Do the Warriors have the best starting five ever?
This question opens up a great discussion because along time there have been some pretty impressive teams that managed to make history in the NBA. These being said, it is hard to tell which team was the best of all-time, but we’ll try to look at the facts and decide.
First of all, Golden State Warriors are on the pace to winning their 3rd straight championship and their 4th in the last 5 years. More than that, the organization based in Oakland, California, is only the second team in history that has 5 all-stars in their starting five. The first one is the 1975-1976 Boston Celtics, which had on their roster Dave Cowens, John Havlicek, Charlie Scott, Paul Silas, and JoJo White.
So, let’s look a little bit at the players that Steve Kerr is coaching this season. We have to start with the leader of the team and one of the most spectacular athletes in the league, Steph Curry. The Baby-Faced Assassin is, in my opinion, the greatest shooter ever and his energy is unmatched. He currently averages 29.8 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 5.4 APG, and is very close to entering the 50-50-90 club (50% FG, 50% 3FG, 90% FT). However, many think that Kevin Durant is the best player on the Warriors, and they have their arguments. KD has played amazing in the last two season spent with the Warriors and this season he is averaging big numbers: 28.1 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 6.0 APG.
Then, there comes the second Splash Brother, Klay Thompson, who didn’t start the season very well but now he regained his form. He is one of the greatest scorers in the NBA right now, proving that he can score 50 points anytime. He has 21.6 PPG and 4.2 RPG. One of the most appreciated players by the fans is Draymond Green. The Michigan native doesn’t have amazing numbers but he is the soul of the team. He is the energy guy, the player that defends until his last breath and the one that motivates all the others. And last but not least, the newest addition to the Warriors’ roster, DeMarcus Cousins. Last season, before suffering an Achilles injury, Cousins was playing the best basketball of his career, averaging 25.2 PPG, 12.9 RPG, and 5.4 APG. He actually debuted for the Warriors last night, ending the game with 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists in only 15 minutes.
After all these stats, for sure Golden State Warriors is one of the greatest teams in history, but let’s see other teams too. Chronologically, the first team that pops into my mind is the 1957-1969 Boston Celtics. Of course, in 13 years a lot of players came and left, but as a dynasty, this team did something amazing. They managed to win 11 titles in 13 seasons, being maybe the most dominating sports team in history. Then there was the Showtime Lakers, with Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabaar, James Worthy, Kurt Rambis, Byron Scott, Jamal Wilkes and so on, which managed to win 5 titles. After this, Michael Jordan came into the league and formed a great team with Scottie Pippen, winning 6 titles over an 8-year span. Finally, the 2000-2002 Lakers lead by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal showed everyone that they are the most dominant team at the beginning of the new millennium.
All these being said, we have to take in consideration another thing – the fact that the game of basketball has changed a lot since the 50s. So, it is hard to say which of these teams is the greatest in history or had the best starting five ever. But for sure, it would have been awesome to see duels such as Boston Celtics vs. Showtime Lakers or Chicago Bulls vs. Golden State Warriors.
David Istrate, info@brainbasketball.net
