Warriors challenge more teams than Cavs

Pundits and sports radio shows are pondering a question that has a historically significant cloud hanging over it: If the Golden State Warriors sweep Cleveland to finish the playoffs 16-0, are they the best NBA team ever?

The cloud is that a year ago the Warriors, who set a single-season record for regular-season victories with 73, went into Cleveland with a 2-0 lead. They seemed to have everything but the championship trophy.

Only they went 1-4 the next five games and lost to the Cavaliers, who they had beat the season before for the championship.

More on why that won’t happen again later, but the Cavs should win tonight.

When debating best team

ever, today’s world of perspiring arts sometimes gets caught up in the moment.

As Kevin Durant said after winning Game 2 on Sunday night, there have been lots of good teams with good players.

Certainly a case could be made for the Chicago Bulls, who behind Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman went 72-10 and then beat Seattle for the 1996 championship.

That team encored with a 69-13 record and beat the Utah Jazz in six games for another NBA title, then for good measure came back the next year for a three-peat, again beating Utah in six games. From 19911993, the Bulls had their first three-peat.

From 1982-1989, the Los Angeles Lakers played in seven of eight NBA championships and won four. There had to be some pretty great teams during that span. Plus the Lakers had a three-peat from 2000-2002.

The Boston Celtics featured Larry Bird, Robert Parish, Kevin McHale and others in their championship run in 1984 when they beat the Lakers in the Finals.

Of course, it is a different game now. It is more athletic but also more finesse, so in some ways comparing past teams to current ones is like comparing Hope watermelons to Bald Knob strawberries.

Detroit, Houston, Dallas and San Antonio have had some great teams, too.

No argument would be valid without including the Miami Heat when LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh ruled the NBA. The list goes on and on. What puts this Golden State team in the argument was the addition of Durant in the offseason.

Only he knows all the reasons why he left Oklahoma City, where he was part of the community, but he did say he wanted a chance to win a championship. Obviously, he didn’t feel he could do that with the Thunder.

And he’s the reason the Warriors will be crowned NBA champions.

Durant, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson are three of the NBA’s four best shooters. That’s a huge improvement over where the Warriors were last year. Durant replaced Harrison Barnes in the Golden State lineup. In seven NBA Finals games last year, Barnes scored 65 points.

After two games, Durant has 71 points.

Curry was banged up in the Finals last year, but he’s healthy this year and there’s a lot less pressure on him because of Durant. Same for Thompson.

The Warriors also are playing great defense.

The biggest difference with Durant in the fold is the Warriors can run at will, and in the first two games they simply ran Cleveland into the ground. The Cavs caved.

In the first two games of the Finals last year, the Warriors controlled the tempo; in four of the past five, James and Co. controlled the tempo.

The Cavs can’t do that with Durant in the game because he’s too quick and versatile.

Expect the Golden State Warriors to win the series and take home the trophy, but not in a sweep, and arguments about best team ever will be forever.