Is there anything worth more than an NBA championship?
Steph Curry and Draymond Green have won three, but one trip to the NBA Finals still haunts them to this day.
After winning their first title in 40 years in 2015, the Warriors so desperately wanted to go back-to-back. And their 2015-16 regular season, where they won 73 games and lost just nine, couldn’t have set them up any more perfectly to do just that.
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But as we all know, LeBron James and Kyrie Irving put an end to the Warriors’ historic season when the Cleveland Cavaliers were crowned champs after Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals.
The next season, Kevin Durant landed in the Bay and Golden State went on to make three consecutive NBA Finals appearances, winning two of them.
The Warriors cruised through the 2017 postseason, only losing one game during the entire playoff run and eventually winning it all. It was a similar situation the next year and the Dubs swept the Cavs in the 2018 NBA Finals.
After looking back at it all, Draymond had a hard-hitting question for Steph on “The Draymond Green Show”.
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“If you could trade the 2017 and '18 championship to complete the [2015-16 season] 73-win championship, would you trade those two championships to complete the 73 [win season]?” Draymond asked.
After six seconds of “ahhs” and hesitation, Steph finally responded.
“Oh, man. I don’t even know how to answer that question,” Curry said. “I would say no, but I think for the rest of our life I would still be able to laugh at ‘16, which is fine. It’s fine. There’s always going to be that just awkward acknowledgment of an amazing regular season and then the finals run. But I’d say no. I’m glad I don't take myself too serious cause, dang that was hard.”
It’s not to take away from the back-to-back titles the Dubs won in 2017 and 2018, but getting a ring after that unforgettable 2015-16 season would have been the cherry on top of a nearly perfect season.
The 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, recognized as the greatest team in NBA history, set a record for winning 72 games. The 2015-16 Warriors squad was the first to surpass the Bulls’ 72-win mark with their 73 wins that season.
The difference was -- the Bulls won it all that year, and the Warriors didn’t.
The “best team in NBA history” debate will go back and forth probably forever, and Draymond and Steph weighed into that conversation.
“That essentially puts you in a place of undoubtedly the best team ever if we were to complete it,” Green said. “To be quite frank with you, I still think we had the best team ever. Although we didn't finish it and win a championship, I still think that was the best team ever.”
But both Warriors stars quickly changed their opinion, and to no surprise, it was the same team just a different year.
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“Until 2017. And then I think that team took over as the greatest team ever,” Green said. “So I think we still accomplished it. Best team ever, but not quite, you know people take numbers and they want to put numbers there and say ‘oh well the Bulls had 72 wins’.”
“It’s the feeling bro,” Curry chimed in.
“Exactly,” Green responded. “We were the best team ever. I don’t care what no one says, I can’t see anyone beating that 2017 team, not even our first 2015-16 team. I can’t see anyone beating that 2017 team.”
“As they say in the medical field, I concur,” Curry said.
Of course, the reality is that the Warriors dynasty has translated to tons of success on the court. And even though they didn’t win 73 games this season, Steph, Draymond and the Warriors are hoping to make their sixth NBA Finals appearance in the last eight seasons.