After the Golden State Warriors beat the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of this year’s playoffs, plenty of people were pondering a rivalry between the two most recent Western Conference champions and grappling for perspective.
It was a rivalry that really never was insofar as the two never actually clashed in the playoffs in their prime — rather than a formal passing of the torch, the Spurs just kind of dropped the torch and the Warriors were in the best position to pick it up. And in a league that has developed a taste for a formal passing of the torch after its rise to prominence in the 1980’s and 90’s, that sort of clumsy transition has left many wanting.