Comparing the Warriors’ Big Four to Other Historic Quartets
The Golden State Warriors won the NBA title Friday in Cleveland, with a 108–85 victory to secure a sweep over the Cavaliers. Winning three titles in four years puts them in rarified air — only three other franchises, the Lakers, Celtics, and Bulls have accomplished the feat — and establishes Golden State as a legitimate NBA dynasty.
The Warriors possess possibly the greatest collection of top-level talent in NBA history, led by two-time Finals MVP Kevin Durant, a former MVP and a four-time scoring champion. Two-time league MVP and the greatest shooter of all time Stephen Curry is somehow their second-best player. Klay Thompson is an elite long-range marksman in his own right, and his ability to defend the perimeter makes him an essential cog. Finally, Draymond Green doubles as both defensive lifeblood and heart and soul, whose versatility unlocks the squad’s highest gear.
This Big Four is unprecedented in basketball history; no team has ever had a top four with such high-end ability that fits so well together all in their primes at the same time. The late-90’s Bulls had Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman, but who was their fourth-best player? Toni Kukoc? The late-2000’s Celtics had Rajon Rondo, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen, but by the time Rondo became a star, the latter three had passed their prime.
The Big Four is so incredible, it transcends its sport. The Warriors have had so much success that they have joined the list of great foursomes from throughout history, in all walks of life. Let’s compare these four basketball players to some other iconic quartets.
Honorable Mentions
The Ghostbusters, the Fantastic Four, and the main characters in Anchorman and The Office (U.S.).
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse come from the Bible’s Book of Revelation in the New Testament. The prophetic interpretation of the concept is that the Four Horsemen represent four types of catastrophes that will sweep the Earth come judgment day. Kind of sounds like the Warriors’ complete destruction of the league, no?
Since I’m basically stealing this idea from Grantland Rice, I’ll use the same archetypes that he did for the horsemen: Famine, Pestilence, Destruction and Death. The easiest comparison to make here is that Durant is Death, as there is a certain inevitability one feels when watching a 7-footer with the handle of a guard who’s also one of the greatest shooters ever. Just like Death, Durant will get you sooner or later. Plus, he used to have the nickname Slim Reaper. It’s perfect.
Draymond is definitely War. He’s by far the most combative, angry, and physical player of the four. If Draymond weren’t 6'7 and born with extraordinary athletic ability, he could have made a good medieval general, a la William Wallace in Braveheart. He has the intensity and understanding of strategy to lead men into battle.
Throughout this run for the Warriors, Klay has been the most consistent of the four. He’s rarely the biggest threat, but he’s always there, dropping in nothing-but-net threes. Similarly, famine has been an issue since the dawn of life, and while there may be bigger problems in the world at any given time, hunger is perpetually torturing millions of people. Klay is Famine.
Finally, Curry is Pestilence, or in more modern terms, infectious disease. This mainly refers to illnesses such as the Black Death, which wiped out a third of Europe’s population in medieval times. You’d wake up in the morning with a sore on your arm, and by evening you’d be dead. Just as the plague can kill large numbers of people over a small amount of time, Curry is prone to explode with a barrage of unstoppable three-pointers that turn an 8-point deficit into a 20-point lead, leaving the opponent bewildered and with no choice but to slump over in their seats on the bench after the coach calls a third timeout in five minutes.
The Beatles
Part of what makes the Warriors so intriguing is that they all have unique personalities. These separate dispositions line up very well with perhaps the most successful quartet of all time: The Beatles.
Let’s start with the toughest comparison. Draymond is John Lennon for a few reasons. Both are the most prideful and volatile of the group, but there is something to be said for each being the driving force when his group is at its absolute peak. John wasn’t always focused on making the best music, as he had some personal demons that stood in his way. Similarly, we’ve seen Draymond’s emotions get the better of him, derailing the Warriors when they were on the cusp of winning the 2016 title. However, when John was working in harmony with the other Beatles, the interplay among them produced their very best work, and the same can be said for Draymond’s emotional leadership in Golden State.
Curry is Paul McCartney; both are the face of the group and bring a large dose of charisma. Both Curry and Paul receive a ton of fan adoration and come across as genuinely kind people. In addition, the patented Curry shimmy is comparable to Paul’s rhythmic foot-tapping and head-bopping that personify his live performance.
Klay is Ringo Starr because each is the goofball of his group. Klay is beloved by teammates and fans alike for his easygoing manner, and he has been a part of some silly stories in his own right, such as when he signed a toaster, or when he gave his serious thoughts on scaffolding to a local news station in New York. And Ringo has always been comic relief, both in real life and in the Beatles’ movies.
And Durant is George Harrison. Each is the quiet member of his respective four (or at least has that reputation) with an incredible level of skill — George on guitar, Durant with his offensive game. I also believe that this comparison works because each is or was known for his interests outside of his profession; while George admired Indian culture and mysticism, Durant has become very involved in Silicon Valley.
The Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtles
Named after four Italian artists from the Renaissance Period, Leonardo, Michaelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael are anthropomorphic turtles who fight crime under the tutelage of their similarly humanoid rat sensei Master Splinter.
Curry is Leonardo; both are the face of their respective group, the most conscientious and good-hearted. Curry, an amiable interview and devoted family man, is well-known as the good guy of the Warriors.
Draymond is Raphael. Just like Dray, Raphael is the team’s hot-head, aggressive in nature. When they’re focusing their anger in a productive way, these two are the ones who push their squads to that extra gear. However, both have been known to berate their teammates; any TMNT fan will vouch that this is the exact type of interaction that Raphael commonly has with his brothers:
Durant is Donatello, the scientist/engineer/inventor of the group. There are times when Durant’s offensive skill and mastery with the ball can only be described as genius, a match for Donatello’s technical intellect. In addition, both Durant and Donatello are known as the most low-key members of their squads.
Lastly, Klay is Michaelangelo. Mikey is the light-hearted jokester of TMNT, known for his love of pizza. As previously stated, Klay lines up with that description pretty well. For example, here he is getting hung by the rim on a dunk attempt in China.
Allied Leaders of World War Two
This is probably my favorite comparison, purely because of Stalin. The Soviet Union actually began World War Two on good terms with the Axis before Germany attacked it. Upon finding out about this, Stalin switched sides. The combined might of the Soviet Union and the United States gave the Allies the strength necessary to defeat the Axis.
One who wields great power switches sides in a fight part way through and, together with new teammates, helps the group reach a higher level, becoming almost unstoppable as a team. Hmmm. Where have I seen this before?
(Disclaimer: Obviously, I was not comparing KD to Stalin in terms of personality and conduct. I don’t think Kevin Durant is the type of person to kill millions of his own people.)
The Stalin-KD comparison is what carries this analogy, but there are others that work. Curry is President Franklin D. Roosevelt because both are known for their affable nature. In addition, Roosevelt revolutionized the role of the President and the federal government during the Great Depression with the New Deal, in a way that mirrors the three-point craze spawned by Curry’s incomparable long-range shooting.
Winston Churchill fans will get mad that I’m comparing him to Draymond, and Green certainly lacks Churchill’s legacy and integrity. But the truth about Churchill is that he was a bit of a dick. This is evidenced by his hard-headedness in the failed assault on Gallipoli in WW1, his callousness about the Bengal famine in India (although he did do what he could to help, his public comments were highly insensitive), and his generally grouchy behavior, among other things. Still, just as Draymond’s anger can be a great asset to the Warriors, Churchill’s fiery determination is the key trait that made him such a fantastic leader.
This is where the comparison really falls off. As you can see, the picture above only shows three leaders, so Thompson is really getting the short end of the stick. The leader of the Free French movement, Charles de Gaulle, was left out of the Yalta Conference where Germany declared its surrender, because the Allied leaders couldn’t stand his arrogance. That’s definitely not Klay personality-wise.
However, Klay has shown enough combativeness to pass as de Gaulle, who was the main French leader that fought Nazi occupation after the fall of France. We’ve seen Klay take exception with LeBron James twice on the game’s biggest stage — in 2016 he took a shot at LeBron for getting “his feelings hurt” when he got into it with Draymond, and he was trash-talking LeBron at the end of this year’s Game 1 after James got into it with Curry. It’s definitely not a perfect analogy, but it’s worth it because the KD-Stalin one is so good.
(Except for the killing millions of people part.)
