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Will a title cement Warriors as the greatest team ever?

May 20, 2017; San Antonio, TX, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) celebrates with guard Klay Thompson (11) after a play during the first quarter against the San Antonio Spurs in game three of the Western conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Last season, it was all we heard from December to June. The Golden State Warriors were going to be the greatest team of all-time. It was practically set in stone before they won 73 games — the most ever — and it was a foregone conclusion before they blew a 3-1 lead in the Finals. Continuously, we heard debates over whether or not they could beat the ’96 Bulls, ’86 Celtics or ’87 Lakers, widely considered the three best teams ever.

In fact, in a press conference Game 2 of the Finals last season, Klay Thompson was asked to compare the Warriors to the Showtime Lakers and responded by saying”We are better than the Showtime Lakers.” It wasn’t just a question, it was complete and total confidence, both on the team itself and in the media. Until it wasn’t. Until it all came crashing down and the Cleveland Cavaliers stood atop the world.

But if the question was beaten like a dead horse last season, then why hasn’t it made an appearance this year? After all, the Warriors won 73 games and came within four points of a title in 2016, then added Kevin Durant — who will likely go down as a top-25 player of all-time (at minimum) — in the offseason. They may not have won 73 games this season, but they won 67, which is pretty damned good. In fact, the Warriors are 207-39 over the past three seasons, the best three-year record ever. On top of that, their point differential this season was better than last season and, unlike 2016, when the Oklahoma City Thunder pushed them to the brink in the Western Conference Finals, Golden State has been challenged in a single playoff game this season and has not yet lost.

After Saturday night’s victory over the San Antonio Spurs, the Warriors do not seem likely to lose at all in the Western Conference playoffs and, perhaps, the Finals. Yes, that’s premature — as we learned all too well last season — and LeBron James is putting on a show of his own over in the East, without facing a Conference Finals opponent whose best player is injured.

But the Warriors will be overwhelming favorites in the Finals — betting markets already have them as -280 to win the championship. If December was early enough to pop the question last season, then surely May is late enough to ask it this year. If the Warriors win the championship, are they the greatest team ever?

Their starting lineup consists of four likely Hall of Famers — at minimum, four of the best 20 players in the league right now. The ’86 Celtics could say that, but Dennis Johnson wasn’t in his prime. The ’96 Bulls and ’87 Lakers could not. These Warriors rank fourth all-time in point differential, only behind the ’96 Bulls, ’71 Bucks and ’72 Lakers. And let’s not forget that, while they won a relatively meager 67 games compared to the ’96 Bulls, they also live in an age of rest and more or less forfeited more than a couple games during the regular season.

We shouldn’t disadvantage Golden State for the perk of rest either, at least no more than we disadvantage the ’96 Bulls for the far greater era-specific advantages of a shorter 3-point line (can you imagine the Warriors in that environment?), or feasting on the expansion Raptors and Grizzlies for five easy wins during the regular season (one of their ten losses came against Toronto.)

In offensive rating, the Warriors are tied with the ’87 Lakers for the best offensive rating of all-time and they’re in the top-100 in defensive rating. (It’s worth noting, however, that play-by-play data is only an estimate before 1996-97 and Basketball Reference uses a slightly different measure than NBA.com to measure offensive and defensive rating.)

Moreover, just look at the effect they’ve had on the league. Since July 5 — the day after Durant signed — people have wanted to cancel the season and hand over the Larry O’Brien trophy to the Warriors. Were the Bulls ever so dominant that fans of the Heat, Knicks, Magic and Sonics — their opponents in the ’96 playoffs — wanted to curl up in a ball and end the season? The Warriors have prompted more takes about what the league should do to ensure parity than any team in the history of basketball, despite only one of their four stars coming from free agency.

Playing out the hypothetical matchup between them and any other historical team is almost fruitless (it was last year as well). The simple fact of the matter is that the Warriors (and Cavs, and a healthy Spurs, and perhaps even the Rockets and Celtics), would beat any team from before the three-point revolution in a series with relative ease.

That’s not a remark on Golden State’s greatness, it’s simple math. Michael Jordan shot 32.7 percent from three in his career. Magic Johnson shot 30.3 percent and though Larry Bird stood at 37.6 percent in his career, he took only 1,727 threes in his career, less than Stephen Curry in the last three years. Every team before the turn of the century played big and had little to no three-point shooting in their starting lineups. Basketball media, collectively, should throw that hypothetical in the trash, because the modern team takes it every time.

Yes, there’s still a while to go before we anoint the Warriors. The Spurs are finished in all but name, but the Cavaliers won’t be easy to beat. Golden State has a shot at 16-0, but — even if they come into the Finals 12-0 — it isn’t a great shot. LeBron James is still LeBron James and if we’ve learned one thing in the past year, it’s not to underestimate LeBron James ever, under any circumstances whatsoever. Beating Cleveland won’t be easy, and we shouldn’t assume anything. But we were asking the question in December last season. Let’s at least give it some thought.

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