The Golden State Warriors are back to defend their title against a Cleveland Cavaliers team many believe could have won last season’s Finals had it not been for injuries to Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. Even after an NBA regular season record 73 wins, there is a feeling that the Warriors are the team with something to prove, that the adversity they have faced throughout these playoffs somehow doesn’t compare to LeBron James’ 2015 plight of playing for a championship without his two co-stars. They haven’t been embraced the way the 72-win Chicago Bulls were when a championship was expected. 

From the start of the season, the conversations around the Warriors were focused on how well they’d do against great teams of the past. Or how well they would have done against a healthy Cavaliers team in last season’s NBA Finals. Or, the most popular of all, how good would Stephen Curry be in the 80s, 90s or 2000s? It doesn’t seem the Warriors received the respect befitting a champion, or, for that matter, Curry as a league MVP. Sure, they got some praise, but last year’s accomplishments were quickly lost in the historic run of this season, a run that was fueled, in large part, by the suggestion that their title was somehow dampened because of the Cavaliers’ injury issues. It just doesn’t seem like the 2015 NBA Champions were ever fully embraced. 

Perhaps those feelings come from a strong dislike of the unique style of play the Warriors are using to win. Let’s face it, teams without the correct personnel are attempting to emulate the champs, which is having an impact - negative or positive depending on who you’re speaking to - on the league as a whole. Or maybe it’s a preference to James winning and maintaining the mythical “face of the league” title, not Curry as he wasn’t projected to reign as the NBA’s king. Perhaps it’s the constant discussion surrounding this Warriors team, so fans are tired of hearing about them. Whatever the reasons are, and there are many floating around, it doesn’t change how great the Warriors are and how special their season has been. 

The championship mettle they’ve shown en route to the NBA Finals can’t be denied. 

Before coming back from a 3-1 deficit to a talented and capable Oklahoma City Thunder team, the Warriors had to play without Curry against the Portland Trail Blazers. While many teams have crumbled in the face of that type of adversity, the champs persevered and found a way to win, buying Curry time to heal. Some may point to their success without Curry in the lineup as evidence that players such as James, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul or Russell Westbrook, to name a few, are “more valuable” to their teams than Curry. Others would wisely point to the culture the Warriors have built and how one player, even the MVP, adds to its growth, making it better without defining it or trapping it within their individual greatness. 

Will that be enough for the Warriors to repeat? The challenges they’ve overcome so far will make them incredibly tough to beat. They’re a confident team and are sharper and wiser coming out of the Western Conference Finals.