It wasn't even fair. That’s the first thing anyone who actually watched the 2017 NBA Finals remembers. You had the Golden State Warriors, a team that had just finished a 73-9 season the year before, adding Kevin Durant—arguably the best pure scorer on the planet—to a roster that already featured Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. People were mad. Fans were calling the league "broken." Honestly, looking back at who won the nba basketball championship 2017, it’s clear we were witnessing a level of basketball talent that we might never see again on one single court.
The Golden State Warriors won. They didn't just win; they essentially steamrolled through the postseason with a 16-1 record, a feat that still feels a bit like a video game glitch.
The Summer That Changed Everything
You can't talk about the 2017 championship without talking about the "Hamptons Five." The previous year, the Warriors had famously blown a 3-1 lead to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. It was a sports tragedy in the Bay Area. So, what did they do? They flew to the Hamptons and recruited Kevin Durant.
When Durant signed, the NBA landscape shifted overnight. The 2016-17 season felt like a formality for many. We all knew it was going to be Cavs vs. Warriors Part III. The drama wasn't about if they would meet, but whether LeBron, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love could somehow stop a team that had four All-Stars in their absolute prime.
Steve Kerr’s squad was a machine. They played "beautiful game" basketball, moving the ball with a fluidity that made defenders look like they were stuck in mud. Curry’s gravity—the way he pulled defenders toward him the moment he crossed half-court—opened up massive lanes for Durant. It was a cheat code. Plain and simple.
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Dominance Defined: The 16-1 Run
The road to the 2017 title was a slaughter. In the Western Conference, the Warriors swept the Portland Trail Blazers. Then they swept the Utah Jazz. Then they swept the San Antonio Spurs. That Spurs series had some controversy, though. Zaza Pachulia’s closeout on Kawhi Leonard in Game 1 basically ended San Antonio’s season and arguably changed the trajectory of Kawhi’s entire career.
By the time the Finals started, Golden State was 12-0.
The Cleveland Cavaliers weren't exactly struggling either. They went 12-1 in the East, losing only a single game to the Boston Celtics. It was the first time in NBA history that the same two teams met in the Finals for three consecutive years. The hype was massive, but the actual games? They showed a massive talent gap.
The Breakdown of the Finals
In Game 1 and Game 2 at Oracle Arena, the Warriors won by 22 and 19 points respectively. It looked like a sweep was inevitable. Kevin Durant was playing like a man possessed, determined to prove that his move to Golden State was about winning, not just "ring chasing."
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Game 3 in Cleveland was the turning point where we all realized the Cavs were cooked. Cleveland actually led by six points with three minutes left. Then, KD happened. He hit a pull-up three-pointer right in LeBron’s face that effectively ended the series. I remember the silence in that arena. It was the sound of a dynasty being born and another one being pushed to the brink.
Cleveland managed to steal Game 4 with a historic shooting performance, avoiding the sweep. But Game 5 back in Oakland was the coronation. The Warriors won 129-120. Durant finished with 39 points. Curry had 34.
Why the 2017 Warriors Were Different
A lot of people hate on this team. They say it was the death of "competitive balance." Maybe it was. But from a pure basketball nerd perspective, it was art.
They had the top-rated offense and the second-rated defense. Usually, teams that score that much are lazy on the other end. Not these guys. Draymond Green was the Defensive Player of the Year, a chaotic force who could guard all five positions.
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- The Depth: People forget they had Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston coming off the bench. Two guys who could have started on almost any other playoff team.
- The Efficiency: Kevin Durant joined the 50-40-90 club (almost) while averaging over 25 points. He was getting wide-open dunks because teams were too scared to leave Curry.
- The Chemistry: Despite the "too many stars" narrative, there was only one ball, and they shared it. They averaged over 30 assists per game.
The Legacy of the 2017 Championship
When we look back at who won the nba basketball championship 2017, we see it as the peak of the "Space and Pace" era. It forced the rest of the league to change how they built rosters. You couldn't just have one superstar anymore. You needed a "Superteam."
It also solidified Kevin Durant’s place in the pantheon. He won Finals MVP, averaging 35.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 5.4 assists. He was unguardable. Even LeBron James, who put up a triple-double average in the Finals (the first person to ever do it), couldn't keep up with the sheer firepower Golden State possessed.
Was it the greatest team ever? Many experts, including many former players, say yes. Better than the '96 Bulls? It’s a fun debate for the bars, but the 2017 Warriors had shooting range that the 90s Bulls couldn't even imagine.
What You Should Take Away From This Era
If you’re trying to understand the current NBA, you have to understand 2017. It was the year that mid-range jumpers officially died for most teams and the three-pointer became the primary weapon of war.
- Roster Construction: Teams now prioritize "switchable" defenders who can guard multiple positions, a trend started by the Draymond Green blueprint.
- Player Empowerment: Durant’s move to the Warriors changed how stars view free agency. It gave players more agency but also led to more "villain" narratives in the media.
- Tactical Evolution: The "Death Lineup" proved that size doesn't matter as much as skill and speed.
To really appreciate what happened, go back and watch the highlights of Game 5. Look at the ball movement. Notice how nobody stands still. It was a clinic. Whether you loved them or hated them, the 2017 Golden State Warriors were the pinnacle of modern basketball. They didn't just win a trophy; they changed the way the game is played at every level, from the pros down to local parks.
If you're looking to dive deeper into NBA history, your next step should be comparing the 2017 Warriors' offensive rating to the 2024-25 championship contenders. You’ll see that while scoring has gone up across the league, the efficiency of that 2017 squad remains a statistical anomaly that few have come close to touching. Check out the official NBA Advanced Stats database to see the raw numbers behind their 16-1 playoff run.