The 2025-26 NBA season is already underway, and several teams have entered this basketball year with sky-high expectations. The 
Oklahoma City Thunder are the defending NBA champions and have the talent and youth to cement themselves as the league’s next dynasty.
However, in this modern era of restricted salary caps and the second-apron, there are plenty of franchises that, on paper, are legitimate threats to the Thunder.
One of those teams is the 
Golden State Warriors, who already have a few impressive victories this season. Steve Kerr’s starting lineup includes four players 35 or older, including two of this franchise’s greatest legends, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green.
Both future Hall of Famers were the centerpieces of the NBA’s most recent dynasty, which dominated the league throughout the 2010s.
The Golden State Warriors had a historic run of dominance, putting on the floor some of the best teams ever. These squads drowned teams with their offensive efficiency and were also underrated on defense, becoming an inevitable force.
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Golden State Warriors Dynasty (2014-2021)
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Regular Season Record
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429-200 (68.2%)
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Postseason Record
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93-37 (71.5%)
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Western Conference Championships
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6
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NBA Championships
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4
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Charles Barkley, however, does not believe that the Warriors would’ve found much success in past eras. The legendary power forward returns to one main argument for why the juggernauts of the 1970s and 1980s would’ve overwhelmed Stephen Curry and company.
Charles Barkley thinks the Golden State Warriors’ dynasty wouldn’t have happened in past eras
In an interview with Dan Patrick, Barkley praised the dynastic Golden State Warriors, but argued that, despite their greatness, they wouldn’t have thrived in the rough-and-tumble eras of the 1970s and 1980s.
“Listen, the Warriors — I love what they do, but those little bodies they got, they wouldn’t last in the ’70s or the ’80s, no disrespect. Let’s be real about this. You know how much I love Steph Curry. You think he can take that beating that Michael got against the Bad Boy Pistons? Come on Dan, please stop it. I mean, the game was just so much more physical, and these guys are great today. Everyone thinks every time you criticize them, you’re like the old guy, ‘Get off my lawn.’ I’m just saying, when I was that “Last Dance” and I played during that generation. I tell people when you play against those Bad Boy Pistons, you had to call your family and say, ‘Just in case, I want to you we good. I love y’all.’ ‘Cause those boys out there are trying to hurt people, that’s the thing you can’t compare…You just can’t compare eras because of the physicality.”
The modern-day NBA game is more skill-based than ever before
As he states in this quote, Barkley believes the Warriors’ style of play, built around three-point shooting, speed, and spacing, wouldn’t have held up against the hard fouls, hand-checking, and interior dominance that defined those earlier generations.
In that era, guards could be bodied up full court, and cutters got hammered every time they came through the lane. And, to be fair, he is right that, with the added physicality, it would’ve been more difficult for the Warriors to get open perimeter looks.
Recently, NBA referees have allowed defenders more leeway than they did a few years ago, leading to title contenders becoming more physical.
However, the space that the Warriors, particularly after adding Kevin Durant, could create would also be overwhelming for opposing defenses of the 70s and 80s.
The three-point shot was introduced into the NBA during the 1979-1980 season and initially was not a massive part of the offenses during this period.
Therefore, the additional space opposing teams would have had to deal with against the Warriors would likely have been too much of an immediate culture shock, which is not meant to be disparaging of this era.
The game is supposed to evolve as players have more resources and blueprints for success than ever before. And Golden State was ahead of its time with its style of play, even in its own era.
Overall, it’s not a slight against Barkley or his generation. These debates over the greatest teams and players should focus on how dominant these squads and athletes were in their respective eras.
Nonetheless, you can’t blame Barkley for defending his era, as without the legends of the past, the sport of basketball and its players wouldn’t be as strong as they are today.
