The NBA started to head in a different direction in the 2010s. Regarding roster construction, fans witnessed a unique era with many of the league's players taking the initiative to join each other. No team epitomized this new formula better than the Golden State Warriors . With four either current or former All-Stars on the team, the Dubs added Kevin Durant after losing in the 2016 NBA Finals.
Waiting for the team to play a game together wasn't necessary — we knew how dominant they would be as soon as they took the court. And sure enough, the Dubs took off in pursuit of avenging their Finals loss. Yet, Durant dismissed the thought of the Warriors being a 'superteam' when asked about it.
"First of all, if everybody wanted Steph, he would have been the No. 1 pick," Durant said , per slamonline.com. "A lot of people passed on him. A lot of people doubted Steph, saying he wasn't going to be this good. Klay Thompson, he was just supposed to be this OK shooter in the league, like that's what you thought of Klay Thompson when he came in. Draymond, nobody wanted him. He was a 6-5 power forward. [They said] he couldn't play in the league, he couldn't start in the NBA. Shaun Livingston had a crazy knee injury.
"Nobody wanted him. Nobody thought that he would get back to being Shaun Livingston. Andre Iguodala, he got traded a couple of times. Nobody wanted him. A lot of people didn't expect these guys to be where they are today. Superteam? No, we just work extremely well together. Coach puts us in position to maximize our strengths."
Not a superteam?
The definition of the word has lost its meaning over the years. What truly is a superteam? A group of multiple All-Stars? Multiple MVPs? Boasting multiple stars in their 20s?
Regardless of the definition you choose to accept, the 2017 Warriors were a superteam by every stretch of the imagination. They had four All-Stars who were all in their prime — not to mention NBA Finals MVP Andre Iguodala serving as the sixth man. Durant and Steph Curry won each of the previous three MVP awards from 2014-16. They also had a Defensive Player of The Year winner in Draymond Green and 3-point contest champion Klay Thompson.
As the third scoring option on his team, Thompson averaged better than 22 points per game on 41% shooting from long range — the same guy who once scored 37 points in a single quarter. As a unit, the Warriors featured three sharpshooters — two of the three arguably being the best ever. And if that wasn't enough to convince you, Golden State was 16-4 in games without Durant in his first season there — a 66-win pace over 82 games.
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They worked extremely well together
The second part of Durant's statement was accurate. 182 wins, 28,457 points, 7,306 assists, and 49.6% shooting on all shots — that's what the Warriors compiled in three seasons together — not to mention two NBA championships and three Finals appearances. Without an injury to No. 35 in their latter run, the Dubs may have been the first team to pull off a 3-peat since the Los Angeles Lakers of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant in 2002.
From a fit, playstyle, and chemistry standpoint, the Warriors had no equal for the years they were at their best. Arguably, no trio has more devastating defenses than Durant, Curry, and Thompson.
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