It will forever go down as one of the most infamous days in NBA history--and there wasn’t even an NBA game on that day. On July 4, 2016, Kevin Durant announced to the world through The Players Tribune that he was signing with the Golden State Warriors. For a superstar like Durant to join the team that was the first to win 73 games in an NBA regular season, most people quickly realized that the Warriors would be the overwhelming favorites to win the NBA Championship for the next several years.
Assuming that LeBron and the Cavaliers fail to pull off something that’s never been done before––winning an NBA playoff series after being down 3-0––Durant and the Warriors will have cemented themselves as the indomitable force in the present Association while also solidifying themselves as a top-5 team to ever play the sport.
At this point (SPOILER ALERT), Golden State is like Thanos at the conclusion of Avengers: Infinity War: pathetically destroying the greatest challengers. For Thanos, those challengers are all the Avengers; for the Warriors, it’s teams like the Blazers, Spurs, Pelicans, Jazz, Rockets, and Cavaliers. Acquiring the last infinity stone for Thanos was like Kevin Durant signing with the Warriors. However, all good things come to an end at some point. Villians, the role that the Warriors have assumed since the signing, will all crumble to resolute heroes eventually. While it may appear to be just the start of Golden State’s dynasty, I think that three teams have real fighting chances just next season to overcome the juggernaut.
Team #1: The Team who has LeBron James
The team who wins the LeBron sweepstakes this summer––whether that be Cleveland, the Lakers, the Spurs, or whomever––will have a shot at beating the Warriors because, well, they have LeBron, one of the greatest to ever play the game. Despite the long odds facing him and the Cavs entering the playoffs to get this far, he proved many wrong (including me) and reached the NBA Finals for the 8th straight season. Consider these stats for a moment or two:
He has 12 30-point triple-doubles in his playoff career. Michael Jordan, Russell Westbrook, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, James Harden, Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas, and Kobe Bryant have 12 combined 30-point triple doubles in the playoffs since 1984.
If you add up his PPG, RPG, and ASP averages in these three Finals games, it is 57.3. That is 4th in NBA Finals series history. (He holds 3rd place as well from the 2015 Finals.)
Each year it seems as if it is impossible for him to raise his level of play even higher, and each year he actually exceeds his play from the previous season, despite all the minutes he’s had to log. The dude is an unbelievable physical specimen and amazing basketball player. Considering that he put this Cavaliers team in the position to win two out of the three Finals games in this series, there is no doubt that he’ll instantly make the team that he joins a title contender.
Team #2: Houston Rockets
The Rockets are in a bit of a tricky patch right: They’ll need to pay both Chris Paul and Clint Capela munificently this summer to have them stay. Additionally, that Ryan Anderson contract is looking mighty bad. (He’s set to make over $40 million over the next two seasons.) Nonetheless, it is expected that they will be in contention for luring some of the big name free agents this summer, most notably LeBron James and Paul George. However, in the likely event that they do not obtain either of those players, they can run this past season’s team back more or less and probably contend with the Warriors once again. Remember, if Chris Paul hadn’t injured his hamstring in the final minute of Game 5, the Rockets would have had a significantly better chance to win Game 6 or 7. With tough-nosed players like P.J. Tucker and Trevor Ariza, a natural scorer off the bench in Eric Gordon, and world class talents in James Harden and Chris Paul, the Rockets are set to push the Warriors to the brink again in the near future.
Team #3: Boston Celtics
Look, I love the Boston Celtics, but any intelligent NBA fan will corroborate the notion that Boston has the among the brightest futures in the current NBA behind a young core in Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, and Terry Rozier, coupled with arguably the best point guard in the league, Kyrie Irving, to guide them. Additionally, they have a brilliant coach in Brad Stevens and his former companion at Butler, Gordon Hayward. Less than two weeks removed from a dismal Game 7 shooting output that cumulated to a loss to the Cavaliers, the team has been mentioned in rumors surrounding intriguing draft prospect Mo Bamba and the aforementioned LeBron James. (Both Prospect Jake and Scott Crosby layed out their thoughts on the possibility of seeing these players in a Celtics uniform.) I think that Danny Ainge will opt not to squander his valuable assets and instead make minor adjustments this offseason to refine, but not overhaul, the roster by the time October rolls around. Of course, watching his Celts take LeBron and the Cavs to a game 7 in the ECF likely made him content with his work over the last six years, but nothing is set in stone with Ainge-- as Green Teamers know from last summer. In any case, Boston has gathered several talented, lengthy, and versatile wing players to complement an ultra-talented floor general and hard playing big men: the recipe that the Rockets used to almost dethrone the Warriors this year. But unlike Houston’s case, the Celtics have more flexibility with their contract situations and possess younger players who play together more effectively. The Warriors reign may end sooner than you think, and our boys from Boston are best suited to destroy them.
(Stats via Basketball-Reference and ESPN)
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