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Where do the Warriors rank among all-tim
Where do the Warriors rank among all-tim
By definition, a dynasty is a succe sion ofrulers of the same line of descent.In the sports world, those rulers are known as champions, and that line of descent refers to the franchise that is crowned with the title. Specific to the NBA, the grueling journey to crown a champion is a reminder of just how hard it is to win at the highest level.The teams that define an era by winning multiple times? Well, those are the NBA's dynasties.With the Warriors winning their fourth title in eight seasons, they've provided us with a reminder that their dynasty isnot over, returning to the mountaintop after two down seasons.MORE: Led by head coach Steve Kerr, Golden State's dynasty has revolved around the trio of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, each of whom is now a four-time champ. They've long been in the conversation, but with four championships, how do the Warriors stack
Dalvin Tomlinson Jersey up with other NBA dynasties of years past?One note on the dynasty table: In order to take a seat, you need at least three championships, which means some solid runs were omitted:No "Bad Boy" Pistons, who closed the 1980s with three straight Finals trips and back-to-back titlesNo Kobe Bryant-Pau Gasol Lakers, who also made three straight Finals trips and won back-to-back titlesNo Miami "Heatles," who made four consecutive Finals trips and won back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013Apologies in advance to the fans of the Pistons and Heat, but Lakers fans should feel just fine, as the franchise has enjoyed plenty of other dynastic runs.Now, let's go on to the list NBA championships:5Finals appearances:5It would be a di service to the game to omit George Mikan's Lakers, who won five of the first seven championships in league history, the first of which came when the league was known as the Basketball A sociation of America (BAA).While in the "Land of 10,000 Lakes," the Lakers won back-to-back in 1949 and 1950 and lost in the 1951 Division Finals before winning three consecutive championships from 1952 to 1954. Going a perfect 5-of-5 is nothing to scoff at.That said, in four of the Lakers' five championship seasons, there were 12 or fewer teams in the league. They dominated their era, but
Janoris Jenkins Jersey it's difficult to stack their body of work up against teams that were dominant once the league was much more established with talent. NBA championships:5Finals appearances:6The Spurs' run is unique in that it spans over three decades. The dynastic aspect is about more than the championships, which there were still plenty of. Some names changed along the way, but it's all about the two that remained the same: Tim Duncan and Gregg Popovich.San Antonio's five titles over 16 seasons don't exactly reach the level of the "Showtime" Lakers' five in a decade or the Bulls' six in eight years, but the Spurs were a threat to win it all nearly every season. The Western Conference was just aThe longevity of San Antonio's run shows in the names it eliminated along the way, which include Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, Dirk Nowitzki, Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson, Steve Nash, Damian Lillard, Kevin Durant, Ru sell Westbrook and two different versions of LeBron James.For the better part of almost 20 years, the Spurs were always a threat to win it all. They may not have won back-to-back, but the longevity is something
Dexter Lawrence Jersey we may never see again. NBA championships:3Finals appearances:4There will never be another NBA pairing quite like Kobe and Shaq.To begin the new millennium, the Lakers arrived with the third dynasty in franchise history, winning the first of three consecutive NBA titles with their unstoppable duo leading the charge.After establishing their dominance in 2000, they ran through the league again in 2001, sweeping their way to the NBA Finals before settling for a five-game series win to close the postseason with a 15-1 record (thanks, Iverson).In 2002, the three-peat almost didn't happen, but the Lakers again made it out of the West's gauntlet by defeating the Kings in the Conference Finals before sweeping the Finals.They ran out of steam in 2003 before piling up on legends in 2004, but things came to an end with a Finals lo s and the subsequent trade that sent Shaq to Miami. The run that lasted for five seasons and resulted in three chips will always cause us to wonder, "What if?" NBA championships:3Finals appearances:5Placing the Celtics of the 1980s was a little tricky.Led by a host of legends (most notably Larry Bird), the Celtics made five trips to the Finals and won three titles in a seven-year span, defeating the Rockets twice and the rival Lakers once.The 1985-86 Celtics are one of the greatest NBA teams ever a sembled. They finished the regular season with a 67-15 record, including a 40-1 mark at home in the Boston Garden, before dominating Michael Jordan's Bulls, Dominique Wilkins' Hawks and a talented Bucks team on the way to the Finals.Now, about those Finals opponents. You play who
B.J. Goodson Jersey 's put in front of you, but it impacts the dynastic resume.While the 1986 Rockets were a force in their own right, the 1981 Rockets team that the Celtics defeated went 40-42 in the regular season not exactly the toughest Finals opponent.Boston got the best of LA in 1984, but it would lose the rematches in 1985 and 1987, giving the Lakers the advantage in the decade. Had one of those Finals trips gone differently, things may have shaken out a bit differently here as well. NBA Getty Images NBA championships:4Finals appearances:6Part of me feels like
Kyle Lauletta Jersey a prisoner of the moment, but we're witne sing a dynasty in real-time, people.The Warriors have now won four championships in six Finals appearances over a span of eight seasons. The two seasons in which they didn't make the Finals? Injuries and the COVID-19 pandemic stood in the way of them qualifying to make the NBA Playoffs.So, to put it plainly, since the dynasty began in 2014, the team is a perfect 6-of-6 in advancing to the Finals when they qualify for the postseason.Since bursting onto the scene in the 2014-15 season, the Warriors have had a huge hand in the evolution of the game, leaning on the greatest shooting backcourt of all time in Curry and Thompson and the perfect do-it-all piece in Green. After Durant joined the team in 2016? Cheat code.Thanks to Herculean efforts from LeBron's Cavs in 2016 and Kawhi Leonard's Raptors in 2019, the Warriors aren't perfect in the Finals, but four in six trips is , especially considering they defeated eight members of the NBA 75 team along the way.They're not getting any younger, but the dynasty continues. We'll see if Golden State can move up the list in the future. NBA championships:11Finals appearances:12I know what I said about the Minneapolis Lakers that came a few years earlier, b