The 2016 NBA Finals are over, and the Warriors are not the champions. Yes, you read that right, the Golden State Warriors did not beat the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Warriors were up three games to one through four, and everyone had written off the Cavs. Sure, no team had ever come back from being down three games to one in Finals history, but with a determined LeBron surrounded by a healthy supporting cast, could that team really be counted out? Plus, hadn’t the Warriors just come back from being down three games to one in their previous series with the Thunder? Ultimately, any Bulls fan should be glad that the Cavs did win, however, or more so that the Warriors lost.
The Golden State Warriors had a spectacular regular season. Actually, it was the best regular season record in the history of the NBA. They bested the previous record of 72-10 by one win, logging a 73-9 regular season record. The Warriors actually bested Michael Jordan’s 1996 Chicago Bulls. This lead to many people arguing that the 2016 Warriors should now be considered the greatest basketball team in history. These claims were made before the playoffs, but just about everyone had already decided the Warriors would win the championship. Well, they didn’t win the Championship, so how does that affect their standing in best teams of all time?
Seemingly every single person involved or interested in the NBA had tried to compare this year’s Warriors to the ’96 Bulls. Essentially, this can only ever be a debate unless we develop time travel soon, and everyone had their own opinion on the matter. If you ask Scottie Pippen, he thinks his Bulls team would have swept this year’s Warriors. I tend to agree with him, but it doesn’t really matter what I think on the matter. The simple fact is, the Bulls went on to win the Championship, and the Warriors blew a 3-1 series, losing three straight, and losing game seven at home. There is no way the Warriors can be considered better than the ’96 bulls if they could not close out the Championship. Therefore, it does not matter how much you dislike LeBron, as a true Bulls fan, there is no other outcome you could have wished for.
Speaking of LeBron, you have to give the guy credit for this series. He came back to Cleveland in order to win a league championship for a city that hadn’t had a professional team win a championship for 52 years. So, he won this not only for Cavs fans but for his “hometown” (he is really from Akron). He struggled a bit in the beginning of the series but really brought his game as the series went on. He played admirably on both ends of the floor, covering seemingly all players on the Warriors roster. LeBron seemed to neutralize Steph Curry, who was silent almost the entire series. This may be in part of the extra motivation for LeBron who was a bit upset about Curry being voted unanimous MVP while he put up great numbers this year. However, LeBron winning his third Championship is also a win the Bulls franchise.