National Basketball Association

No, the Warriors won't ruin the 2016-17 NBA season

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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With Kevin Durant now a Golden State Warrior, the perception of inevitability is already casting a pall over the 2016-17 NBA season. Barring a catastrophic series of injuries, the Dubs are almost certain to win the 2017 NBA championship. Chemistry concerns be damned, the addition of a four-time scoring champion and former MVP will make the Warriors virtually unstoppable on offense. At the moment, oddsmakers at Bovada have installed Golden State as overwhelming favorites to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy next June at minus-110. The Cleveland Cavaliers are the only other team with odds below plus-1200.

Because the participants and the outcome of the 2017 Finals appear to be preordained, it’s easy to write off the coming season as pointless. It’s akin to starting a book or a movie despite already knowing the ending. This past year’s Warriors already threatened to remove any suspense from the season en route to their record-setting 73-win campaign, but LeBron James’ full-fledged evolution into Megazord during the Finals provided a much-needed infusion of drama to an otherwise drab postseason.

Even if the Warriors and Cavaliers do meet in the Finals for the third straight season, last year’s series should prove that no outcome is set in stone. And until then, why fret over the possibility of a suspense-less playoffs when the 2016-17 regular season packs so much promise? There isn’t a team in the NBA that doesn’t enter the year with at least one intriguing storyline.

From Dwight Howard seeking redemption in Atlanta to the possible return of Linsanity in Brooklyn, the debuts of Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid and Dario Saric in Philadelphia to D’Angelo Russell attempting to get his career back on track under new head coach Luke Walton, the league is teeming with fodder that should whet our appetites all year. This is our first chance to see how Al Horford fits in Boston and whether Harrison Barnes can live up to the mammoth contract he received in Dallas. We’ll gaze in wonder at Dwyane Wade in a Bulls uniform and Joakim Noah playing alongside Carmelo Anthony in Madison Square Garden. We’ll learn whether Tom Thibodeau can guide the Timberwolves back to the playoffs and if Scott Brooks can coax John Wall and Bradley Beal into coexisting more symbiotically.

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Yes, the Cavaliers and Warriors appear poised to dominate the league for the next season or two, but if these past few years have taught us anything, it’s that potential dynasties can rise and fall within the blink of an eye. Remember when the Oklahoma City Thunder looked like locks to win multiple championships after losing to James and the Miami Heat in the 2012 Finals? What about when the Milwaukee Bucks and New Orleans Pelicans appeared poised to build upon surprising playoff berths heading into the 2015-16 campaign?

Though a title may be out of reach for a grand majority of NBA teams this year, watching younger players develop and harness their talents can give fans of any franchise hope for the future. Even if the Bucks stumble again in their pursuit of a playoff spot, seeing whether Giannis Antetokounmpo is capable of handling point guard duties full-time will make Milwaukee a must-watch on League Pass. We’re entering Year 2 of the Karl-Anthony Towns and Kristaps Porzingis experience, while fellow sophomore Myles Turner has already talked about putting up 15 to 20 points a game this coming season. One year after entering the season as an MVP favorite, Anthony Davis will be out to prove that he belongs alongside Towns as one of the young bigs primed to revolutionize the position. Any one of those players could one day anchor a team that emerges as the biggest threat to the Warriors and Cavaliers’ supremacy, making their development that much more critical in 2016-17.

So yes, we could be in for another predictable postseason, one that results in a Finals rubber match between Golden State and Cleveland. But until the playoffs begin, why not enjoy the rest that the league has to offer? There’s little sense in allowing “COUNT THE RINGZZZ” culture to detract from your appreciation of the 2016-17 campaign, even if the ending already appears all but preordained.

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