Stephen Curry and Draymond Green Agree the 73-9 Warriors Aren’t the Greatest NBA Team of All Time
Only four teams in NBA history have won at least 69 games in the regular season: the 1972 Los Angeles Lakers, the 1996 Chicago Bulls, the 1997 Bulls, and the 2016 Golden State Warriors. Only one of them — the 2016 Warriors — won 73, but they’re the only team of the bench that didn’t go on to win the title the same year.
Even though the 2016 Dubs still hold the record for the most regular-season wins in league history, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green don’t believe that squad is the best team of all time.
Stephen Curry and Draymond Green wouldn’t trade two titles for a championship in 2016
The 2016 Warriors were the most dominant regular-season team in NBA history. There’s not much arguing that.
Golden State went 73-9 to beat out the ’96 Bulls for the best record of all time. It started the season a ridiculous 24-0 and didn’t lose its third game until mid-February. The Warriors finished the year with the best offensive rating in the league, the fifth-best defensive rating, and the NBA MVP in Curry.
It was nearly a flawless season. Well, until it wasn’t.
After winning the Western Conference and building a 3-1 lead on the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals, the Warriors lost three games in a row to blow the championship series and ruin their historic season. Golden State won it all in 2015, 2017, and 2018, so a win in 2016 would’ve given the franchise four titles in a row.
In the most recent episode of The Draymond Green Show, Green asked Curry if he would trade two titles for a ring in 2016. They both agreed it would be a horrible trade.
“So we would have two chips and a damn near perfect season? Or three chips and a blemish? I would say no, but I think for the rest of our lives I’ll still be able to just laugh at ’16, which is fine,” Curry said with a chuckle. “I’d say no.”
“If he said yes, this interview was over. My heart was broken,” Green responded.
Curry and Green agree the 2017 Warriors are the greatest team of all time
In the debate regarding the greatest NBA team of all time, the 2017 Warriors sometimes slip through the cracks because of their 67-15 record. It’s not bad by any stretch, but six teams have recorded better records since the schedule switched to 82 games.
But in the first season with Kevin Durant on the roster, Golden State ripped through the playoffs by sweeping all three Western Conference series and beating the Cavs 4-1. That’s right, the 2017 Warriors lost just one postseason game on their way to a title.
Even though they didn’t match the 2016 team’s record, Curry and Green now believe the 2017 squad is the greatest of all time.
“Now, to be quite frank with you, I still think we had the best team ever [in 2016]. Although we didn’t finish it and win the championship, I still think that was the best team ever… until 2017, and then I think that team took over as the greatest team ever,” Green said.
“We were the best team ever. I don’t care what no one says. I can’t see anyone beating that 2017 team.”
Draymond Green
“As they say in the medical field, I concur,” Curry said.
It’s hard to argue with them. Not many teams in NBA history had four Hall of Famers on the roster, and no team ever went 16-1 in the playoffs en route to a title. The 2016 collapse will always haunt Curry and Green, but they were still involved with the greatest NBA team ever a year later.
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