Less than two weeks after the Golden State Warriors were crowned champions a new rookie crop of players have been drafted into the NBA with hopes of one day returning their new team to glory. Every team has different needs and hopes they’ve grabbed the right guy to fill them both short and long-term but it seems like nowadays everyone wants to act like playing 5-out like the Dubs is the only way to go about winning the ‘ship.
The Warriors are worthy champions and yes they are that good but what is good for the Golden State goose isn’t always good for the gander. The space and pace philosophy may be trending now but make no mistake, this is now and will always be a big man’s game.
Chef Curry and crew were the best team in the NBA from the opening tip-off but they’ve built that championship caliber roster through years with nailing draft picks, taking shrewd gambles in free agency and smart hiring practices. It wasn’t just good luck that they beat The Brow, outplayed the ground and pound Grizzles, clocked the Rockets and outlasted what was left of all the King’s men to win their first title since the mid 70s— they’re a deep versatile roster with one of the greatest shooters ever.
That last part is key.
The Warriors have a roster full of good players — big and small — and one of which, league MVP Steph Curry, is one of the best shooters in generations. That is how you win championships in the National Basketball Association, period! The pro analytics crowd are thumping their chests right now because the embodiment of Don Nelson, Mike D’antoni and even Daryl Morey’s vision was seemingly proven correct.
However the real deal is that great players on great teams win championships. If the Cleveland Cavaliers had most of their impact players, we could easily have seen LeBron raising the Larry O’Brien trophy and ending the curse of Moses Cleveland (or Rocky Colavito, depending on who you ask). Why? Because Cleveland has a deep, talented and big group of players led by the best player in the history of basketball. Did everyone fail to notice how LeBron dominated the game from the post? Have we somehow forgotten the Spurs have still managed to win 50 games a year while playing different styles, but always maintaining the ageless Tim Duncan’s post presence (high and low)? What about his doppelganger Jahlil Okafor being ranked as one of the top consensus players coming out in this year’s draft?
Did Golden State winning the title with their brand of basketball mean that in today’s day and age you can’t win any other way? Of course not! You can play any brand of basketball you want but if you don’t have the players, the coaching and the culture, you aren’t winning crap. See: the post LeBron Miami Heat, the Phoenix Suns or my own New York Knicks. Much like the reports of the death of the running back in the NFL, the demise of the back to the basket big man has been greatly exaggerated.
As always, don’t believe the hype y’all.