The Golden State Warriors were already a handful to deal with, especially when the otherworldly shooters like Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson got their groove on. However, that team became another beast entirely when they successfully recruited former league MVP Kevin Durant to join them in the summer of 2016.
According to former NBA champion Matt Barnes, a man who had the distinction of playing on that stacked team, he believes that the KD-Steph Warriors would squash any team from any era in hypothetical showdowns, especially if the game was played under today’s rules.
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Today’s NBA is all about offense
The NBA is thriving in the pace-and-space era, where there is a pronounced emphasis on getting out in transition and shooting three-pointers at a high volume. This style of play has been heavily influenced by the Warriors’ dominant run, which has seen them win four championships in the last decade.
Last season saw NBA teams attempt 37.6 threes per game, making only 13.5 of them. Additionally, teams also shot 21.7 free-throw attempts a game, highlighting the league’s offensive focus. Barnes said this environment tilts the table heavily in the Warriors’ favor in a mythical match-up against an opponent from a different era, be it the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls of Michael Jordan or the 2000-01 Los Angeles Lakers of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.
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“I don’t think any team in history could beat them with that set of rules,” Barnes stressed during his appearance on the “Club 520” podcast.
The former NBA veteran, now a prominent media personality, argued that the outcome might differ if the game were played under the more physical rules of the 1980s and 1990s, which allowed considerably more leniency in contact and aggression.
“If you change the rules and go back to the 90s with the Lakers and the hand-check and the pace of the game or Mike’s time, where you could really play lockdown defense, it’s different,” he added. “But with today’s pace and the inability to really put your hands on somebody, they just had too much scoring. Too much.”
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“Club 520” host DJ Wells queried how the Dubs would do against the powerhouse Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant squads that dominated the league during the early 2000s.
Barnes said that while there’s no question that O’Neal would get his points inside the paint, the problem for the Purple & Gold would come on the defensive end as the Dubs would undoubtedly dare him to play defense in pick-and-roll situations.
“30 just going to put Shaq in pick-and-rolls and foul him out,” Barnes responded. “Now, no one could guard him (Shaq) on the block — that’s a fact. But still, twos for threes. Trading twos for threes, bro.”
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“Steph is going to put him in that pick-and-roll. He’s going to be in that drop coverage,” former NBA All-Star Jeff Teague chimed in. “Murder.”
“I respect them. They’d get torched. Come on, bro. Torched,” he emphasized.
The pace favors Golden State
Barnes furthered that the Dubs placed at a pace that allowed them to blow teams out in the blink of an eye. Whereas the Lakers preferred to slow the game’s tempo and wait for Shaq to set up in the block, the Warriors relished in chaotic play and fast breaks.
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“The pace, too. You got to think, the pace they played at that time was officially up and down. You could blink and they’d go on an 11-0 run in 30 seconds,” Barnes shared.
“Club 520” host Bishop Henn remarked that while NBA teams all have the ability to put points up in a hurry, the Warriors did it with a flair so dramatic it drained the morale from their opponents.
“I’ve never seen demoralizing basketball like that,” Henn explained. “Like, we’ve seen MJ kill, we’ve seen Bron kill, but those runs they would have… the entire game was over. Especially at Oracle, the crowd yelling. You out of the game in two minutes.”
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The three seasons with KD in the Bay were nothing short of extraordinary. The NBA has witnessed its share of dominant powerhouse teams, but those Warriors squads stood head and shoulders above the rest. With an aura of invincibility and an unmatched scoring prowess, they often seemed to be playing an entirely different game from the rest of the league.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 23, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.