When it comes to the GOAT debate of players the majority of people choose Michael Jordan or LeBron James. However, there's rarely a discussion over the best team of all time. It could be because it's not much of a debate. At the surface, there's the Jordan-led Chicago Bulls, then the Stephen Curry version of the 73-9 Golden State Warriors.
If you were born in the 80s, many would say the Chicago Bulls 72-10 team is the best ever. The younger generation might say the 73-9 Golden State Warriors were better even though they lost the championship to the Cleveland Cavaliers. There is one team whose record wasn't as good as either of the above teams, but they were indeed the better group.
The 2017-18 Warriors are the best team ever assembled, although their record was only 58-24. It ranked the Dubs second in the Western Conference that year, even though everyone knew they were the best team in the NBA that season. The Warriors won their first back-to-back NBA Finals that year, giving them their third title in four years.
Now, if you are wondering, what makes them the GOAT? We will start by comparing them to the 73-9 Warriors.
No. It's not only because one team won the title and the other didn't, but it's an excellent place to start. As impressive and dominant as the 2015-16 Warriors were, it's hard to give them the GOAT crown. They didn't finish the job. It's as simple as that. If they had won, it would have placed them above the 72-10 Bulls easily, but the 17-18 team would still be better because of one reason.
Kevin Durant.
After the 15-16, Dubs lost in the Finals to LeBron James and the Cavs. They knew they needed something or someone extra to put them over the top. That summer, Durant was an unrestricted free agent, and Warriors and company wasted no time recruiting him to the Bay Area.
Adding Durant to a team that set the NBA single-season wins record seemed unfair. Going undefeated in an NBA season is pretty much impossible, but if anybody was going to do it, you thought it would be this team. As the season started, they lost a chunk of games, but it seemed like they were in cruise control. They went on to win the NBA Finals by sweeping the Cavs, and Durant took home his first Finals MVP. Winning the championship and adding Durant made the 16-17 the better Warriors team. The confidence and comfort level the 17-18 Warriors possessed is why they were better than Durant's first championship team. Everyone knew what needed to be done to win championships.
Now when it comes to Jordan and the Bulls, they were considered a loaded team. In the era where the best teams had only two stars at the most, nobody had more talent than the Bulls. An absolutely loaded roster led by Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman. Jordan and Pippen handled the bulk of the offensive duties. Defensively the trio was out of this world good. Their DNA was to play great defense and allow Jordan and Pippen to put points on the board. It was as simple as that.
It's also the reason why the Bulls couldn't be better than the 2018 champs. The Warriors had three players who can go off 40 points or more on any given night, but they didn't because it wasn't necessary. Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and Klay Thompson scored at least 20 points per game or more that season. They were averaging slightly over 70 points per game as a trio. The offensive firepower this team had was unmatched by any team in the history of the NBA.
Then the Warriors had their version of Dennis Rodman in Draymond Green, who might even be better than Rodman defensively. Thompson and Durant weren't as good defenders as Jordan and Pippen, but they weren't bad either. The team defense was incredible. With Andre Iguodala coming off the bench, they could move Green to the five and have a full lineup of players who can switch to any offensive player at any moment. The Bulls didn't have that luxury, although they were a top-tier defensive team. The Warriors were better offensively and defensively, which makes them the better team.
The Stephen Curry led 2018 champion Warriors are the greatest team ever created, but they left room for improvement. If a team can win 70 or more games in a single season, they could restart the debate, but for now, the title of GOAT belongs to the Golden State Warriors.
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