Warriors’ dynasty anything but smooth
CLEVELAND – Long before tipoff of Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday, ESPN analyst and former Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson took a minor spill as he walked off the Quicken Loans Arena floor.
It was an ankle turn, of all things, one that sent him stumbling for just a bit before he found his way. But more than that, with the modern-day Warriors just hours away from winning their third title in four years by downing Cleveland 108-85 to complete the sweep, it was an odd and timely reminder of where these Warriors have been.
It was just five years ago when Jackson was at the helm instead of Steve Kerr, back when Steph Curry’s ankles could never hold up and the notion of Golden State as the NBA’s next great team seemed about as likely as, well, LeBron James returning to Cleveland. To call their ascension unexpected is an understatement, and to call them anything other than a dynasty is a disservice.
“Job well done,” Jackson said on the postgame telecast. “They earned their rightful place in history.”
Now that this back-to-back deed is done, the discussion about where this team fits in the scope of history will be in full swing. The Boston Celtics of the Bill Russell era will always be in a class by themselves, not only because of the unthinkable dominance but because the NBA only had between eight and 14 teams back then. Still, eight titles in a row (1959 to 1966) and 11 of 13 during that span is incredible by any measure.
The sweep is a cherry-on-top achievement, as it’s just the ninth time in NBA history that it’s happened. And should James leave his home region again this summer in free agency – a prospect that seems more likely than not as July 1 nears – they will go down as the team that shoved him toward the exits.
But as anyone who has watched this Golden State stretch up close knows, this latest title season was hardly a carbon copy of the two that came before. The fatigue factor came into play like never before, with players and coaches alike admitting that their minds and bodies were taxed from the annual October-to-June routine. Kerr had predicted that much from the start.
Now the rest of the NBA must yet again ponder what it will take to bring this reign to an end.