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Barnes: Thunder were probably the best team in 2016 playoffs

Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports / Action Images

The 2016 NBA playoffs will best be remembered for the Golden State Warriors' collapse in The Finals, where they blew a 3-1 series lead to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Lest we forget, though, that in the series prior, it was the Warriors overcoming the same deficit to defeat Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and the Oklahoma City Thunder in seven games.

Years later, former Warriors forward and current Dallas Mavericks leading scorer Harrison Barnes admits that the Thunder - who bounced the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs in the opening rounds - were the better team, and that his Warriors were perhaps lucky to get past them.

"I don't mean this in any type of offense to RJ (Richard Jefferson) or anything like that, but my opinion is that OKC was probably the best team in the playoffs that year," Barnes said during a recent appearance on the Road Trippin' podcast, according to Sporting News' Carlan Gay.

"I mean they were rollin'. We didn't have an answer for them. If Klay (Thompson) doesn't have that crazy Game 6, they're going to The Finals."

Thompson lit up Oklahoma City in Game 6 to the tune of 41 points, going 11-of-18 from behind the arc in a 108-101 victory. Golden State then closed out the WCF two nights later on their home floor, holding the Thunder to just 38.2 percent shooting from the field in the series clincher.

Warriors players began recruiting Durant - who averaged 30 points, eight rebounds, and 2.9 assists against them in the WCF - after dropping Game 7 to Cleveland at Oracle Arena. The former MVP elected to depart Oklahoma City after nine years and took his talents to the Bay Area that summer, winning his first-ever championship with the franchise in 2017.

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