The Golden State Warriors and Alabama Crimson Tide are two of the most successful dynasties of all time, and they share a common link. The haters are going to hate that success.
Golden State added more fuel to that hate this week by adding DeMarcus Cousins to its already-loaded roster, prompting a not-so-ridiculous question: Could the Warriors conceivably beat the Eastern Conference All-Stars?
The Eastern Conference All-Stars vs. the Warriors.
— Josh Eberley 🇨🇦(@JoshEberley) July 3, 2018
Kyrie, Oladipo, Giannis, Porzingis, and Embiid even get a game?
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Meanwhile, Alabama — which won the 2017 national championship, despite not winning the SEC West — was called “privileged” by FOX Sports announcer Tim Brando on the Paul Finebaum Show on Monday.
“There's absolutely no way in hell Alabama doesn't get in the playoff,” says @TimBrando.
— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) July 2, 2018
“And don't tell me they're not privileged ... They'll shame Georgia's schedule but not Alabama's.
It's sickening and pathetic but nobody wants to take on Nick(Saban).”
So, what are the biggest similarities — and differences — between these two dynasties? Let's take a closer look:
Championships
Both teams are piling up championships. Alabama has won five national titles in the last nine seasons under Saban, playing in the last three and making the College Football Playoff each of the last four years. Golden State has won the NBA Finals three of the last four seasons, the lone miss coming in the 2016 Finals after a seven-game series against the LeBron James-led Cavs. Both are heavy favorites to do it again next year. The Tide is 12/5 to win it all next. The Warriors are 3/2.
The difference? It's harder to three-peat in college football. The last team to claim three straight titles in the sport is Minnesota, who claimed consensus championship honors in 1934-36. That makes what Alabama has done the past four years even more impressive — that said, the closest Alabama came to that feat was in 2013, and the Tide lost a shocker at Auburn in the infamous "Kick Six" game.
Conversely, five teams have won three or more consecutive NBA championships; the Minneapolis Lakers (1952-54), Boston Celtics (1959-66), Chicago Bulls (1991-93, 1996-98) and Los Angeles Lakers (2000-02). If the Warriors go on a run like the Celtics did from 1959-66 — not impossible — we'll change our opinion.
Regular season
Both teams pile up regular-season success. Golden State is 265-63 the four years, boasting an 80.7 win percentage and an NBA-record 73-9 record in 2015-16. In that same four-year stretch, Alabama is 45-3 (93.7), never losing more than a game a season.
That said, college football's regular season is more important. We know Alabama got a break last season, and if you want to say the Tide is “privileged,” that's fine. They've never had more than one regular season-loss a year since 2010 in a sport where you're done if you have two losses on your record. It's not like that “privilege” wasn't earned. Besides, they won the national championship. The Warriors' 73-9 record didn't help them win the NBA Finals.
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Elite players
Both teams stockpile talent. Golden State built up a fantastic core by drafting Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. That was only compounded when it added Kevin Durant and, on Monday, DeMarcus Cousins. Alabama, meanwhile, hauls in an embarrassment of riches every recruiting class, getting its pick of four- and five-star talent every year. Perhaps the most impressive part of Saban's run at Alabama is having the top recruiting class every single year from 2011-17 before Georgia finally broke that run in 2018.
Golden State knew what they were getting in Durant and Cousins, and one elite player can make a world of difference in the NBA. Can you name one Alabama recruit that was an absolute program-changer? From Julio Jones to Patrick Surtain Jr., the names just continue to file in. That's why the "football factory" and "Death Star" analogies are so prevalent. Alabama has the most talent, sure, but a lot of that high school talent needs to be cultivated at the college level. Nobody does that better in college football than Saban.
Level of competition
Both teams have something to offer that their competitors can't. At the moment, Golden State gives free agents the easiest path to an NBA championship. For Alabama, it's, statistically, the best shot at the NFL: The Tide have sent 73 players to the NFL Draft, including 25 who were first-round picks.
The difference, again, is that Alabama has more competition. Yes, Golden State was nearly eliminated in the Western Conference finals by Houston in 2018 and Oklahoma City in 2016. But, by and large, their biggest competition was a single player: James. So, Golden State signing Cousins was not only a direct response to his signing with the Lakers, but also a way of staying out of reach, talent-wise, for most teams.
Until someone — anyone — beats the Warriors in the postseason, we'll have to say Alabama faces more parity. The Tide 2014 and '16 seasons ended against national champions in Ohio State and Clemson, respectively, and Georgia was this close to knocking the Tide off again. Those three programs are closer to Alabama in terms of talent than any NBA team is to Golden State.
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Current perception
Like we said, the haters will continue to hate. Cousins' signing cements the Warriors as one of the least-likable teams in NBA history, if they're not already. The way the Warriors have become so good — stockpiling All-Star players at bargain prices — makes that hate so much more palpable. But they're just taking advantage of the salary cap, meaning most of the hate will be directed at the players, particularly Durant, who still gets criticized for the way he left Oklahoma City, and Cousins, who will now be labeled as a ring-chaser.
The difference at Alabama is that all the hate is directed at Saban. He has faced heavy scrutiny for gray-shirting players — even a four-star running back, at one point — and the NCAA has implemented several rules to stymie his perpetual run of dominance at Alabama. And yet he keeps winning in that face of all that. Alabama's dynasty won't end until he retires. With Golden State, it's a matter of how long they can keep that core together.
