All of us that are big sports fans can agree that it is one of the most agonizing feelings to have your team be the “frontrunners” or somewhere close to the top, only to come up short of where they knew they could and should have finished. With that being said, there have been so many incredible teams that blew away the competition in the regular season and then even for a while in the playoffs, but somehow stumbled before the finish line.
The main two teams that instantly came to mind were the 2007 New England Patriots and the 2015-2016 Golden State Warriors. These two teams set records and did things that no other NFL or NBA teams had ever done before. Most thought of them to be a lock as champions far before the playoffs even began.
Those 2007 Patriots were the first team ever to finish the regular season 16-0 since the league
expanded their regular season to being sixteen games in 1978. They set an all-time record for most points in a season scoring an insane 589 points, which is 33 more points than the next closest team. These guys weren’t just getting by opponents, they were absolutely destroying them. They won 12 games where they scored over 30 points, four games where they surpassed 40 points and two games where they scored over 50 points.
To go on top of this, Tom Brady had what you could argue was the greatest single season in NFL history as he threw for an all-time record of 50 touchdown passes and won the MVP award. And it only gets better. Those Patriots also set the all-time record for touchdowns scored on the season with 75. When I said these guys were destroying their opponents, I wasn’t kidding. They set ANOTHER all-time record outscoring their opponents on the season by an overall margin of +315 points.
After all of these incredible accomplishments, they were sure to not only win it all, but to do it in dominating fashion, right? I remember this 2007 Patriots team vividly because this was the first year that I started watching the NFL. When it came time for that Giants vs. Patriots Superbowl that season, I literally thought that the Patriots were going to win by around four touchdowns – at least. Somehow, someway they fell short, losing that game 17-14.
Now, moving onto the 2015-2016 Golden State Warriors. Being someone who has played and watched basketball almost my entire life, I was absolutely astonished by those seemingly unbeatable Warriors. These guys were the defending NBA champs and – to put it simply – were on the verge of being a dynasty like nobody had ever seen. They finished the regular season at an all-time best record of 73-9. The record for the best regular season was previously held by Michael Jordan and the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls at 72-10, which nobody thought would ever be topped.
To put into perspective just how good these Warriors were, they broke over twenty NBA records that season alone. One of the many records they set was winning 54 straight home games, a winning streak that spanned from January 31, 2015, to March 29, 2016. They were led by Steve Kerr, who won the coach of the year award, and point guard Stephan Curry, who won the MVP award for a second straight season. That season Steph Curry set a record for most made three-pointers in a season, which, funny enough, was previously set by himself as he ended the season with an astounding 402 made three’s.
It didn’t stop there, Curry’s counterpart and fellow “splash bro” Klay Thompson was nearly as good of a shooter himself. This was and is the greatest three-point shooting tandem of all time. Aside from the great shooting, they had guys who were, as I like to call them the do-it-all players in Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala. As I studied this team, I came to the realization that this team, from this season, was the closest thing to a perfect team that the NBA had seen.
So now, the question that everyone still wonders even up to this day – how on earth did the 2007 Patriots and the 2015-16 Warriors not win it all? The question never was the skill. I believe that at the end of the day, it was all mental. They let the pressure of being a dynasty get to them and didn’t end up having the killer instinct to close the deal.
There have been teams that were much worse than those Patriots and Warriors in terms of physical skill that have won the championship. I’m not alone when I say that if these two teams could have a do-over, they would almost definitely win it all. Losing in the championship round haunts both teams to this day.
The difference between the Giants-Patriots in 2007 and the Cavaliers-Warriors from 2016 is that although the Giants and the Cavaliers were outmatched physically, mentally they were the champs. They didn’t take for granted the opportunity to play for the championship. As a result, they were more focused and had more of a chip on their shoulder. Skill is just half the battle. Poise, confidence, and focus (all the way through) are the other half.
The Patriots and Warriors had gotten so used to blowing out their opponents and winning easily that by the time the championship round came for them, they weren’t mentally prepared to face the adversity that came with the game being close. On the other end, the Giants and Cavaliers were in a lot more close games and had their backs up against the wall from losses all season. The underdog teams were used to being in lots of pressure situations and having to respond and be tough both mentally and physically. I believe that this is what gave them the edge to beat these incredible teams.
This all goes back to a quote that I love and live by, “Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard.” ― Kevin Durant. I believe that the mental aspect of the game, including confidence, being able to pick yourself up after a loss, taking things one day at a time, and having the mentality to outwork your opponent is the reason why the Giants won the SuperBowl in 2007 and the Cavaliers won the finals in 2016.