Winning an NBA championship is an elusive feeling. Even greats like Carmelo Anthony, Charles Barkley, Allen Iverson, and others don’t have a ring to their name. So, winning multiple trophies and creating a dynasty for a franchise is an even greater accomplishment. Teams like the Bulls, Lakers, and Warriors are a few of those dynasties to leave a mark. And a former player who played for both the Los Angeles side and Golden State once again expressed his view.

In early September, Nick Young tweeted to criticize the Lakers for their loss in 2004, comparing the Purple and Gold dynasty with his Warriors team that won the championship in 2017. Once again, this time on a podcast, he made a similar statement and, in fact, criticized a 7x NBA champion in the process.

Analyzing the Dynasty debate

The Lakers reached the Finals four times in five years from 2000 to 2004 and won the championship three times. For the Warriors, they reached five consecutive NBA Finals and also won the championship three times from 2015 to 2019. Both teams won championships without needing a Game 7 to decide their fate, and even their scorelines were similar.

One clean sweep, one during Game 5, and one with a Game 6 win. For the Lakers, they achieved their three-peat but only once ended the regular season as the #1 team from the West. The case is completely opposite for the team from the Bay Area, as they were the #1 seed in all years except one.

During the 15-16 season, Steph Curry and Co. achieved the best-ever regular season record with just 9 losses and 73 victories. If that was not impressive enough, they also set another record by overtaking the Bulls in terms of road victories, accumulating 34 of them, breaking the previous record of 33 held by Michael Jordan and Co. But that season ended in heartbreak, with the Cleveland Cavaliers winning the series in Game 7, despite being down 3-1.

Interestingly, neither Kobe Bryant nor Stephen Curry won the Finals MVP award during that time. For the Lakers, it was Shaquille O’Neal who took home all three trophies, and for the Warriors, it was Kevin Durant with two and Andre Iguodala with one. Just like the crushing defeat for the Warriors in 2015-16, the Purple and Gold suffered a harsh fate in 2004.

Why does Young favor Stephen Curry and Co. over Kobe Bryant and Co?

“I love the Lakers but the shaq and Kobe team is not beating 2017-18 warriors …. all this shaq is the most dominant big ever stuff they lost to Billups, Hamilton, Prince, Rasheed Wallace and Ben Wallace 4-1 respectfully warriors in 5 on both teams ..” This was the former Champions’ tweet, explaining how the 2004 loss is the reason that Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal’s dynasty not being good enough.

“But that Team all together was I think I say people might not believe it or think it’s true but I think that’s like the best championship team ever. I probably get a lot of slack.” Swaggy P was referring to his only championship-winning side, the 2017-18 Warriors. On the 2510 Show appearance, Nick Young once again favored the Warriors. And when the c0-host ran the names of the teammates, the former Warriors star had an interesting response.

“After Shaq and Kobe see them names you saying right there.” Derek Fisher, Robert Horry, and Rick Fox were some of the names that the co-host suggested before Nick Young gave his verdict. The ’04 loss was due to multiple factors against the Lakers, without taking anything away from the Pistons. Shaquille O’Neal was regressing at the time. He was still a handful for any team, averaging 26.6 points and 10.8 rebounds in the Finals.

In the Finals during those three championship years, O’Neal averaged a stunning 35.9 PPG, 15.2 RPG, and 2.9 BPG. According to Las Vegas Sports Consultants, the Motor City franchise was plus-350 underdogs, and the Lakers were heavily favored at minus-500. Like any “what-if” debate, it would be impossible and improbable to declare who would be the winner. Both teams had their merits, which is why they dominated the league for large stretches.

Similarly, the losses they suffered were some of the most shocking events in NBA Finals history. This proves, after all, that every team has a chink in their armor despite creating dynasties.