The other night my roommate told me he wasn’t rooting for the Golden State Warriors to break the record for the best record ever in an NBA season.
I knew he was wrong for rooting against them, but at the time, I couldn’t come up with a decent argument. But, now I have. I’m writing this on Wednesday night before the Warriors-Grizzlies game, the deciding game for the Warriors. No matter the outcome, I will be rooting for them all the way. And here’s why you should too.
My roommate said he doesn’t like their style, and would rather watch the Spurs. I get it – traditional basketball is great. There’s not much better than watching a team’s best player not care about individual stats, or a team that passes the ball around for 15 seconds to try to find the best shot, or focus more on defense than offense, or continue to be one of the most successful teams in all of sports since 2000. But there is something better, and that is, watching the Warriors put on a show.
Curry alone is a highlight machine. Nobody in the NBA, maybe in all of sports, has generated as many highlights as him. Maybe Russell Westbrook is close, but not like Curry. This year alone, he had his game-winner against the Oklahoma City Thunder, his one-handed three pointer while falling down against the Memphis Grizzlies and all his three-pointers he’s made while turning around without seeing them go in.
But, I know what you’re going to say – highlights aren’t a good reason. How about being the best shooter ever? The man is revolutionizing basketball. He broke his own record this season for most three-pointers made in a season, again. He’s averaging about 30 points, seven assists, six rebounds, while shooting 50 percent from the field and 45 percent from beyond the arc. That’s absurd.
And look what he’s done for Golden State. They were garbage before they began building around him. And the way they have built around him is beautiful. They drafted Klay Thompson – the best shooter in college at the time, and one of the best ever in the NCAA. They hired Steve Kerr as their head coach – one of the most clutch shooters ever. They drafted and traded for great role players in Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, Harrison Barnes and Andrew Bogut.
The Warriors embody a team mentality just as much as the Spurs or any other team in sports. Just because two players account for more than 40 percent of the team’s points does not mean they don’t play great team basketball. The Warriors have learned and perfected their roles.