The Showtime Lakers, 2004 Pistons, Michael Jordan’s Bulls – all have former players who claim their team would have beaten the Warriors.
Golden State coach Steve Kerr, via Jimmy Durkin of The Mercury News:
“They’re all right,” Kerr said at Friday’s shootaround in advance of Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
“They would all kill us. The game gets worse as time goes on. Players are less talented than they used to be. The guys in the 50s would’ve destroyed everybody. It’s weird how human evolution goes in reverse in sports. Players get weaker, smaller, less skilled. I don’t know. I can’t explain it.
This is the best part of the Warriors’ success: It enables their sassiness.
Kerr’s underlying point is correct, of course. Players have leveraged advances in conditioning and analytics to become more athletic and apply it in smart ways on the court.
Golden State isn’t necessarily the greatest team ever. But teams of the past have major disadvantages in a hypothetical matchup.