The Golden State Warriors are heavy favorites to win the 2018-19 NBA championship.
Only five teams in the history of the NBA have won three consecutive NBA championships. These teams were led by legends such as Bill Russell, Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal. The Golden State Warriors have a chance to add their names to this exclusive list.
In fact, the Warriors are actually expected to three-peat this season. The team’s roster has become so stacked that anything less than a championship will be considered a massive failure. The expectations have never been higher for the Dubs.
Winning three championships in a row is not an easy task. In the history of the league, six teams have won back to back titles only to fall short next season. All of these teams failed miserably in their third attempt as they were exhausted by that point in their run.
The 1970 Boston Celtics failed to make the playoffs after their two-peat. Both the 1989 and 2011 Los Angeles Laker teams were swept in their third attempt. The 1996 Houston Rockets and the 1991 Detroit Pistons were also swept in their following season. Lastly, the 2014 Miami Heat lost 4-1 to the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals.
These examples prove that winning three consecutive championships is a grueling task. The physical and mental toll of three-peating is enormous. Winning a championship leaves no room for error and requires a fair amount of luck.
It’s crazy to think that not reaching this accomplishment would be considered a failure for Golden State. A task this difficult has become to be expected from this franchise. This is partly their own fault. When you constantly sign top-tier free agents the expectations are obviously going to be high.
Still, the Warriors are equipped to enter their name into the history books again. Capping off this season with a three-peat would make them legendary. It could perhaps even solidify them as the greatest team of all-time.