LeBron James sounds resigned to the Golden State Warriors winning this year’s NBA title. And who can blame him?
Golden State grabbed a 3-0 NBA Finals lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night with a thrilling victory on the road. Though the Cavaliers appeared in control for most of the second half, the Warriors hung around, ultimately grabbing the lead inside one minute to play after a Kevin Durant pull-up three-pointer.
This is what they do: If they’re not blowing you out, they remain within striking distance. And they are always within striking distance. No lead is too big for them to erase, it seems. They have so much talent, so much star power, so much firepower, they’re always a threat.
Yes, “firepower” is the word. LeBron used it after Game 3, essentially admitting the Warriors are scariest team he’s ever faced, per SI.com’s Ben Golliver:
LeBron James on 2017 Warriors: "Probably the most firepower I've played in my career. … You got to play like A++ [to beat them]." pic.twitter.com/BZBnblA4n9
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) June 8, 2017
James isn’t wrong. The Warriors have four All-NBA players smack dab in the middle of their primes. There has never been another squad like them. On any given night, sure, maybe you get beat them. But to defeat them four times in seven tries? When everyone, from Durant and Stephen Curry, to Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, to Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston, is healthy and locked in? It’s not happening. Not this year. And probably not next year.
It’s a little soon to be declaring the Warriors a dynasty. Things change fast in this league. But so long as the Warriors are willing to foot the bill for what it’ll cost to keep their Core Four intact, they have a window of unrivaled dominance that spans five to seven or more years at their disposal. The rest of the league, including LeBron and Cavaliers, must see if they’re able to do anything in the coming months and years to change that.
