Can the Golden State Warriors Repeat?

Two All-NBA players. Two current All-Stars. Two DPOY candidates. Two former All-Stars coming off the bench.

A lot of things seem to come in twos for the Golden State Warriors. Is a second championship in the works? Not so fast. The Warriors may have won the 2015 NBA Championship, but 2016 may look very, very different.

I'm not knocking what the Warriors did last season, it was great. Historic actually. 67 wins is good for 4th in NBA regular season history. Not to mention they rested their best players in a lot of those games. Could 72-10 have been in their sights if they finished the season at full intensity? Well, let me not even go there. Point is, they reached the pinnacle of basketball at the highest level, the NBA Championship.

Although I think what the Warriors did was spectacular, I do think they were helped along by a litle bit of luck. They enjoyed great health while other teams were ravaged by the injury bug in both the regular and postseason. Golden State avoided a hell of a first round dog fight when the injury riddled Oklahoma City Thunder missed the playoffs. If Oklahoma City had just let Durant get that foot healthy before throwing him back on the floor, Golden State's season could have been in jeopardy in the first round.

But alas, it did not. They played the New Orleans Pelicans who boasted a bonafide superstar in Anthony Davis, and, well.. that's about it. Jrue Holiday, arguably their best perimeter defender, was just coming back from a foot injury, and seemed a step slow at all times. Tyreke Evans was banged up with a knee injury as well, and it was a surprise to even see him on the court in games 2 and 3. And as we all know, it can't be a one man show. Sorry AD. Better luck next year.

Next up: the Memphis Grizzlies. Grit and grind, rough and tumble basketball. Many thought this would be the Warriors downfall, but again, injuries helped pave the way. Mike Conley, the Grizzlies' starting point guard, suffered a facial fracture in round one, causing him to miss the first game of this series. It clouded his postseason, and clearly inhibited his impact on the game. Once a prolific defender, he could barely help his backcourt mate Tony Allen chase the Splash Brothers around the floor. The Grizzlies took two games, but without their team leader in assists, third leader in points, and owner of the highest plus-minus box score, there wasn't much hope.

The Warriors vs Rockets series was much closer than the final tally indicated. They may have won 4-1, but the first two games were won by a grand total of five points. And once again, the starting point guard (and best perimeter defender) was sidelined after having surgery to repair torn ligaments in his left wrist. His contributions on offense would have been a roller coaster ride, but his defensive intensity and ferocity would have been all but certain. In any case, it's no mystery that Steph Curry caught a break there, having to be guarded by the likes of Jason Terry, who in this day and age would have difficulty guarding a chair.

The NBA Finals presented what was probably the biggest break of all. Kevin Love was out for the remainder of the playoffs after suffering a dislocated shoulder in the first round. Anderson Varejao continued to be sidelined. Kyrie was hobbled, playing at what seemed to be 40% of his usual self. Given, 40% of Kyrie is better than plenty of point guards in the league today, he's just that good, but going up against a juggernaut like the Warriors demands more. Even so, it seemed like the Cavs had a chance.. Until the end of game 1. Kyrie bumped knees with Klay Thompson and limped off the floor in apparent agony. Reports emerged of a fractured kneecap, and just like that all hope was lost. We should have learned though, that when the best player in the world suits up, all bets are off. Cleveland went on to win the next two games, thanks in large part to LeBron James. Running with a n undrafted starting point guard, and a roster boasting zero previous All-Star selections, LeBron did all he could to bring Cleveland their first major sport championship in over four decades. It was nearly enoug too. Now, nobody can say what would or wouldn't have happened; but isn't it a fair assessment that with either (or both) of LeBron's All-Star running mates, the outcome of this series would have been very different? Perhaps polar opposites?

All I'm saying is that the Golden State Warriors had uncannily good fortune regarding health, while other teams were torn apart by the injury bug. Would they have had the same luck against healthier opponents? Perhaps ones that weren't missing such key facets of their teams?