The Golden State Warriors are far and away the most dominant NBA team of their era, and at least one Las Vegas bookmaker has them heavy favorites against a legendary squad from years past.
The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook's Jeff Sherman told Nick Friedell of ESPN.com the Warriors, led by star Stephen Curry, would be 12.5-point favorites over the Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant-led Los Angeles Lakers from 2001.
After hearing that Shaquille O'Neal said his Los Angeles Lakers teams that won three titles in a row could "easily" beat the Warriors, Curry defended Golden State's honor.
"Oh, he's dead wrong," Curry told ESPN, with a confident smile, prior to Wednesday night's game against the Toronto Raptors. "Of course. We'd beat them. We can go back-and-forth all day."
The Lakers won three straight NBA titles from 2000-02. No team has done that since, although the Warriors could match the run this season.