When you look at model Franchises in sports you look at dynasties that have spanned through a certain era or period. When you look at a Franchise like the Golden State Warriors, you don’t need an introduction for how good they have been. This was a franchise that needed a champion to rally behind at the worst time and they did, here is their story
2006-07: We start off in the year 2007, the Golden State Warriors had admired a 12 year drought of not making the NBA playoffs, the last time they made the postseason, they had Chris Mullen, and Tim Hardaway Sr. anchoring a team that always played second fiddle in the Western Conference to the Houston Rockets in that span. Led by a trade to get Stephen Jackson to go along with Baron Davis, Jason Richardson, and Matt Barnes the Warriors made the playoffs for the first since 1995 and had adopted the slogan “We Believe”. They needed to believe because as the eight seed they had to play the Presidents Trophy Winner in the Dallas Mavericks led by future Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki. The series would be close early but led by the emergence of Monta Ellis, Davis and Richardson, Golden State sent the Mavs packing by beating them in 6 games, the problem was they ran into the Utah Jazz who beat them in 5 games.
2009-10: Despite the “We Believe” team the Warriors once again started from scratch and built the team through the draft. The first big move was landing a generational talent in Stephen Curry with the 7th pick. Curry was the only thing fans at Oracle Arena wanted to see because the team was still in mediocrity.
2010-11: The coaching staff took a hit when Don Nelson was exiled to the Basketball Gods and even if they signed Jeremy Lin in the offseason once the team was out of the hunt they shipped him off to the Knicks for whatever price they wanted in return. That year was another subpar season in the Bay Area but they still had a nice haul of draft picks to build on.
2011-12: Their next big move was landing Mark Jackson as their head coach and drafting another generational player in Klay Thompson. They also made moves for Andrew Bogut, and Troy Murphy who never played well in his one year there. The Murphy trade allowed them to draft Draymond Green the next year, but the problem they traded a first round pick to Brooklyn to get him which eventually went to the Celtics in the 2013 offseason.
2012-13: Besides Green they drafted a role player in Harrison Barnes and led by Curry and Thompson they made the playoffs that season with a 47-35 record but they got beat by the San Antonio Spurs in 6 games back to reality with this playoffs thing. I think this window is going to open up and the sky is the limit.
2013-2014: They made the playoffs again after signing Andre Iguodala in the offseason and their lineup looks absolutely packed, I think it is time to win a playoff series for once. The issue was they ran into “Lob City” in the first and the Clippers beat you in an overtime Game 7 this eventually cost Mark Jackson his job and now he can broadcast games again, I think I is time to get a member of the 1990s Bulls to help you.
2014-15: That’s what I’m talking about! They were able to land former Bull Steve Kerr as their new head coach, now they get to run the Triangle Offense the way Michael Jordan did in the 90s. With Kerr at the helm the Warriors captured the Best Record in all of the NBA with a 67 win season and stormed past their first round opponent in the Pelicans, and beat the Grizzlies after trailing 2-1 in Memphis. Then you take out those Rockets for once and make it to the MECCA, you’re going to the finals! You are facing the Cavs and Lebron James who has been to the finals the last four years it is your time now! With the help of the Basketball Gods punishing Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love to the injured list in the first two games, and Golden State overcomes another 2-1 deficit against the Cavs away from DubNation and wins their first title in 40 years!
2015-16: This team may be even better! Bulls fans, your single season record of 72-10 has fallen to the next coming of MJ in Steph Curry who had the greatest season that a Point Guard has ever had and they start the year 24-0 on their way to 73-9. In the Playoffs with Curry injured in the First Round they still did just enough to beat Houston again, then Curry drowns the Trail Blazers in Game 5, and better than that, they stormed back from a 3-1 deficit against the Thunder with OKC having no answers for Klay Thompson! They are once again facing Cleveland in finals, and take a 2-0 lead heading to Quicken Loans Arena this should be a smacking this time. The Cavs take Game 3 as Golden State rallies to win Game 4 and OH MY GOD DRAYMOND WHAT ARE YOU THINKING! YOU CANNOT AFFORD ANOTHER TECHNICAL FOUL WHEN YOU HAVE HAD 4 ALREADY THIS POSTSEASON. Then the Basketball Gods punish Andrew Bogut as it help the Cavs send the series back to Cleveland, then they lay an egg in Game 6 as nobody can stop Lebron and Kyrie, DON’T MESS UP GAME 7! The Cavs come into Oracle and stop Golden States every move in the final two minutes and beat them in a Game 7, this season may have ended badly but guess what you can get some payback!
2016-17: What did I tell you, the Warriors were able to sign Kevin Durant in the offseason despite losing several role players in free agency and trades… this should be a fun year. The Warrior machine storms its way past Portland and Utah in the first two round and makes it to the conference finals for a hot date with the Spurs… this should be a great series! The Basketball Gods once again help you by punishing Kawhi Leonard to the injured list which leads to another sweep and ends the Mighty Spurs Empire possibly for good. Another year, another finals matchup with Cleveland and this time DubNation has KD and no Draymond drama to hold this team back and victimizes King James in the Bay in 5 games… Redemption has been served.
2017-18: Same team except for the time under Kerr the Warriors don’t have home court advantage all the way through the playoffs, the Rockets got that honor… Who cares let’s take them down. The Warriors drown San Antonio again this time with Steph Curry not playing in the series, followed by a 5 game rout of the Pelicans and Now they get to face Houston again. Golden State trails 3-2 going home for Game 6 when YOU GUESSED IT, the Basketball Gods punished Chris Paul at the end of Game 5… now things can be easier. This statement is correct, the Warriors come from a huge hole in Game 6 and laugh at the Rockets 27 straight missed 3s in Game 7 leading us to Warriors-Cavs IV… oh boy! This time the series is not even close Curry dominates in the first two games setting up KD to knock down Cleveland yet again and Ladies and Gentlemen we have a dynasty at hand three titles in four years.
2018-19: Ok, so Steve Kerr wants to repeat what he did with the Bulls in the late 1990s by winning three in a row. This should not be hard; they got Demarcus Cousins in the Offseason to help them against Lebron who is now with the Lakers. The first round was an uphill climb against the Clippers because Cousins was punished by the Basketball Gods in Game 2 and had to play 6 games before finally beating them. Houston you have a problem, that problem is once again shooting yourselves in the foot against a team that also lost KD as well. The Warriors beat Houston again in the second round with their entire team basically injured So Golden State plays short-handed and sweeps it’s way past the Trail Blazers to make it back to the finals in 4 close games. So with Cleveland in demise I wonder who they will be… The Canadians aka the Toronto Raptors! Game 1 was dominated by Toronto in a game that saw Steph Curry get teased by Drake because he wore a Raptors jersey of his father Dell. Game 2 different story, the Warriors storm past the Raptors and are coming home to feast on a often underachieving franchise. What do you mean Toronto won Games 3 and 4, UGH NOW YOU HAVE TO GO TO CANADA AGAIN! Alright they won Game 5 at Jurassic Park with KD re-injuring himself though and are coming home for Game 6… this should be a nice way to force a Game 7. Oh do the Basketball Gods have plans for you DubNation! Klay Thompson tore his ACL and the rest of team had no answers for Kawhi Leonard, and Pascal Siakum as the Raptors beat you in Game 6, this was the final game at Oracle Arena!
When you look at Golden State you look at team that despite having a bad year in 2019-2020 there is a bright spot for them, they have a top 4 pick in next years draft, even if KD is gone they still have Curry, Thompson and Green plus Kerr as the coach, and strong team around it playing in a new state of the art arena.
Bragging Rights Sports 