It has often been noted that no Playoff series is truly over until the home team has lost at least once. And, to their credit, the Blazers have pushed the Warriors very hard. They are a very good team going up against an even better team.
But the Warriors are a better team. Keep in mind, they've won their last few games with Kevin Durant being injured. How great are the warriors, in a historical context? If they win the championship again this year, that will be 4 titles in 5 seasons. And, for 1 game in the 2016 Finals, they would be going for 5 straight.
The Celtics of the 1960s won 8 straight, though the level of their competition can be called into question. The Celtics of the '80s won 3 titles in 6 years. The Lakers of the '80s won 5 titles in 9 years. The Bulls of the '90s won 6 titles in 8 years. The Lakers of the early 2000s won 3 straight titles. And the Heat of the early 2010s made 4 straight Finals, but only won 2 of them.
1. 2000-02 Los Angeles Lakers, 3 straight Championships: 45-13, .776
2. 2015-19 Golden State Warriors, 5 years, 4 Finals, 2 Championships, and counting? 73-24, .753
3. 1991-98 Chicago Bulls, 8 years, 6 Championships: 102-36, .739
4. 1980-89 Los Angeles Lakers, 10 years, 8 Finals, 5 Championships: 115-44, .723
5. 1949-53 Minneapolis Lakers, 6 years, 5 Championships: 45-19, .703
6. 2011-14 Miami Heat, 4 years, 4 Finals, 2 Championships: 59-28, .678
7. 1957-69 Boston Celtics, 13 years, 12 Finals, 11 Championships: 111-59, .645
8. 1981-87 Boston Celtics, 7 years, 5 Finals, 3 Championships: 73-43, .629
9. 1970-73 New York Knicks, 4 years, 3 Finals, 2 Championships: 40-24, .625
Before I compiled this list, I said on Twitter that the 2010s Warriors are even more dominant than the 1990s Bulls. I decided to look at the numbers, to see if I was right, or if I was just making a wild guess that turned out to be very wrong. As it turned out, I was, at least for the moment, ever-so-slightly, right.
And while the early 2000s Lakers look like the best of these teams, record-wise, 3 seasons is a comparatively small sample. Extend it to a 4th season, and they didn't do as well in the 2003 Playoffs. Extend it to a 5th season, and they made the Finals again, but the "superteam" got embarrassed by the more workmanlike, team-oriented, so far no players in the Basketball Hall of Fame Detroit Pistons.
Add the 19-15 Playoff record of the 2003 and '04 Lakers, and the 2000-04 Playoff record becomes 64-28: .696. That's still a fantastic percentage, ahead of either Celtic dynasty, but below the 2010s Warriors, the 1990s Bulls and the 1980s Lakers -- and it moves the 2010s Warriors to the top spot.
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Another thing about the 2010s Warriors: People who hate them, and especially those who hate Kevin Durant for bolting the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Warriors, just so he could get his ring, seemed to have no problem with:
* LeBron leaving Cleveland twice, first to join Dwyane Wade in Miami, then going back, and then again to build another title winner with the Lakers (which is now incredibly unlikely to happen).
* Kevin Garnett leaving Minnesota to join Paul Pierce and Ray Allen in Boston.
And, if they go back far enough...
* Karl Malone leaving Utah to join Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant in L.A., which didn't work.
* Shaq leaving Orlando for L.A., and them for Miami.
* Allan Houston leaving Detroit and...
* Larry Johnson leaving Charlotte, both to join Patrick Ewing in New York, and it didn't work.
* Dennis Rodman leaving San Antonio and...
* Ron Harper leaving Cleveland to join Michael Jordan in Chicago.
* Clyde Drexler leaving Portland to join Hakeem Okajuwon in Houston.
* Bill Walton leaving the L.A. Clippers and...
* Dennis Johnson leaving Seattle, both to join Larry Bird in Boston.
* Moses Malone leaving Houston to join Julius Erving in Philadelphia.
* Bob McAdoo leaving New Jersey and...
* Jamaal Wilkes leaving Golden State, both to join Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson in L.A.
* Earl Monroe leaving Baltimore and...
* Jerry Lucas leaving San Francisco, both to join Willis, Clyde, Double D and Dollar Bill in New York.
* Oscar Robertson leaving Cincinnati to join Kareem (then still Lew Alcindor) in Milwaukee.
* Wilt Chamberlain leaving San Francisco to join Hal Greer in Philadelphia, and then leaving them to join Jerry West and Elgin Baylor in L.A.
* Bailey Howell leaving Baltimore to join Bill Russell and John Havlicek in Boston.
In other words, lots of players have done exactly what Durant did, some successfully, some not. I can understand hating him if you hate all the Warriors. But don't hate him for doing what your favorite player (especially if it's LeBron) may have already done.
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Days until the New York Red Bulls play again: 2, on Sunday afternoon at 1:00, home to defending MLS Champions Atlanta United.
Days until Arsenal play again: 12, on Wednesday, at 2:45 PM New York time, against fellow Londoners Chelsea, but at the Olympic Stadium (not that the Olympics will every be scheduled for there) in Baku, Azerbaijan, in the UEFA Europa League Final. If Arsenal, who new manager Unai Emery guided to a 5th place finish in the Premier League, when just a little less stupid stubbornness on his part would have gotten them to 3rd, win the game, they qualify for next season's UEFA Champions League. If they lose, they don't, unless UEFA does what it's threatening to do, and ban Manchester City from the competition for a year due to financial irregularities.
Days until the next Yankees-Red Sox series begins: 13, on Thursday, May 30, at Yankee Stadium II.
Days until the next Women's World Cup kicks off: 21, on Friday, June 7, in France. Just 3 weeks. The U.S. team is 3-time and defending Champions.
Days until the Red Bulls next play a "derby": 22, on Saturday night, June 8, against the Philadelphia Union, at Talen Energy Stadium in Chester, Pennsylvania. The next game against New York City FC will be on Sunday night, July 14, at Red Bull Arena. The next game against the New England Revolution will be on Saturday night, August 17, at Red Bull Arena. The next game against D.C. United will be on Wednesday night, August 21, at Audi Field in Washington.
Days until the U.S. national soccer team plays again: 32, on Tuesday, June 18, against the South American nation of Guyana, at the brand-new Allianz Field in St. Paul, home of Minnesota United, in the opener of the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup. A little over a month.
Days until the Yankees and Red Sox play each other in London: 43, on June 29. A little over 6 weeks.
Days until Arsenal play in America: 59. Under 2 months. On July 15, they will visit the Denver suburbs to play the Colorado Rapids. On July 17, they will visit the Los Angeles suburbs to play Bayern Munich. On July 20, they will visit Charlotte to play AS Roma. And on July 23, they will visit the Redskins' stadium in the Washington suburbs to play Real Madrid. This almost certainly means no Emirates Cup this Summer.
Days until the next North London Derby: Unknown, as both Premier League matches, and a League Cup match, have been played this season. The next season starts on August 10, which is 85 days from now, but the PL never puts a Derby on the opening weekend. The Gunners and Spurs usually play each other in N5 in October or November, and then in N17 in February or March.
Days until Rutgers University plays football again: 106, on August 31, home to the University of Massachusetts. About 15 weeks.
Days until East Brunswick High School plays football again: Unknown, because the 2019 schedule hasn't been released yet. Usually, the next season begins on the 1st Friday in September, which would be September 6, which would be 112 days. It has been announced that East Brunswick and its arch-rivals, Old Bridge, will no longer play each other on Thanksgiving Day. In fact, many of the local Thanksgiving rivalries have been moved back to the opening night, September 6. Whenever the Big Green play the Purple Bastards, it will be under a new head coach, because Bob Molarz, in charge for the last 6 seasons, has resigned.
Days until the New Jersey Devils play again: Unknown. Traditionally, a new NHL season begins on the 1st Thursday in October, which would be October 3, which is 139 days from now. Under 5 months. The new schedule is usually released around June 20 or so. We shall see.
Days until the New Jersey Devils next play a local rival: Unknown. But the Devils never open against either the New York Rangers, a.k.a. The Scum; the New York Islanders; or the Philadelphia Flyers, a.k.a. The Philth.
Days until the next Rutgers-Penn State football game: 197, on Saturday, November 30, at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. A little over 6 months.
Days until my 50th Birthday, at which point I can join AARP and get discounts for travel and game tickets: 215, on December 18, 2019. A shade over 7 months.
Day until the premiere of the final Star Wars film, Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker: 217, on December 20, 2019.
Days until the Baseball Hall of Fame vote is announced, electing Derek Jeter: 249, on January 21, 2020. A little over 8 months.
Days until the next Summer Olympics begins in Tokyo, Japan: 434, on July 24, 2020. A little over a year, or a little over 14 months.
Days until the next Presidential election, when we can dump the Trump-Pence regime and elect a real Administration: 536, on November 3, 2020. Under a year and a half, or under 18 months.
Days until a fully-Democratic-controlled Congress can convene, and the Republicans can do nothing about it: 597, on January 3, 2021. A little over a year and a half, or under 19 months.
Days until Liberation Day: 614, at noon on January 20, 2021. Under 2 years, or a little over 20 months. Note that this is liberation from the Republican Party, not just from Donald Trump. Having Mike Pence as President wouldn't be better, just differently bad, mixing theocracy with plutocracy, rather than mixing kleptocracy with plutocracy.
Days until the next Winter Olympics begins in Beijing, China: 994, on February 4, 2022. Under 3 years, or under 33 months.
Days until the next World Cup is scheduled to kick off: 1,284, on November 21, 2022, in Qatar. A little over 3 1/2 years, or a little over 42 months. The charges of corruption against Qatar may yet mean that they will lose the tournament, in which case it will be moved to a nation where it would not be too hot to play it in June and July.
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