Postseason perfection would be Warriors’ signature feat
CLEVELAND — History beckons Friday night. On the shores of Lake Erie, in a city where they have become annual and unwelcome June visitors, the Warriors could steam into uncharted territory.
If they beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, then Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and their pass-happy friends would do more than secure Golden State’s second championship in three years. They also would complete an unprecedented, rollicking, 16-0 romp through
the playoffs.
As great as Bill Russell’s Boston Celtics were in the 1960s, they didn’t stitch together an unbeaten postseason. Neither did Magic Johnson and his Showtime Lakers of the 1980s, nor Michael Jordan and his Chicago Bulls of the ’90s.
No NBA team has ever completed the playoffs without a single loss, but these Warriors now stand on the brink. They swept Portland, Utah and San Antonio to reach the Finals, and they took a 3-0 series lead on Cleveland by roaring back to take Game 3 118-113 on Wednesday night.
One year after setting the league’s record with 73 regularseason wins, they need one more victory to also become the postseason gold standard.
“I think going 16-0 would be more impressive than 73-9, because of the intensity of the games and the talent you’re facing,” said Warriors broadcaster Jim Barnett, who spent 11 years in the league as a player. “It’s pretty amazing.”
Widen the scope across the sports landscape, and the prospect of a 16-0 postseason gains even more cachet. Only one major-league baseball team has gone undefeated since the league championship round was added in 1969: The Cincinnati Reds went 7-0 on their way to the 1976 World Series title.
Just three National Hockey League teams have produced a spotless postseason, and none since the Montreal Canadiens in 1960.
Even so, as the Warriors race into a lofty realm, they are sparking curious derision from former players. Johnson claimed his long-ago Lakers would have swept these Warriors, and former Philadelphia forward Julius “Dr. J.” Erving insisted his 1983 team would have figured out a way to conquer Curry and Co.
Those 76ers went 12-1 on their way to the NBA title, losing only Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals against Milwaukee. Eighteen years later, the 2001 Lakers — featuring Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal — were 15-1, dropping only Game 1 of the NBA Finals against Philadelphia.
That stampede included a Western Conference semifinal sweep of Sacramento. Longtime Kings broadcaster Jerry Reynolds, who also was the team’s director of player personnel in ’01, recalled a fundamental problem: Bryant and O’Neal were essentially unguardable.
“The problem every team had was the Lakers had two players better than everyone else,” Reynolds said Thursday. “That’s a little bit what you see with these Warriors. They have more of the guys you just can’t match up with.”
The 1990s Bulls had one transcendent player in Jordan, another great player in Scottie Pippen and several good role players. Chicago went 15-2 in 1991, losing once to the 76ers in the second round and once to the Lakers in the Finals.
Then, when they launched another run of three titles in 1996, the Bulls began the postseason with 14 wins in 15 games. They seized a 3-0 lead on Seattle in the Finals, lost twice and then recovered to win the championship.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was a reserve guard on that Chicago team, so he understands the difficulty — and magnitude — of navigating an entire postseason without losing.
“It’s hard,” Kerr said. “In the playoffs, every team is good. Particularly as you go deeper, it gets tougher and tougher. So what this team has accomplished is remarkable.
“And we’ve had some good fortune, too. We’ve stayed healthy, knock on wood . ... Our guys have really played well and competed at a high level.”
Kerr is right in suggesting good luck plays a role. Among the Warriors’ core four players — Curry, Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson — only Durant missed time in these playoffs with an injury. He didn’t suit up for two games in the first-round sweep of the Trail Blazers because of a strained calf.
On the flip side, most of Golden State’s opponents encountered significant health issues. Portland center Jusuf Nurkic missed three games in the first round, Utah guard George Hill missed three games in the West semifinals and San Antonio forward Kawhi Leonard missed three games in the West finals.
Leonard went down in Game 1 of that series, with the Spurs leading by 23 points in the third quarter. It’s difficult to picture the Warriors winning that game if Leonard hadn’t re-injured his sprained ankle.
Still, nothing would tarnish a 16-0 postseason — and basketball lifers admire the way the Warriors play, sharing the ball unlike virtually any team in the game’s history.
“Total chemistry and unselfishness,” Reynolds said. “I don’t really think I’ve ever seen it this good. All the great teams had it, but I think this is different — the pace they play at and the unselfishness. It’s just a thing of beauty.”
Warriors players generally downplay the significance of going 16-0, saying they simply want to win the championship no matter their final record. But forward David West, who has been in the league for 14 years, acknowledged the unique chance awaiting Friday night in Cleveland.
“It would be special, something that would be with you forever,” West said. “And it would be tough for someone else to do it again.”