With Game 3 Of The 2018 NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers set to tip off and FIFA World Cup 2018 right around the corner, there is no shortage of sports this summer.
Perhaps the most dominant team of this era, no one has ruled basketball like the Golden State Warriors in winning two of the last three NBA championships, while compiling an astounding 265 – 63 mark out of 328 regular-season games, averaging 66.2 wins over four seasons.
Much like their NBA counterparts, no country has dominated soccer quite like Die Mannschaft. Since drubbing Brazil, 7-1 on their soil to win FIFA World Cup 2014, Germany has gone undefeated, and is also holding of the FIFA Confederations Cup title, and has steamrolled their way into Russia as heavy 9-2 favorites to claim their fifth World Cup–which would tie them with the forementioned Selecao.
Both Golden State and Germany are led by world-class coaches in Steve Kerr and Joachim Low and play a team-oriented style of play. Whether it is two-time NBA MVP Steph Curry shooting 30-foot rainbows, Klay Thompson sniping from long-range or Kevin Durant going back door for a slam, Germany is a well-engineered machine on the pitch.
Like the Warriors, Germany is loaded with talent in goal with Bernd Leno (Leverkusen), Manuel Neuer (Bayern), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona) and Kevin Trapp (PSG)
Big names defenders such as Jerome Boateng (Bayern), Matthias Ginter (Gladbach), Jonas Hector (Cologne), Mats Hummels (Bayern), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern), Marvin Plattenhardt (Hertha), Antonio Rüdiger (Chelsea), Niklas Süle (Bayern) and Jonathan Tah (Leverkusen).
Germany also boasts world class midfielders such as Julian Brandt (Leverkusen), Julian Draxler (PSG), Leon Goretzka (Schalke), Ilkay Gündogan (Man City), Sami Khedira (Juventus), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Mesut Özil (Arsenal), Sebastian Rudy (Bayern)
Perhaps the strength of the squad, Germany has some of the top strikers and forwards in the world in the form of Mario Gomez (Stuttgart), Thomas Müller (Bayern), Nils Petersen (Freiburg) Marco Reus (Dortmund), Leroy Sane (Man City) and Timo Werner (Leipzig).
And the scary part, 2014 World Cup hero, Mario Gotze didn’t even make the team, and he’s only 25.
There is a reason why Germany—like Golden State—is such a heavy favorite to defend their crown in Russia and become the first country to defend their title since Brazil in 1962.Golden State would claim their third title in four years, and lay claim to being the NBA’s newest “dynasty”
Two teams, one representing a country, the other a city–and the whole state of California in different sports, but having one thing in common: Being dominant in their respective field. Greatness sees greatness, regardless of sport.
And while rivals such as France, Spain and a revenge-minded Brazil may be on their tail, like the Cavaliers, all of the World Cup teams are playing for second place against a well-balanced and seemingly invincible juggeranut, that is just on another level.