The Warriors can be accused of sucking some of the drama out of the playoffs by manhandling, and occasionally sweeping, the opposition, but their wide-reaching impacts on basketball have been indisputability positive. With rivals getting more desperate to break up their dynasty, the champs deserve credit for making the league faster, more explosive and more intriguing. In fact, last season saw pace and scoring reach their highest points since 1991.
Aspiring contenders got more inventive in how they matched up with Golden State too. Small forwards started playing center. Shooting guards started playing power forward. Offenses trotted out lineups with four capable ball-handlers and five reliable three-point shooters.