Failure is a part of sports, but admitting to it is not always easy. That is because too often the word is misconstrued. Falling short of a reasonable goal is technically failing. Though, within that big-picture shortcoming, there can be many accolades that justify praise and self-satisfaction. Many NBA fans gloss over the Golden State Warriors' historic 2015-16 campaign because it did not end in a championship parade.
The successful components of a season tend to be enveloped by a playoff blemish. High-profile losses do not negate all the work and effort that made such a run possible in the first place.
A best-ever 73-9 record is not excessively discussed in barbershops or at water coolers. In fact, it is sometimes used as a punchline. For those who were on the inside of the Warriors' momentous season, however, it is an immortal milestone that is unlikely to be surpassed.
Bob Myers hypes up 2015-16 Dubs
“When we lost to Cleveland that year in ‘16, we were 73-9, and a lot of people used that word ‘failure,”‘ former Warriors general manager Bob Myers said on The Old Man and The Three with JJ Redick and Tommy Alter. “‘You failed, your team failed, you didn’t win a championship.' At the time, I said to Steve (Kerr) ‘no, no, no we get to decide what this season meant, nobody else does.”‘
NBA greatness is not usually something that is in the eye of the beholder. Rings and banners have often been the measuring stick when evaluating a player's legacy, and they are certainly the ultimate decider when ranking the best teams of all-time. Hence, it is practically impossible to place the 2015-16 Dubs above the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, or the franchise's other title wins, because they did not solidify their regular season dominance in the NBA Finals.
Context is important, of course, as a Game 5 Draymond Green suspension completely upended the series. LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers erased a 3-1 deficit. Golden State still could have closed out the series on the road or on their home floor, though. The game went down to the wire, and the Cavs came through in the clutch.
When the defending champion loses three consecutive games in the Finals after obliterating the rest of the league all yearlong, the season ends in a failure. Objectively, that point is difficult to argue. But the record should not be wiped out of the history books.
Warriors' regular season dominance stands in a class of its own
While it is perfectly fair for fans to refuse placing an honorary crown on the 73-9 Warriors, their accomplishment may never be duplicated again. Bob Myers definitely feels that way, at least.
“That record is not going to be broken, 73 and 9 is not happening, nobody is going 74 and 8,” the four-time NBA champion and two-time Executive of the Year said. “I’m sorry you can tell me I’m wrong, but I just think that’s just not happening.”
Myers has a point. The idea of superstars and integral role players staying healthy long enough to rattle off an absurd win total seems fanciful in this day and age. Even with the league's incentivized approach to limit load management, athletes break down over the course of an 82-game season. Subsequently, team records are adversely affected. Just look at the Philadelphia 76ers.
Veterans prioritize the playoffs to the point where they will sacrifice a winter game or two if it gives them a better chance to be in good physical standing for the start of high-stakes competition. The commitment Golden State's big three displayed during this record-breaking season truly boggles the mind. Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green missed a combined six games in 2015-16.
The end result was an undeniable disappointment, but that team's durability, chemistry and consistent excellence should be held in high regard. In a time when the NBA and its fans want players to take the regular season more seriously, it is worth remembering that Golden State set the 82-game standard.
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