The Golden State Warriors’ season ended in disappointing fashion on Sunday when they were eliminated by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Finals. It was a poor finish to an otherwise stellar season for last year’s champs.
But a stellar season it was and that should not be forgotten. And Klay Thompson is not letting it be forgotten.
The Warriors shooting guard had the following to say during the team’s exit interviews (h/t James Herbert of CBS Sports):
“It’s hard for me to answer right now,” Thompson said. “I really don’t have a good answer for that right now, to be honest. It was very disappointing just because we know how good we are, we feel like we’re still the best team in the world and we let that slide. So it hurts right now. I can’t tell you when the disappointment’s gonna fade, but it will.”
It’s a tricky thing to discuss considering the Warriors were not crowned champions for the second straight season. Calling a team who did not win the title the best one in the world is a strange idea.
But the Dubs won 73 games during the regular season, more than any team before them. They were dominant throughout much of the year. And they ran into another juggernaut playing behind a fantastic effort from its superstar to finally come short of the ultimate goal.
The Warriors have flaws just like any team but for the majority of a grueling season, those issues were hidden behind one of the greatest scoring seasons of all time from Stephen Curry and a phenomenal all-around team.
The idea of “the best team in the world” is an abstract one and in sports we tend to look at the literal meaning: who won the championship? But even without winning the title and even with the disappointing final results, Klay Thompson has a legitimate point about the Warriors current standing among other elite teams.
