We are just a month away from the end of this NBA season, and one thing is certain: we will have a new champion for the sixth year in a row.
Golden State’s five consecutive trips to The Finals, where they won three championships, now seem even more impressive. It feels like no other team will match that feat anytime soon.
Steve Kerr’s Thoughts
This week, Steve Kerr shared his thoughts on how tough it is to repeat such success. “I think it’s highly unlikely,” he told NBC Sports Bay Area.
The Warriors' remarkable five-year run to The Finals is unlikely to be repeated due to fatigue and increased competition in the NBA. Coach Steve Kerr acknowledges the challenges faced by teams aiming for consecutive championships. With…
— NBA Digest (@nba_digest)
The Warriors are not just the last team to make back-to-back Finals appearances; they also won consecutive titles. With both the Nuggets and Heat out of this year’s playoffs, we’ll see two different teams in June compared to last year.
Denver coach Michael Malone explained why it’s so hard to keep winning. “I think mentally, emotionally (and) physically, guys are gassed. They’re dead tired,” he said after losing to the Wolves.
It makes sense because being an NBA champ takes a lot out of you over a long nine-month season. We saw this with the Lakers in 2021 when they lost in the first round as reigning champions.
The Challenge of Being Champions
Kerr explained that once you win one championship, everyone else builds their team specifically to beat you. “They’re not just gunning for you; they’re literally building their team to beat you,” he said. Nikola Jokic even mentioned this after Denver’s loss: “That team is built to beat us.”
Winning again becomes harder because teams scheme against you while getting emotionally charged up for every game against you.
I wonder if any current team can ever match what Golden State did during those years.
Kerr was amazed at how his players maintained their intensity over five straight seasons despite enduring grueling nine-month campaigns each time. He praised their conditioning and competitive spirit: “To take on all comers and keep getting back there… it takes incredible passion and competitive desire.”
Future Challenges
Now, both the Players’ Association and the NBA are working on new Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) aimed at promoting parity and reducing dynasties by encouraging roster changes more frequently.
“That’s definitely an issue,” Kerr noted about developing young talent while trying to win championships simultaneously. He acknowledged how challenging it is when forces conspire against defending champs like Malone mentioned after Game 7 losses
