Written by Adam Wells at Bleacher Reports.com
The Golden State Warriors may have lost in the NBA Finals to the Cleveland Cavaliers, but Andre Iguodala believes the best team in the playoffs was in the Western Conference.
During an interview on Power 105.1 FM in New York, Iguodala said the Oklahoma City Thunder were the best team in the NBA playoffs:
“Now that we [the Warriors] got [Kevin Durant], I can say it. … They were the best team in the playoffs,” Iguodala said of the Thunder.
His comments should only fuel Golden State’s rivalry with the Cavaliers, as the Warriors figure to be locked in another battle with Cleveland next June.
Iguodala may not want to hype up the Cavs, who made history by being the first team in the NBA Finals to overcome a 3-1 series deficit to win the franchise’s first championship.
The Thunder, who B/R’s Howard Beck reported could trade Russell Westbrook “sooner rather than later,” have become afterthoughts in the Western Conference after losing Durant.
Yet the notion that Oklahoma City was a better team in the playoffs than the one Golden State actually lost to is baffling. The Thunder certainly provided a tremendous test in the Western Conference Finals, holding a 3-1 series lead, but the Warriors still beat them.
With three chances to end the NBA Finals, including two games on their home court where they went 39-2 during the regular season, the Warriors couldn’t get it done against the Cavaliers.
If Iguodala needs to be reminded of how good the Cavs were in that series, he can remember how LeBron James rejected his layup attempt with less than two minutes remaining in Game 7. Kyrie Irving then hit the game-winning three with NBA MVP Stephen Curry in his face.
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