In the 2015-16 season, the Golden State Warriors set two very impressive records. The first, going 73-9 during the regular season and setting the record for most wins in a single season, is nothing short of impressive. The second, however, did not earn them very high praise. Despite having this impeccable record, the Warriors also set another record: being the first team to blow a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals and losing to the Cavaliers.

With this being said, the Warriors were even more hungry to win in 2016-17. In the summer after their heartbreaking loss to the Cavs, the Warriors signed the best basketball player in the world at the time: Kevin Durant. Kevin Durant and Draymond Green, a power forward on the Warriors, had always been pretty good friends. After losing game 7 of the finals, Green sent Durant a text. His text read, “See what we’re missing. We need you. Make it happen.”  Not long after, Durant replied with a text of his own: “I’m on my way.”

This was the start of something great. The 2016-17 Warriors may have the most talented roster to ever step on the court. Four of their starting five were all-stars that year, with Durant, Draymond Green, Thompson, and Curry earning such honors. What made this team so great is that they all knew and stepped into their roles on the team. Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry were pure sharpshooters and rarely missed open 3-point shots. Kevin Durant was an all-around scorer, and the Warriors could always count on him to get a bucket when needed. Then there is Draymond Green, a modern-day version of Dennis Rodman. He didn’t care about stats, but he was a player that every team needed. He hustled and played hard, prided himself on defense, and was a great leader.

Durant, Green, Thompson, and Curry all played a crucial role in their championship season, but they could not have done it without their supporting cast. Well-known names like Andre Iguodala, Matt Barnes, Shaun Livingston, and JaVale McGee stepped into the supporting roles and helped out. With all of this talent, the team was destined for success. As an added bonus, the team had coach Steve Kerr, an individual who was pretty familiar with winning, as he won 5 championships as a player in the 90s.

Record-wise, the Warriors were 67-15 during the regular season, which is pretty impressive. What is even more impressive is that they managed to set a record for the best post-season record ever, going 16-1 en route to their championship. Their sole loss came to the Cavaliers in the finals.

It is rare for a team with such talented players like the Warriors to actually be great. When a team has four all-stars, they normally all want to score and have the best stats. It normally does not end well. The Warriors went against this norm because despite having four all-stars and world-class role players, who would have been starters on other teams, it did not matter to them who had the best stats. What is so special about this Warriors team is that one night Stephen Curry might score forty points, and then the next night Draymond Green might have a triple-double, and then Klay Thompson would score thirty. If one player had an off night, another player would be there to pick them up.

Mix an incredibly talented team with a coach who knows what he is doing and you get a good team. Mix a coach who knows what he is doing with players who are talented and like each other and you get a great team. Add in the anger of blowing a 3-1 lead the past year and you get a better than great team, which is exactly what the Warriors were, at least during the 2016-17 NBA season.