This is mainly to do with the Golden State Warriors, who if you haven't heard, recently handed LeBron James his fifth loss in the NBA Finals.
Everyone knows the story: Golden State was the darlings of the NBA when they beat the Cavs in 2015, came back to post the best regular season record in league history (73-9), overcame a 3-1 deficit in the Western Conference Finals before blowing that very same 3-1 lead against those very same Cavs in the NBA Finals.
How did they respond?
By signing Kevin Durant and going 15-1 in the postseason en route to a world championship the very next season.
Make no mistake about it, the Warriors blowing that 3-1 lead was as painful a loss in a championship series in recent memory. I hate pretty much everything about the signing of Durant, but if you're truly a blue-blooded Golden State fan, it's about as great a response to a crippling loss as humanly possible.
Not all teams are this lucky.
The point of this exercise is to look at dynasties which were derailed, stalled, or finished before they even began thanks to a loss in their respective league championships.
A few loosely simple rules: for the most part, I'll be looking at a team that won a championship in Year A, lost a championship in Year B, and see what happened in years C, D and E.
The Warriors won the title in 2015, lost in 2016, how did they do in 2017?
The Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup in 1929, lost the Stanley Cup in 1930, how did they do in 1931?
For "established" dynasties, say, the San Antonio Spurs, said brutal championship loss doesn't necessarily need to be just a year after winning - provided the team's core is still there.
The San Antonio Spurs won NBA titles in 1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007. They lost in the Finals in 2013. Did they win another title reasonably soon after '13?
Covering the last 20 or so years, here's a list of the "Dynasties Derailed," going backwards from most recent to most distant. I've already discussed the Warriors, so without further ado, our first entry:
2014 Seattle Seahawks
How it started: Pete Carroll was hired in 2010, and Seattle was a bona fide contender by 2012 with Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch and the "Legion of Boom" defensive backfield. The Seahawks didn't just win Super Bowl XLVIII in 2013, they handed Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos the third-worst margin of defeat in Super Bowl history, 43-8.
How it got derailed:
The response: To Seattle's credit, they have actually won a playoff game in each of the two seasons since it blew a measly 10-point lead in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLIX. But it's been well documented that the Seahawks haven't truly gotten over that game. The Legion of Boom is aging, the Shermanator seems to want out, but as long as Wilson continues to drink his concussion water. Seattle will have ownership of the NFC West.
2013 San Antonio Spurs
How it started: The Spurs drafted David Robinson No. 1 overall in 1987, but it was 10 years before they could find him a legitimate sidekick: Tim Duncan. With the Big Fundamental alongside, The Admiral finally delivered San Antonio its title in the strike-shortened 1999 season. Manu Ginobili and Eva Longoria's ex-husband joined the fray and the Spurs went on to win three more titles by 2007, adding Kawhi Leonard in 2011, and returned to the NBA Finals in 2013.
How it got derailed:
Ray Allen hit a corner 3-pointer with 5 seconds left in regulation of Game 6, the Heat won in overtime, and Allen's 3 was the catalyst to saving Bronny's bacon.
The response: Gregg Popovich astutely pointed out that he and Tim Duncan had now won not 1, not 2, not 3, not 4...but 5 NBA Championships together. Against those very same Heat, who you'll notice aren't on this list. They never felt like a true dynasty, particularly after LeBron left. An artificial dynasty of sorts maybe?
2009 Philadelphia Phillies
How it started: It's remarkable how not that long ago, the Phillies weren't just a World Series champion, they were a budding dynasty. The young core of Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Cole Hamels and Shane Victorino won the World Series in 2008 and were seemingly on their way to becoming baseball's next great team.
How it got derailed: The Yankees missed the playoffs in 2008, so they signed CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira and AJ Burnett to contracts worth more than Amazon's purchase of Whole Foods. They knocked the Phillies out of the Fall Classic in six games.
The response: The Phillies, if you think about it, were better in the two years after their back-to-back NL pennants than the two years they represented in the NL in the World Series. Sure, Jayson Werth left as a free agent after 2010, but they added Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cliff Lee (again) to their pitching staff. Philly won 97 and 102 games in 2010 and 2011, respectively, compared to 92 and 93 in 2008 and 2009. But the team's nucleus got old FAST, regressing to 81 wins in 2012, and haven't won more than 73 games in any season since.
2009 Detroit Red Wings
How it started: Sergei Fedorov, Steve Yzerman, Brendan Shanahan, Nick Lidstrom and the gang, up until last week, formed the nucleus of the last back-to-back Stanley Cup winners in 1997 and 1998. With other all-time greats flowing through, such as Dominik Hasek, or younger players like Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk, the Wings won again in 2002 and 2008. They don't call it Hockeytown for nothing.
How it got derailed: Not Sidney Crosby, not Evgeni Malkin, not Jordan Staal, but Max freaking Talbot scored twice in Pittsburgh's 2-1 win in Game 7 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Final to hand the Red Wings their first Cup loss of their run.
The response: Detroit would make the playoffs in each of the next seven seasons before finally seeing its run of consecutive postseason berths end at 25 this spring. But these Wings never made it beyond the second round again, and as the roster continued to turn over, it's safe to say the next Detroit championship team will not be considered a part of this underrated dynasty.
2007 New England Patriots
How it started: Mo Lewis almost killed Drew Bledsoe and an unproven sixth-round pick out of Michigan was sent under center in just the second game of his second season in the league, with only three career passes attempted.
How it got derailed: A career special teamer made what would be the final catch of his NFL career.
The response: The short term? An 11-5 season without the playoffs featuring Matt Cassel. The long term? Well, it took seven years, with another loss to the very same New York Giants mixed in, but the Patriots and Tom Brady would be just fine, it turns out. Total side note: imagine if Danny Ainge were GM of the Patriots? Think he trades Brady in '08 after seeing what Matt Cassel was capable of? A frightening parallel universe for sure.
2005 Detroit Pistons
How it started: Despite drafting Darko Milicic over Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, Kirk Hinrich, David West, Kendrick Perkins, Josh Howard, or literally dozens of other players who proved to have a pulse from the 2003 draft, the Pistons became today's contrarian talk radio take of "You don't need a superstar to win an NBA Championship! Just look at the 2004 Detroit Pistons!" Of course, we didn't realize it at the time; there was no reason to think this group couldn't win multiple championships as the Lakers collapsed and LeBron wasn't quite ready to take over yet. Of course...
How it got derailed: The Spurs were still pretty darned good, and knocked off the Pistons in seven games. The final score of Game 7? 81-74. Not a halftime score. The final score.
The response: Shockingly, drafting Darko Milicic eventually caught up to Detroit. The Pistons went to three straight Eastern Conference Finals before the '08 Celtics truly ended this group's run, followed by an anemic postseason appearance the following spring -- they were 39-43 -- and the Pistons have made the postseason just once since. People forget Chris Webber and Allen Iverson had brief Detroit cameos at the tail end.
2004 Los Angeles Lakers
How it got started: In 1996, Shaq left Orlando for Los Angeles and 12 teams passed on Kobe Bryant in the draft. But even that 13th team, the OG Charlotte Hornets, couldn't help themselves and traded Bryant to the Lakers for Vlade Divac. Soon enough, it was a three-peat for the LAL.
How it got derailed: I still think there's a better chance of a Beatles reunion tour than a Shaq and Kobe reunion tour. And half the Beatles are dead.
The response: Former URI great Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum came to LA and the Lakers went to three consecutive Finals between 2008 and 2010, winning the latter two. Do they fall into the Patriots/Yankees camp of "win a bunch of championships early, see some good but not quite great years, then win more championships?" I say no, even though Kobe was there for all five. Brady or Jeter weren't directly responsible for jettisoning an all-time great from the roster.
2001 New York Yankees
How it started: 12-year-old Jeffrey Maier reached over the stands in Game 1 of the 1996 ALCS for what clearly should have been fan interference, but instead was ruled a home run for the Yankees' rookie shortstop Derek Jeter.
How it got derailed: Now this is very much open to interpretation. After the Jeter home run, the Yankees went on to win four of the next five World Series. Despite the very best efforts of Byung-Hyun Kim, the fourth-year Arizona Diamondbacks knocked the Yankees from the top in '01. But was that how it ended? Or was it Josh Beckett and the 2003 Florida Marlins, when the two teams deprived the nation of what should have been a Cubs-Red Sox World Series? Did the 2004 ALCS do these Yankees in? Buster Olney wrote a book about Game 7 vs. Arizona, "The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty." But if you're going to consider the 2001-2016 (and beyond) Patriots a dynasty, don't you sorta have to say the 1996-2009 Yankees are one in the same? There's more crossover in terms of players between the '96 and '09 Yankees than the '01 and '16 Patriots.
The response:Iin the context of just 2001, the Yankees made the playoffs in each of the next six seasons. There was somewhat of a roster reboot after Luis Gonzalez's bloop single, but the core remained in tact. Bringing on A-Rod for 2004 was perfect because it made the Yankees as hateable as ever. Joe Torre left after '07, but Jeter, Posada, Rivera and Pettitte (after his Houston sabbatical) were around for the '09 bookend.
2001 St. Louis Rams
How it started: Then a San Diego (RIP in Peace) Charger, Rodney Harrison crashed into Trent Green's knee in a 1999 preseason game, forcing the Rams to turn to former Arena League star Kurt Warner.
How it got derailed: the Patriots chose to come out as a team.
The response: Warner was benched midway through the 2002 season in favor of esteemed 'Brady 6' member Mark Bulger, who did lead the Rams back to the playoffs in 2003. They'd make it once more in 2004 despite an 8-8 record...and haven't been back since. Oh yeah, they play in Los Angeles now too. Man oh man have the Patriots altered the course of NFL history in more ways than one.
How it started: Desmond Howard - not Brett Favre - won Super Bowl XXXI MVP as the Packers cruised by the New England Patriots, 35-21.
How it got derailed: Eric Cartman's father finally got his ring the following season, denying Green Bay back-to-back titles.
The response: If you ever need proof that Favre is one of the most overrated quarterbacks in league history, say no more: it took the Packers until 2007 to even back it back to the NFC Championship Game under Favre. He screwed the Patriots once again with an ill-conceived throw to Corey Webster, who propelled the New York Giants in to Super Bowl XLII. Favre lost home playoff games to Mike Vick, Daunte Culpepper and Eli Manning over the course of his career. Yikes.
1996 Atlanta Braves
How it got started: Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, John Smoltz and Steve Avery gave the Braves the early-'90s equivalent of the much-ballyhooed New York Mets pitching staff of today, except they could all stay healthy (minus Avery). However, Atlanta lost back-to-back World Series in 1991 and 1992 before finally breaking through in 1995 vs. the Cleveland Indians.
How it got derailed: In one of the true all-time gag jobs, the Braves blew a 2-0 lead -- after winning the first two games IN NEW YORK! -- and gave birth to the Yankees dynasty.
The response: Here are those dang Marlins again, standing in the way of the Braves getting back to the Fall Classic the following year. And then the San Diego Padres the year after. Atlanta got back to the World Series in 1999, only to be swept by the Yankees, giving it a 1-4 World Series record in the '90s that even LeBron thinks is mediocre. The Braves won their division a bunch more through 2005, but could never get back to October's pinnacle.
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