Ehlo: Golden State Hate Unwarranted; Warriors One Of Best Teams Ever

The Golden State Warriors are halfway to an NBA title.

They lead the Cleveland Cavaliers, 2-0, in their best-of-seven series, and the first two games weren’t all that close. The Warriors won Game 1, 113-91, and won Game 2, 132-113. They’re 14-0 in the playoffs and have won 29 of 30 overall.

In short, they’re good.

And yet, some people are trying to discredit what the Warriors are doing, saying that their NBA title – if they do, in fact, win it – would be cheapened or tarnished or deserve an asterisk based on their absurd collection of talent.

KD is averaging a silly 35.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 2.5 blocks, and 1.5 steals in the Finals.

So, is all this Golden State hate justified?

Craig Ehlo says no.

“That’s free agency,” the former Cav said on CBS Sports Radio’s Gio and Jones. “I think LeBron did it when he left Cleveland and went to Miami. (He) chose to go there because of the roster and the coaching there and the best opportunity (to win).”

That decision resulted in two NBA titles for James, including one at Durant’s expense. Perhaps that factored into KD’s choice to leave OKC.

“I love it when (Charles) Barkley and some of the older guys bark out and say that they would never have done that,” Ehlo said. “But I think in their situation, especially like Barkley – who’s never got a ring – if he could do it all over again, he would . . . because you got to partner with at least two other guys that can do what you do, and that’s exactly what Kevin did. He weighed his options, and I don’t think he really surprised anyone when he signed with Golden State. I think he had some other options, but his best option was to join a guy like Steph Curry and Klay Thompson and just add more fire to it.”

Durant, Curry, and Thompson were unstoppable in Game 2 on Sunday. They combined for 87 points on 28-of-51 shooting, including 12-of-26 from three (46.2 percent). They also shot 19-of-20 (95.0 percent) from the foul line.

It was almost unfair.

Ehlo believes that the Warriors are one of the best teams in NBA history, right up there with one of his personal favorites, the ’86 Celtics.

“They had so many weapons,” Ehlo said. “You and to stop (Kevin) McHale, you had to stop (Robert) Parish, you had to stop (Larry) Bird – they were a team. Knowing how good they were, I know this Warriors team is just right up there at the top with those Celtics. I think they solidified that they are pretty much one of the best teams in NBA history.”

Source: cbssports.com