A huge year for the Golden State Warriors was 2022. The group defeated the Boston Celtics to capture the NBA title for the first time since Kevin Durant’s departure.
The team was not as loaded as the Hamptons 5-era GSW, but they were still pretty damn good. How does this team stack up against a different team, though? That’s what The Athletic decided to try and find out in their latest retired players’ poll.
Let’s lay out the hypothetical scenario: Take the 2022 Warriors, and pit them against the 1982 Philadelphia 76ers team that featured Julius Erving and Moses Malone that won a championship too. The rules are the same rules implemented in the 2003 season. Who would win in a seven-game series? Well, the retired players picked the Sixers, and it wasn’t particularly close (74.4% in favor of Philly). Here are some of the reasons from an anonymous player:
“I’d have to go with the Sixers. I’d give them the full seven. Their physical defense (would be the difference). Mo Cheeks was a heck of a defensive guard. Andrew Toney could get after you. They had Moses and Dr. J.”
It’s worth noting that some of the interviewed players would pick the Warriors over the Sixers if the rules in this era was used. One interviewee also refused to answer the question because of the vast differences in rules and lifestyles between eras.
The 1982-83 Sixers were one of the most dominant forces that the NBA had seen. In some ways, they were similar to the Warriors’ of old: they went 65-17 in that season, and only dropped one game in the playoffs. Hell, they even swept the Kareem-Magic Lakers in the Finals of that year! That team was no joke, and would give any other team a run for its money.
Source: https://clutchpoints.com
