Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin -- the artists formerly known as "Run TMC" -- spent just two full seasons together as teammates with the Warriors, and yet they still hold an iconic place in the history of the franchise. Why is that?
Well, aside from the exciting style with which they played -- they led the league in scoring in their very first season together and revolutionized the NBA in many ways -- it likely has to do with how quickly it all came undone. After giving the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers a run for their money in a second-round playoff series during the 1990-91 season, Richmond was traded to the Kings the following November, and Warriors fans were left to wonder, 'What if?'
It turns out the fans aren't the only ones still pondering the possibilities of what a lengthy Run TMC might have been like. The three components do so, as well.
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"That was the best time we played," Mullin told NBC Sports' Tom Haberstroh. "That was the most fun we had. The one thing we regret is we didn't get enough time to maybe ... two years, man. That's a quick time to make a decision. ... Point being, think about if they had broken up Steph [Curry] and Klay [Thompson] after two years."
Whoa. Good point, Mully. Just like Run TMC, the Warriors reached the playoffs in the Splash Brothers' second season together. But unlike Run TMC, Curry and Thompson have stuck together since, and have gone on to lead the organization to not one, not two, but three NBA championships.
[LISTEN: The Habershow podcast with Run TMC]
In response to Mullin, Haberstroh called Run TMC, "One of the biggest what-ifs in NBA history." Mullin didn't disagree.
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"That's why it's still alive, too," he explained. "It's one of those things that keeps it alive, right? It does.
"And we'll buy into it," Mullin said with a chuckle. "We'll say we would have won four championships, no question."
That's quite a statement coming from a trio that won exactly one playoff series together, but to Mullin's point, there's no way for us to ever know.