stephen Curry became the first unanimous MVP in league history, and Golden State entered the playoffs attempting to win its second consecutive championship.
Their season nearly ended in the Western Conference Finals when Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder took a 3–1 series lead. The Warriors somehow fought their way back, winning three straight games and eliminating Oklahoma City in seven.
Then the exact same thing happened to them.
Golden State took a 3–1 lead over LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals and was one victory away from completing a 73-win championship season. Cleveland won Games 5 and 6 before returning to Oracle Arena for Game 7, where Kyrie Irving hit one of the biggest shots in NBA history over Stephen Curry and LeBron delivered his famous chase-down block on Andre Iguodala.
The Cavaliers completed the first 3–1 comeback in NBA Finals history, and a 73–9 season ended without a championship.
That is a huge reason why I hold what Golden State did the following season in such high regard. That kind of loss could have completely broken this team. They had just put together the greatest regular season in NBA history, were one win away from finishing the job and instead watched a 3–1 Finals lead disappear on their own floor.
They could have folded after that.
Instead, they responded.
Yes, adding another transcendent player in Kevin Durant obviously made that response much easier, and there is no ignoring how much talent Golden State had. But the Warriors also knew exactly what they had. They came back the following season and showed the entire league just how dominant this group could be. Rather than allowing the heartbreak of 2016 to define them, they responded with one of the most overwhelming seasons and playoff runs the NBA has ever seen.
Creating a Superteam
Durant’s decision was especially significant because Golden State had just eliminated him. Oklahoma City had been one win away from knocking the Warriors out before blowing its own 3–1 lead, and Durant entered free agency that summer and joined the team that had just come back to defeat him.
Golden State now had Durant alongside Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. A team that had won 73 games somehow became more talented, and anything short of a championship would have been considered a failure.
They responded by becoming even more dominant.
Golden State finished the 2016–17 regular season 67–15, the best record in the NBA. The Warriors had the league’s No. 1 offense and No. 2 defense, and once the playoffs began they reached another level.
First Round: Warriors Sweep Portland, 4–0
Golden State opened its postseason against Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum and the Portland Trail Blazers. Portland competed, especially early in the series, but there was simply too much firepower on the other side.
The Warriors won the first two games at Oracle Arena before taking Game 3 in Portland, 119–113. Golden State then finished the series emphatically with a 128–103 Game 4 victory to complete the sweep.
Western Conference Semifinals: Warriors Sweep Utah, 4–0
Next came the Utah Jazz, who had won 51 games during the regular season and entered the second round after eliminating the Los Angeles Clippers in seven games.
It didn’t matter.
Golden State won Games 1 and 2 at home before taking both games in Utah, closing the series with a 121–95 victory in Game 4. Through two playoff rounds, Golden State was 8–0, and nobody had even managed to take a game from them.
Western Conference Finals: Warriors Sweep San Antonio, 4–0
The San Antonio Spurs presented Golden State with its biggest challenge in the Western Conference. San Antonio had gone 61–21, the second-best record in the NBA, and Kawhi Leonard was playing some of the best basketball of his career.
For a while, it looked like the Spurs might finally stop Golden State’s perfect postseason. San Antonio built a huge lead in Game 1 at Oracle Arena and led by 23 points during the second half before Leonard reinjured his ankle after landing on Zaza Pachulia’s foot.
Kawhi left the game and did not return for the remainder of the series. Golden State erased the deficit and escaped Game 1 with a 113–111 victory.
Without Leonard, San Antonio could not keep up. The Warriors won Game 2 by 36 points, took both games in San Antonio and completed their third consecutive sweep.
Golden State was going back to the NBA Finals with a perfect 12–0 playoff record, and waiting for them was the team responsible for the most painful loss in franchise history.
NBA Finals: Warriors vs. Cavaliers III
For the third consecutive season, Golden State and Cleveland met for the NBA championship. The rivalry was tied 1–1 after Golden State won in 2015 and Cleveland completed its historic comeback in 2016.
This time, Kevin Durant had entered the equation.
The Warriors immediately made it clear that this series was going to be different, winning Game 1 113–91 and Game 2 132–113.
Then came the defining moment of Durant’s first championship run. Golden State trailed Cleveland late in Game 3 when Durant pushed the ball up the floor, pulled up from three with LeBron James defending him and buried the shot to give Golden State the lead. The Warriors won 118–113 and moved to 15–0 in the playoffs.
Cleveland refused to let them complete a perfect postseason, exploding for 137 points in Game 4 and handing Golden State its first loss of the playoffs. The Warriors returned home for Game 5 and finished the job, defeating Cleveland 129–120 to win their second championship in three seasons.
Kevin Durant was named Finals MVP after averaging 35.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game in the series.
16–1
That is the number that defines this championship run.
Golden State finished the 2017 playoffs 16–1, sweeping Portland, Utah and San Antonio before defeating LeBron James and the defending champion Cavaliers in five games. Across 17 playoff games, the Warriors outscored their opponents by an NBA playoff-record 230 points, an average margin of victory of 13.5 points per game.
They never faced elimination, never played a Game 6 and lost only once during the entire postseason.
After watching a 73-win season end with one of the most painful collapses in NBA history, Golden State returned the following year, added Kevin Durant and nearly went undefeated through the playoffs.
16 wins. One loss. Three sweeps. One championship.
The 2017 Golden State Warriors are #5 on our list of the greatest championship runs in NBA history.
Next up: #4
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