2017 NBA Champions Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

2017 NBA Champions Blu-ray Movie Review

The Running of the Warriors

Reviewed by Martin Liebman August 19, 2017

Do Jordan's Bulls or Duncan's Spurs have some company in the conversation for the best team in the NBA in the past three decades? The Golden State Warriors have reached the NBA finals in each of the past three seasons, winning the title twice and coming within a game in the series in between. They've also faced off against LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers all three times, pitting them against the NBA's premiere player and possibly the best to ever lace them up. Winning an astonishing 207 games during that stretch -- all with former Michael Jordan teammate Steve Kerr behind the bench -- as well as the two titles has certainly put the Warriors in the conversation for best team in NBA history, never mind of the last few decades. And with players like Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, and the newly arrived Kevin Durant all playing in their primes and at the top of their games, there may be no end in sight to the Warriors' dominance and rise in the ranks towards the greatest squad in NBA history.

They did it again!

The film begins with a look back at the Warriors devastating loss to the Cavaliers in last year's's finals. The team was up 3-1, had secured an unheard-of 73 regular season wins, and seemed destined to win its second straight championship, but the Cavs epic comeback upset the expected order of things. Much of the early film focuses on the Warriors' addition of NBA superstar Kevin Durant, adding one of the league's most prolific scorers to what was already the league's best team. Questions of team chemistry were bandied about and concerns would mount after the Warriors would drop the season's opening game to the ever-dangerous Spurs, but Durant's presence would quickly become a bedrock for the team as it raced through the regular season, even without him for a stretch, en route to a 67-15 regular season mark and a top seeding in the Western Conference. The Warriors, even without Coach Steve Kerr whose debilitating back pain removed him from the bench for as stretch of the playoffs, would absolutely cruise through the Western conference, sweeping all three opponents -- Portland, Utah, and San Antonio -- with only a couple of scares on the way to the record books. The Cavaliers, who themselves accumulated a remarkable 12-1 record against their three Eastern Conference opponents, would give the Warriors little trouble. Golden State would win the first three games, drop the fourth in Cleveland, and celebrate a second title in three years in front of the home fans. Newcomer Kevin Durant would be named playoff MVP.

2017 NBA Champions spends a bit more time, at least percentage-of-total-runtime-wise, on the team's regular season. Most of that screen real estate is spent covering Durant' arrival and impact on the team, which would include an injury during the season that would see him return just in time for the team's historic playoff run. The film zips through all three Western Conference playoff opponents -- the Blazers and Jazz are practically nonexistent -- and spends much of its time on the Finals, though even there the film doesn't deliver seriously in-depth, game-by-game recaps, offering instead more stylized highlights with some narrative connective tissue behind it all than anything else. But regardless of how much time the film spends on each game or part of the season, there's no mistaking that it's well done, to the point, and offers enough behind-the-scenes access, on-court action, and dramatic narrative construction to make for a quality recap of the Warriors' season and nearly unblemished playoff run.

2017 NBA Champions Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

2017 NBA Champions arrives on Blu-ray with a flawed 1080i, 1.78:1-framed presentation that often looks fine at-a-glance but shows some often serious problems upon closer inspection. Establishing cityscape shots are riddled with eyesore aliasing -- building façades practically wave like the Pacific ocean -- while straight lines on the Golden Gate bridge, for example, show rough stair stepping artifacts. Those same jagged lines appear in spots throughout the program, such as along practically every line seen during the Kevin Durant press conference early in the film. Noise and banding are also commonplace throughout. But beyond these eyesores is a fairly nice looking image overall. Interviews reveal quality facial textures. Uniforms are tactile and nicely defined. Clarity extends beyond the players and court and often back up into the arenas. Colors are pleasantly vibrant, particularly the ever-present Warrior yellow and blue color scheme. The orange ball and goal rim, rival team uniforms, court decorations, and a splattering of other shades are all nicely saturated and accurate. Blacks levels and flesh tones appear fine. The image certainly struggles in spots, but it's watchable for the duration.

2017 NBA Champions Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

2017 NBA Champions features an efficient and pleasing DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack. For the style of presentation and the material's demands, there's never a want for an expanded surround experience. Musical definition is fine, offering good element clarity and satisfying front-side width. Crowd cheers and some of the sounds of the game that filter through are presented with quality definition. Narration and interview clips alike play with a pleasantly natural front-center imaged positioning.

2017 NBA Champions Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

2017 NBA Champions contains the following extras. A DVD copy is included, and the set ships in a standard DVD-sized case.

• On-Court Celebration (1080i, 19:02): Following the game, an extended look at the on-court festivities, including postgame hugs between the players, interviews, and the trophy presentation.
• Warriors Best Plays of the Playoffs (1080i, 2:33): A highlight reel featuring the champs dominating on the court.
• Kevin Durant Profile (1080i, 3:26): The OKC Thunder-turned-Warrior is more intimately revealed in this piece which combines interview snippets and video highlights.
• Stephen Curry Profile (1080i, 2:52): Like the piece above, interviews and highlights shed some light on the Warriors' star.
• KD, Draymond, Klay Pregame Rituals (1080i, 2:13): A rapid-fire look at what kind of music gets this trio of players psyched for the game and what foods fuel them for their performances.
• Klay Scores 60 (1080i, 6:22): A look back at Klay Thompson's unforgettable night against the Pacers.
• Steph's NBA Record 13 3's (1080i, 4:52): A highlight reel featuring all of Curry's three-point field goals in a game against the Pelicans.
• Draymond Top 10 Defensive Plays (1080i, 4:01): Looking back at some of the big man's best defensive stops from the season.

2017 NBA Champions Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

2017 NBA Champions offers a well-constructed if not a bit terse, overview of the Warriors' amazing season and run through the NBA playoffs. Much of the story revolves around Kevin Durant's arrival, and rightly so; it was an astronomical move when it happened and it's still today one of the defining transactions in the NBA over the past few decades. The team won and lost the finals without Durant but with him put together an impressive regular season run and a nearly perfect record in the 2017 NBA playoffs, an unprecedented run of success that this film captures with enough narrative detail and cinematic intensity to ignite any Warriors fan's passions all over again. Video could stand some tightening but audio is fine. The included supplements are enjoyable but offer nothing earth-shattering. Recommended.