There is no denying that the Golden State Warriors from the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons are great teams compiled with some really good basketball players. But could they be the best team in NBA history? It is an argument worth having. Just for starters, the 2015-16 Warriors set the record in the NBA for best record, boasting a final regular season record of 73-9. That's one game better than the Chicago Bulls team of 1995-96, another team that people claim to be the best team to ever play. But does that one game difference make the Warriors the best team in NBA history?
This Warriors team has its fair share of star power in the "Splash-Bros." Steph Curry and Klay Thompson form one of the best back courts in basketball, with Steph Curry setting an NBA single season record with 402 three-pointers. But this team is deeper than just Steph and Klay, much deeper. This year's Warriors have guys like Anderson Varejao, Harrison Barnes, James Michael McAdoo, Andrew Bogut, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala and the list of talent goes on. The team is far from a one-man show.
Now with this argument, naturally people will ask how these players would fare against the '95-96 Bulls in a seven game set. In a recent interview on the Dan Patrick radio show one of the key figures of that Bulls team, Scottie Pippen, answered "Bulls in four." Patrick then went on to ask if the Bulls would be prepared to go easy on the Warriors—at least for one night—to which he simply responded "No...I don't think we'd take a night off." Pippen also said something most people would find utterly ridiculous, that he would hold Curry to under 20 points. Scottie Pippen was definitely a really good basketball player, but come on Scottie, you weren't that good.
So, let's break it down. If hypothetically the Warriors and the Bulls were to magically meet in a NBA Finals series, who wins? Who gets home court? The Warriors would get home court advantage just based on the better record. Now as far as who would I pick, I'm going Bulls in six games, and there are a few reasons why.
Steph Curry is an amazing shooter, but the Bulls would have all six feet, eight inches of Scottie Pippen guarding him; his size will be a great equalizer for Curry's speed. That leaves you the other half of the Splash Bros, Klay Thompson, to cover. Thompson would be guarded by none other than Michael Jordan, which means it would be a rough series for Klay and Steph. The final piece for the Bulls to beat the Warriors is Dennis Rodman down low against Draymond Green. Draymond is better with the ball, but Dennis will not let anyone out-rebound him, and he will show why he is considered one of the best rebounders to play the game.
You can't shut down the Warriors but you can slow them down enough to beat them, and that Bulls team is the perfect antidote to do it. So, are the '15-16 Warriors the best team in the history of the NBA? Not in my book, but they are still damn good and a lot of fun to watch.
