Somewhere along the road to three championships in four years the Warriors became a Rorschach test for the basketball world. Look at them and what do you see? A fun, lively group that carries itself with joy and flair on and off the court, or a cocky, showboating group that gets away with mugging for the crowds and the cameras?
It’s obvious that if you’re from the Bay Area you are more likely to see the former, and if you come from Cleveland or its environs your interpretation is probably more of the latter. But neutral observers, the ones who have had no particular rooting interest in the last four NBA Finals, seem much more split about which Warriors image they see.
That love-hate duality is evident in how the Warriors are both the team with the highest replica jersey sales in the league (and Steph Curry ranks No. 1 in individual jersey sales, ahead of LeBron James and Kevin Durant), according to NBA Store statistics, and the No. 1 target of various TV talking heads, Charles Barkley chief among them. Add to that the criticism in some social media corners about everything from Curry’s shimmies to Durant’s move from Oklahoma City to the Warriors. (Just a suggestion on that one: Get over it, already.)
It might seem hard to understand how fans and analysts could have such mixed emotions about such a personable, media-accessible and fan-friendly team, but this is all typical stuff for repeat champs. Success like theirs is often met by equal parts admiration and envy. The Warriors, of course, don’t have to care about anyone’s opinion of them — their multiple title runs have earned them the freedom to flip off the fault finders if they wish.
But no matter how philosophical they tend to be about it, the Warriors are no different from the rest of us in that they would rather be liked than the alternative. Toward that end, there is at least one thing they could do, one line they could be mindful of, as they head into another celebratory summer: Enjoy the championship without trolling James and the Cavaliers.
It would be both wise and classy of the Warriors to make Tuesday’s parade, which included a couple of not-so-subtle digs at the Cavs, the end of any offseason mockery of Cleveland. The sweep in the Finals was the definitive statement about their superiority to the Cavaliers, and any more references to the Cavs’ shortcomings would seem like piling on. Punching down is never a good look.
So Draymond Green’s “Mood …” T-shirt at the parade, the one with the fist wearing three rings that was a mocking throwback to a similar early-season Instagram post from James, was clever, but it maybe shouldn’t become a regular part of his wardrobe. (Although James should count himself lucky that Green didn’t show up with a phony cast on his hand, to poke fun at the wrap that the LBJ suddenly sported on his supposedly broken hand after Game 4.)
Green’s declaration that Tristan Thompson and other Cavs are “soft”? Understandable, in the immediate aftermath of four hard-fought, physical battles with Thompson, but no further insults are necessary.
It might be hard for the Warriors to refrain, because the NBA has become a clap-back community of Instagram digs, Twitter burner accounts and, most recently, diss tracks between teammates (see the Lakers’ Lonzo Ball and Kyle Kuzma.) Some of it is entertaining but some of it, like the Bryan Colangelo Twitter scandal in Philadelphia, is more sad and regrettable. Whether it’s funny or mean-spirited, someone is always trolling someone else in NBA circles, and it’s not easy to stay above the fray.
It’s also worth pointing out that the Cavs didn’t exactly take the high road when they had the upper hand after beating the Warriors in the Finals two years ago. LeBron wore an Ultimate Warrior T-shirt as he came off the plane in Cleveland carrying the Larry O’Brien Trophy, and threw a Halloween party that fall with decorations that included fake tombstones for Curry and Klay Thompson as well as an RIP reference to the Warriors’ blown 3-1 lead. It’s not so much that the Cavs deserve to be treated kindly in defeat as it is that they’re too easy a target for the Warriors to spend their time taking shots at.
There are a multitude of ways for the Warriors to enjoy their offseason. They can spend the summer replicating the joy of Tuesday’s parade, with lots of humor, interaction with their adoring public, and huge, satisfied exhales after the rigors of another championship season. They can spend it shirtless like Nick Young or sipping on Henny like Jordan Bell. But there’s no reason to spend any of it giving the conquered Cavs any more thought. There is no form of trolling they could dream up that would be as memorable a statement as 4-0. The Warriors already set the standard in the NBA in so many ways, why shouldn’t class be one of them?
(Top photo: Josh Leung/NBAE via Getty Images)
If you enjoyed this article, start a free trial today to get full access to all the smart, in-depth coverage on The Athletic, then get 25% off the annual plan.