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Pat Riley is one of the most respected figures in basketball—a champion as a player, coach and executive.

He has the eye and pedigree for what builds longevity in champions, and he believes the Golden State Warriors are on the verge of continued success for years to come, per Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press:

They are in the beginning of something that can be dynastic. They’re in the beginning stages of it and that's the scary part, versus somebody that catches lightning in a bottle one time. They're at the beginning because all of their key players, all of them, are young and they're talented.

Riley rooted the Warriors’ success in its backcourt, anchored by reigning MVP Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, who marched the Warriors to the league’s best record (67-15) last year then through the playoffs to claim Golden State’s first title in 40 years.

Hall of Famer Riley went as far to say the Warriors’ current duo ranks among an iconic pair he played with during his days with the Los Angeles Lakers: Jerry West and Gail Goodrich. Behind those two, the 1971-72 Lakers won 33 straight games during the regular season, a record that still stands, and cruised to the NBA championship.

While drawing historical comparisons to the present has been a common practice in basketball, Riley reverted to statistics when comparing the pairs, past and present: "Go back and check their numbers, 25 points apiece and Jerry leading the team in assists, Gail shooting close to 50 percent or whatever it was. Both of them could shoot it, could drive it, could pass it. That's what you're seeing here."

Golden State was criticized this offseason by fans, media and even fellow league members—such as Los Angeles Clippers’ coach Doc Rivers—for not being sufficiently challenged in their run a year ago.

The Warriors didn’t face the Clippers or San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Playoffs, then defeated a Cleveland Cavaliers team without stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love in the NBA Finals.

The negative assessments put a massive chip on the team’s shoulder, and they responded arguably even more improved than a year ago.

The Warriors can set an NBA record for most wins without a loss to start the season at 16-0 with a victory at home over the 2-11 Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday. But, as Riley believes, that seems only the beginning.