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NBA Finals History does not favor the Golden State Warriors three-peat

By Tony Pesta

PORTLAND, OR - MAY 20: The Golden State Warriors are presented the Western Conference Finals Trophy after Game Four of the Western Conference Finals against the Portland Trail Blazers on May 20, 2019 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OR - MAY 20: The Golden State Warriors are presented the Western Conference Finals Trophy after Game Four of the Western Conference Finals against the Portland Trail Blazers on May 20, 2019 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Golden State Warriors are attempting to accomplish a feat that has rarely been done throughout NBA Finals history: Complete a three-Peat.

With their sweep of the Portland Trail Blazers, the Golden State Warriors punched their tickets to their fifth consecutive NBA Finals. This is an accomplishment that hasn’t been done by one single team since the 1963 Boston Celtics. To keep the streak of history going, a championship would mark the Dubs as just the third franchise in NBA history to three-peat.

Winning three championships in a row is something that only the best of the best were ever able to do. George Mikan secured the first three-peat when his Lakers team five of the first eight NBA Finals. Bill Rusell’s Celtics followed him up with an unprecedented 11 titles in 13 years.

Of course, things have changed drastically since the ’60s. As the NBA grew larger, the competition grew stronger. No team would three-peat again until Michael Jordan became the only player to lead a franchise to not one, but two three-peats in the ’90s. Since then, it took Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant‘s full combined strength to pull off another three-peat.

Meanwhile, there have been six teams since the ’70s to win back-to-back titles, just to see their three-peat hopes crushed in the following season. The 1970 Celtics missed the postseason, while the other five teams were either swept or dismantled in five. The 2014 Miami Heat being the latest squad, who were destroyed by an NBA Finals record margin by the San Antonio Spurs.

If you haven’t noticed the trend yet, it is incredibly difficult to compete at a high level for three consecutive seasons. There is a reason why Jordan, Kobe and Shaq are held to such high praise. It takes all-time great players to pull this type of feat off.

As for the Warriors, they certainly have talent on their side. Stephen Curry has solidified himself as the greatest shooter of all-time while Kevin Durant continues to shoot up the rankings. However, playing without Durant and taking into account that this is their fifth straight trip to the Finals, the Warriors will not be playing against just the Toronto Raptors, but also history.

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