Raymond Felton became representative of a growing number of former NBA players who pointed out how the Warriors changed the rules of the basketball game.
Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors are known for transforming the game of basketball, leading the shift to athletic offense and three-point shooting. Beyond flashy moves and championships, the core value is this: hard work.
Curry's fluid style of play seems effortless, but his success is built on practice. He spends a lot of time perfecting his craft, a mentality that he shares with his teammates, making the Warriors a formidable opponent.
That value extends off the court as well, with the organization valuing hard work from employees to frontline offices, fostering a culture that values effort and determination in professional sports, which is valued by current and former NBA players like Raymond Felton and Theo Pinson.
Raymond Felton joined Theo Pinson's podcast "Run The Race," and the two sparked a conversation about the greatness of the Warriors, both of whom they had witnessed firsthand as rivals for the Warriors.
"They changed the game of basketball. You know, if you think about it, when I first got into the league, it was the real number five position, where you had to pass the ball to the basket and these guys were trying to score, like Dwight Howard and Shaquille O'Neal. They pass the ball to the inside and play to their heart's content.
Like Zach Randolph Jr., all of them. But if you fast forward a few years, here they come. What they did, they shot three-pointers, and now they're letting the big guys shoot three-pointers, and now the whole game has changed. Now no one wants the big man to stay on the inside. Now they want the guys to shoot three-pointers. ”
"You can't slow down anymore. Pinson added that he talked about the adduction action in the barrier defense to protect the area under the basket. Now, in the pick-and-roll move, the defender is forced to either switch defenses, close defenses, or double packs, which makes the defense face a variety of attacks.
Raymond Felton agreed and said: "You have to list them as dynasties because they really changed the game. ”
The Warriors' credentials as a dynasty are unquestionable, and having won four NBA titles in six Finals appearances, it's no surprise that they are included in the discussion of one of the greatest teams of all time.
Former Warriors general manager Bob Myers said: "The 73-9 season was not a failure.
One of the crowning achievements of the Golden State Warriors dynasty was their 73-9 season, which broke the Chicago Bulls' all-time best regular season record from 1995-1996.
The season was widely considered a failure as they failed to win the NBA title, losing to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers with a 3-1 lead in the Finals.
However, in a recent appearance on JJ Reddick's podcast The Old Man & The Three, Myers said he doesn't see the season as a failure.
"The year we lost to Cleveland, we were 73-9 and a lot of people said your team failed, you didn't win the championship. At the time, I said to Steve, 'No, no, no, we can decide what this season means; 'That's not going to be broken,' Myers said on the JJ Reddick podcast "The Old Man & The Three."
"I've been lucky enough to win General Manager of the Year twice. I didn't win this award when we had the best result in our history. I'm very proud of this season and the team because it's been so much fun. It was flawless, but we didn't win the championship – you failed. That's your definition of this season. Not mine. ”
Sports fans often define a successful season as simply winning championships. However, the Golden State Warriors' 73-9 season has undeniably contributed to their dynasty, confirming the strength of their winning system and culture.
Although the Golden State team's record ranking this season is not ideal, it just shows that the Warriors have completed their historic mission and successfully made other teams in the NBA evolve and become stronger, so as to surpass the current Warriors.
Regardless of what everyone else says, I think Curry and the Warriors are forcing the whole league to evolve, and now the NBA as a whole is really getting stronger, and both the pace and efficiency are not comparable to before.