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Abstract

27 — San Antonio (4) — @HOU, DET, @NOP, SAC Mar 7 — Indiana (2) — SAS, @DAL Mar 13 — Atlanta (4) — IND, @DET, DEN, HOU Mar 21 — Washington (1) — @ATL Mar 23 — Atlanta (4) — @WAS, MIL, @DET, @CHI Mar 30 — Toronto (2) — ATL, @MEM Apr 2 — San Antonio (2) — TOR, @UTA Apr 7 — Golden State (4) — SAS, @MEM, @SAS, MEMSo the Warriors opened with 24 wins in a row before the Bucks finally took them down. It was a crazy month for the belt after that, with 10 teams taking turns with the strip — a lot of mediocre and just plain bad teams. Only 2 teams in that span defended the belt for a second game, and just 2 of the belt-winners went on to win the playoffs. It was an ugly December.Things changed when the Spurs got their first shot at the belt on January 8th. They won it and held it for 7 wins before succumbing to the Warriors, who held it for 8 wins of their own, taking us through the All Star break.After the break, things stabilized a bit as the good teams separated themselves from the pack. The belt only changed hands 10 times over the final two months of the season. During that stretch, all but 2 of the belt holders had it for at least 2 wins, and all but 1 of them ended up making the playoffs.The season ended with the belt back where it started, as the Warriors beat the Spurs on April 7th and closed out the season with four wins en route to 73–9.The Warriors ended up holding onto the championship belt for an incredible 36 wins this year, almost half of the season. The Spurs were next best with 13, followed by the Hawks with 8, Rockets with 4, and Blazers and Heat with 3. The Pacers, Raptors, Magic, and Wizards each had the belt 2 times, while the bottom-feeding Lakers, Nets, Knicks, and Bucks each had it once.Every team in the NBA had at least one chance to win the championship belt, but only 14 of them actually did it. Noticably absent from the list? The Cavs and Thunder certainly stand out, especially since that may well be the Finals match-up in a week. Another 14 teams never got their hands on the championship belt this year either, including half of the playoff teams.The championship belt is imaginary, but it’s tough to win anyway! No team that missed the playoffs had the belt more than twice, and not one of them successfully defended their championship belt at any point all s

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eason.There were certainly some title fights to remember.The Warriors themselves had plenty. There were the two 2nd-half comebacks against the Clippers, the missed Brook Lopez tip, and the epic 2OT win in Boston early in the year. They memorably walloped San Antonio by 30 in January to get the belt back, then barely survived on a late Barnes 3 to beat the lowly Sixers a few days later. And of course there was win 71 surviving injury-riddled Memphis, then win 72 in San Antonio.The Warriors weren’t the only team with great belt wins. Both teams that beat them to win the strip, the Bucks and Blazers, had memorable wins. The Spurs ducked a Knicks buzzer beater to win their first belt of the season, then came back late to top Cleveland a few days later, both wins keeping the perfect home season intact. The Hawks lost the belt to the Wizards in March, then won it back against them just two days later.The Warriors went an incredible 36–2 in belt games this year. The Spurs were 13–4… with 3 of those losses coming to the Ws. The Hawks were 8–2, the Blazers 3–1, and the Heat 3–2 — and not a single other team was better than .500. The Clippers were 0–3 in title beltchances, and poor Detroit and Memphis were each 0–5 with the belt on the line.Of course the season isn’t over. The Warriors have to hang onto their belt through June, and they’re in the fight of their lives.The Thunder and Cavs have yet to smell the sweet victory of the sweat-stained championship belt, to raise it over their heads at last, and both are looking ready to do so in the weeks ahead if the Warriors slip up again.And right now, the championship is hanging over the raised metal ladder, Curry and the Warriors are staggered on the ground outside the ring, and OKC has put their first foot on the bottom step of the ladder.Can Golden State beat the odds and make two more belt defenses?If you like this article, please comment below and share it with your friends. Be sure to follow Brandon on Medium or <a href="https://twitter.com/wheatonbrando">@wheatonbrando</a> for more sports, humor, pop culture, and life musings. Visit the rest of Brandon’s <a href="https://readmedium.com/brandon-anderson-writing-archives-6b3ee1a29301#.6cteu050v">writing archives here</a>.</article></body>

The 2015–16 NBA Championship Belt

Charting the course of the NBA Belt since Oakland last June

Everything is better with a championship belt.

For years, I tried to convince my workplace that we needed to institute a championship belt. We were a college fundraising department. We had a group of top donors we called champions — so why not determine the ultimate champion? Whoever gives the most each year gets the belt.

Naturally I got laughed out of the room, but I still think it was a great idea. All it takes is one person to really want that championship belt and suddenly it’s pretty, pretty valuable.

Sports should have championship belts. Aaron Rodgers pantomimes one for himself already — why not make him earn it? MVPs are nice, but team sports should give out belts only to the champ, like a tag-team championship.

You wouldn’t have enjoyed watching Draymond Green show up at parties and night clubs all summer sporting the championship belt WE BOTH KNOW he never would’ve taken off once? You’re not tuning in to the game of the night some dreary January night to watch a Knicks title defense?

The Warriors won the championship belt last June when they cut down the nets (ok, they should do that too!). The Ws came out swinging, defending the belt mightily over the first couple months of the season before finally falling to the Milwaukee Bucks in the one game I managed to get tickets to this year. Sorry, 82–0 truthers.

So where did the belt go from there? Let’s take a look.

Dates belt was held — team (# of games defended) — opponents defeated

June 11-Dec 11 — Golden State (24) — NOP, @HOU, @NOP, MEM, LAC, DEN, @SAC, DET, @MEM, @MIN, BKN, TOR, @LAC, CHI, @DEN, LAL, @PHX, SAC, @UTA, @CHA, @TOR, @BKN, @IND, @BOS Dec 12 — Milwaukee (1) — GSW Dec 15 — LA Lakers (1) — MIL Dec 17 — Houston (3) — @LAL, LAC, CHA Dec 23 — Orlando (1) — HOU Dec 26 — Miami (1) — @ORL Dec 28 — Brooklyn (1) — @MIA Dec 30 — Orlando (1) — BKN Jan 1 — Washington (1) — ORL Jan 3 — Miami (2) — @WAS, IND Jan 6 — New York (1) — @MIA Jan 8 — San Antonio (7) — NYK, @BKN, @DET, CLE, DAL, @PHX, @LAL Jan 25 — Golden State (8) — SAS, DAL, @PHI, @NYK, @WAS, OKC, HOU, @PHX Feb 19 — Portland (3) — GSW, UTA, BKN Feb 25 — Houston (1) — @POR Feb 27 — San Antonio (4) — @HOU, DET, @NOP, SAC Mar 7 — Indiana (2) — SAS, @DAL Mar 13 — Atlanta (4) — IND, @DET, DEN, HOU Mar 21 — Washington (1) — @ATL Mar 23 — Atlanta (4) — @WAS, MIL, @DET, @CHI Mar 30 — Toronto (2) — ATL, @MEM Apr 2 — San Antonio (2) — TOR, @UTA Apr 7 — Golden State (4) — SAS, @MEM, @SAS, MEM

So the Warriors opened with 24 wins in a row before the Bucks finally took them down. It was a crazy month for the belt after that, with 10 teams taking turns with the strip — a lot of mediocre and just plain bad teams. Only 2 teams in that span defended the belt for a second game, and just 2 of the belt-winners went on to win the playoffs. It was an ugly December.

Things changed when the Spurs got their first shot at the belt on January 8th. They won it and held it for 7 wins before succumbing to the Warriors, who held it for 8 wins of their own, taking us through the All Star break.

After the break, things stabilized a bit as the good teams separated themselves from the pack. The belt only changed hands 10 times over the final two months of the season. During that stretch, all but 2 of the belt holders had it for at least 2 wins, and all but 1 of them ended up making the playoffs.

The season ended with the belt back where it started, as the Warriors beat the Spurs on April 7th and closed out the season with four wins en route to 73–9.

The Warriors ended up holding onto the championship belt for an incredible 36 wins this year, almost half of the season. The Spurs were next best with 13, followed by the Hawks with 8, Rockets with 4, and Blazers and Heat with 3. The Pacers, Raptors, Magic, and Wizards each had the belt 2 times, while the bottom-feeding Lakers, Nets, Knicks, and Bucks each had it once.

Every team in the NBA had at least one chance to win the championship belt, but only 14 of them actually did it. Noticably absent from the list? The Cavs and Thunder certainly stand out, especially since that may well be the Finals match-up in a week. Another 14 teams never got their hands on the championship belt this year either, including half of the playoff teams.

The championship belt is imaginary, but it’s tough to win anyway! No team that missed the playoffs had the belt more than twice, and not one of them successfully defended their championship belt at any point all season.

There were certainly some title fights to remember.

The Warriors themselves had plenty. There were the two 2nd-half comebacks against the Clippers, the missed Brook Lopez tip, and the epic 2OT win in Boston early in the year. They memorably walloped San Antonio by 30 in January to get the belt back, then barely survived on a late Barnes 3 to beat the lowly Sixers a few days later. And of course there was win 71 surviving injury-riddled Memphis, then win 72 in San Antonio.

The Warriors weren’t the only team with great belt wins. Both teams that beat them to win the strip, the Bucks and Blazers, had memorable wins. The Spurs ducked a Knicks buzzer beater to win their first belt of the season, then came back late to top Cleveland a few days later, both wins keeping the perfect home season intact. The Hawks lost the belt to the Wizards in March, then won it back against them just two days later.

The Warriors went an incredible 36–2 in belt games this year. The Spurs were 13–4… with 3 of those losses coming to the Ws. The Hawks were 8–2, the Blazers 3–1, and the Heat 3–2 — and not a single other team was better than .500. The Clippers were 0–3 in title beltchances, and poor Detroit and Memphis were each 0–5 with the belt on the line.

Of course the season isn’t over. The Warriors have to hang onto their belt through June, and they’re in the fight of their lives.

The Thunder and Cavs have yet to smell the sweet victory of the sweat-stained championship belt, to raise it over their heads at last, and both are looking ready to do so in the weeks ahead if the Warriors slip up again.

And right now, the championship is hanging over the raised metal ladder, Curry and the Warriors are staggered on the ground outside the ring, and OKC has put their first foot on the bottom step of the ladder.

Can Golden State beat the odds and make two more belt defenses?

If you like this article, please comment below and share it with your friends. Be sure to follow Brandon on Medium or @wheatonbrando for more sports, humor, pop culture, and life musings. Visit the rest of Brandon’s writing archives here.