"How egoless it was"- Matt Barnes opens on 2016-17 Warriors and what made them special

Former NBA veteran wing Matt Barnes played for nine different franchises over his 14-year career. However, according to Barnes, the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors were easily the most dominant team he played for.

During an appearance on FanDuel TV's "Run It Back," Barnes spoke about what made the 2017 Warriors so special. He highlighted how egoless the team was and how effortlessly they were able to integrate superstar forward Kevin Durant into an already great team:

“I think what stood out to me the most about that team was how egoless it was,” Barnes said.

He continued:

“If you think, you’re bringing in a rockstar coach, you have Steph Curry, you have Klay Thompson, you have Draymond Green, you have Andre Iguodala, you have Shaun Livingston, you have David West. Then you bring in arguably the best pure scorer of our generation, and to think that they fit seamlessly.

"I think that’s a credit to, obviously, the Warriors welcoming KD, but just KD in general because KD’s been able to go to Brooklyn; fit in seamlessly, go to Phoenix; fit in seamlessly, and it’s rare to see someone who can score the ball that well seamlessly fit in. But to answer your question, that was a hell of a team, man.”

The Golden State Warriors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games in the 2017 NBA Finals, with Durant taking home the Finals MVP. The championship marked the first and only title of Matt Barnes’ career.

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Matt Barnes on difficulty of comparing different eras in NBA

Former NBA veteran wing Matt Barnes

Later on in his appearance on Run It Back, Matt Barnes added that it's very difficult to compare different eras in the NBA.

So, Barnes said that he’s unsure how well the 2017 Golden State Warriors would have held up against other all-time great teams and players. Barnes named NBA legends Shaquille O’Neal and Michael Jordan as two superstars who could have given the Warriors a challenge:

“I think it’s hard to compare eras from a standpoint of Shaq is a whole different (animal),” Barnes said. “As much as I love Draymond, there was no guarding a Shaq. So, it’s just kind of different comparing who would have done this and could they have beaten Michael (Jordan).

However, Barnes reiterated that the 2017 Warriors were one of the most talented teams in NBA history and had great chemistry:

“But this team had three or four guys that could give you 30 to 40 points any night, and there weren’t too many teams in NBA history that can say that,” Barnes said.

“And their chemistry was crucial, and I think that’s what’s most important, fighting these up and down battles and the ebbs and flows of the season. And that team was on one page the entire time.”