The Golden State Warriors lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night in a game that was closer than it probably should have been given the Warriors were without their star Stephen Curry. The game may have represented more than just a regular season contest, though.
Since the Warriors won four NBA titles in eight years, there has not been a new dynasty to supplant the one that the Warriors were able to create. There has been more parity and it has led to some one-off championships for teams like the Milwaukee Bucks, Denver Nuggets, Boston Celtics and most recently the Thunder.
There was some thought with each of those champions that they could be on the precipice of a championship run since they all had star players and a fairly young core. Maybe we have just been conditioned to assume that teams will go on championship runs after the success that the Warriors had.
So far, a new dynasty to supplant the latter years of the Warriors' dynasty has not materialized, but that could change with Oklahoma City.
Warriors' dynasty may be supplanted by the Thunder
The Thunder are on an incredible pace to start the season as they have a 21-1 record and have looked practically unstoppable. That is why it was so surprising that the Warriors even put up a fight in the second-half on Tuesday, including taking the lead briefly in the fourth quarter.
Whenever a team gets off to a start like that, there is going to be some chatter that they could break the record set by the Warriors in the 2016 season when they had a historic 73-9 record.
Reporters asked members of the Warriors who were around for that incredible season about whether the Thunder could eclipse their mark, and they said yes. Head coach Steve Kerr and veteran Draymond Green both said that they think the Thunder have the potential to do it which speaks volumes about the talent on that roster.
They are coming off the first title in franchise history and had a record of 68-14 last season, giving them all of the momentum in the world. They also have motivation because they are young and there are still some rumblings that their title from last season deserves at least a minor asterisk since the Indiana Pacers lost their star player, Tyrese Haliburton, to an injury early in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
It's too early to make any assurances and injuries or a rough week or two could derail what is the makings of a historic season. But the Warriors should be concerned that the Thunder could not only break that regular season record, but establish a new dynasty that would put a fork in the Warriors' dynasty era which reigned for the last decade.