I know it’s happened and this is probably the least interesting post ever but when I reflect on recent NBA history, it is still shocking to me what happened that year. I never thought it would be remotely possible. It was just a record that could never be touched.
And yet it really happened. I don’t think it gets enough credit because of the “it don’t mean a thing without the ring” piece but as time passes, I gotta say it’s just a standalone incredible achievement.
The fact that the last 30 games of the season they were the target for every team, no one wanted to see them do it, and they still did it. It’s incredibly impressive.
The thing with the ‘greatest team of all time’ tag is that it isn’t really warranted when you include the post season. Why you would discount the hardest part of the season with the best competition and most intense defense is beyond me. Whatever, going into the NBA Finals the Warriors had already lost an additional 5 games and their overall record was sitting on 85-14 (0.856). The 96 Bulls had lost just one additional game before heading into the 96 Finals and were sitting on 83-11 (0.883). So when people say the Cavs (and LeBron) beat the greatest team of all time, it’s not actually true.