The curse of being good: Warriors repeating might silence the haters
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Seventeen teams in NBA history have won more than 65 games in a season. Fourteen of those, including the 2014-15 Golden State Warriors, went on to win a championship that year.
Last year's Warriors, of course, were the gold standard of the newer, smaller, spaced-out NBA - as well as a personified dream team for advanced-stats nerds. They led the league with a true shooting percentage of 57.1, became only the eighth team in NBA history to post a double-digit average point differential, and fell just 0.1 points per 100 possessions shy of leading the league in both offensive and defensive rating - finishing with a net rating of 11.4.
Yet with those numbers came doubts. Prior to the Dubs, no team that led the league in pace - number of possessions per 48 minutes - had won an NBA title since 1972. Critics wondered whether a team so reliant on the 3-point shot could go deep in the playoffs, with some, like Charles Barkley, dismissing them as a "jump-shooting team."
When the grossly undermanned Cleveland Cavaliers took a 2-1 lead over them in the NBA Finals by slowing the game down and isolating LeBron James, it was wondered aloud how effective the Warriors would be against a team firing on all cylinders. Nevermind that they'd gone 12-3 in the playoffs against superior Western Conference competition. Still, some went so far as to asterisk the Dubs because they hadn't faced the rival Los Angeles Clippers - who, it should be noted, are winners of nothing, ever.
Related: 2015-16 NBA Season Preview: Golden State Warriors
Such is life for an NBA champion, though. Phil Jackson called the San Antonio Spurs' first Larry O'Brien Trophy in 1999 an aberration, asterisking the entire season because of the lockout that shortened it to 50 games. Even Jackson's Chicago Bulls squads featuring Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were questioned by old-schoolers who pointed out that the '90s Bulls didn't face tough competition the way the Lakers and Celtics had a decade earlier.
That's not to say there aren't challenges ahead for the Warriors.
Head coach Steve Kerr is still recovering from a back operation, putting his return date in question. With the departure of offensive guru Alvin Gentry to the New Orleans Pelicans, the Dubs will be overseen for the time being by assistant Luke Walton.
The Warriors' main competitors in the West all improved, at least on paper. The Oklahoma City Thunder, derailed by injuries a year ago, are primed and facing a possible do-or-die season thanks to Kevin Durant's impending free agency. The San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets both made key additions, and the Clippers got deeper.
Draymond Green's breakout year last season got him paid royally. While there is nothing to suggest that will negatively affect his production, any professional athlete will tell you that an increased salary brings increased pressure.
Green was arguably Golden State's second MVP behind Stephen Curry, and along with Kerr's insertion of Andre Iguodala into the starting lineup, last June's Finals turned in the Dubs' favor when Green bounced back from a subpar start. Green has always played with a chip on his shoulder, and if he keeps that up, he should become an All-Star.
The Warriors also got lucky last year with injuries. The only rotation players to miss significant time were Andrew Bogut and David Lee, traditional bigs who were benched for long stretches anyway when the team went small.
Their sole significant roster move saw Lee switched out for center Jason Thompson, but that doesn't mean the lineup is without points of interest. While Curry, Green, Iguodala, Klay Thompson, Marrese Speights, and Andrew Bogut are all known quantities, starting small forward Harrison Barnes merits watching closely. Barnes appears to be going the route Tristan Thompson went last year at this time, turning down the team's extension offer of $16 million per season over four years. If the two sides don't come to an agreement by Nov. 2, he'll become a restricted free agent next summer.
Barnes bounced back nicely last season after a sophomore slump under former head coach Mark Jackson, and nicely fits a role as a 3-and-D guy no higher than the Dubs' fourth scoring option. Can he make a leap? Will the Warriors' current makeup allow it?
While the NBA has had many more repeat champions (six) in the last 25 years than any of the other major North American sports leagues, its difficulty is pronounced. The Spurs' lack of a repeat is likely the only blemish on a decade and a half of basketball dominance. The Warriors clearly have the ability to defend their title; the question is can they? Doing so would go a long way toward shutting some haters up.