The Warriors Have Official Killed The NBA
Here lies fun, competitive basketball in the NBA, 1946–2017. Gone but never forgotten.
We've all sat around for the past six or seven weeks convincing ourselves that the rubber match between the Cavs and the Warriors would save what can only be described as an unwatchable NBA Playoffs. A clash of the titans, the deciding game between the two super teams, the most built up NBA Finals in years. Through two games, it’s apparent the Warriors are making sure they’re not only sticking the final knife in the bleeding out playoffs, but they’re making sure basketball won’t be fun for quite some time.
Claiming basketball won’t be fun for the foreseeable future is a relatively broad claim, for many have different definitions of what fun is. For example, if you love hopping on bandwagons and watching a slew of threes rain down like the arrows that are about to bury Leonidas in 300, this is the NBA for you.
If you aren’t a fan of the above picture which is the perfect depiction of the NBA, then maybe look into hockey, or take up a hobby like bowling or advanced physics. LeBron’s death in the Finals is just proof the competitive NBA as we know it is long gone.
Realistically, the Warriors haven’t done anything wrong. Yes, they added a former MVP to join three superstars the year after they broke the record for most games won in a regular season, but look how they got there in the first place. They built their team correctly through the draft without having a top five pick, and put themselves in a perfect spot to land Durant. They play unselfish basketball, lock up on defense, and do everything right. It can all be explained in much, much better detail here.
Having said that, just because they formed the team correctly and play the right kind of basketball doesn’t mean they haven’t taken a nuke and shot it right at the idea of a competitive NBA.
It’s not just that the Warriors are innovative and are forcing teams to try to beat them at their own game, a task that can simply not be done. They’re destroying the teams that are stupid enough to walk in the gym. It’s as if Golden State is playing like they’re offended teams are even showing up, so they’re running them out of Oracle, their home court, or wherever the opposition wants to play.
You expected that kind of treatment against the Blazers and the Jazz, and even the Spurs once Zaza completed the hit the Warriors put out on Leonard. There is nobody that could have predicted they would’ve been this dominant against LeBron and the Cavs.
Look at Cleveland’s roster. They have three superstars, one who happens to arguably be one of the greatest players of all time. Yet still, they’re getting run out of the gym like a rec sports team that just got bumped up a division. We all knew the Warriors were in a different league than the rest of the West. We just thought Cleveland was in that same league.
According to Vegas, even the ’96 Bulls wouldn’t have stood a chance.
If a team with LeBron, two stars in Irving and Love, and a number of talented role players can’t even compete with the Warriors, then what chance do other NBA teams have? Why would teams even go after players in free agency, or even try to win games? Teams like the Spurs and Celtics had great seasons, and are not even close to actually contending. No matter what division or conference you’re in, all roads lead to the immoveable object that is Golden State.
You can appreciate everything the Warriors are able to do, but you have to understand the ramifications of forming a team like that. There is no reason to be competitive now. Being mediocre and not contending in the NBA is a death sentence. The point of building a team is to win a championship. After this series, is there really a franchise that can sit back and actually think they can take down this team?
Yes, the Finals has been a little lopsided because of the role players in Cleveland now showing up. Deron Williams, Tristan Thompson, Kyle Korver, and J.R Smith have a combined 19 points through two games. A whopping 9 more points than Zaza, for measurement. It isn’t just that the Warriors are locking these players down. It’s the hard truth that Golden State has too many weapons on the court to ever have a single defensive liability in the game. Just ask J.R.
Unless you have a team that has at least four players who can defend most positions while scoring at an incredible clip, there’s no stopping the Warriors on either end. It’s this kind of roster that makes every single team think about tanking.
The league has been trying to stop tanking, but the Warriors have taken a torch to any plans to do so. The entire core for Golden State is under 30. With no plans to stop them in sight, more and more teams are going to take to tanking, and build for the future. Duking it out for a chance at the top pick is going to be more competitive than the actual games.
So thank you, Golden State. Thank you for your record breaking playoff run. Thank you for your unmatchable style of play. Most importantly, thank you for ruining the NBA for years to come.
