You Can’t Deny The Greatness of the Golden State Warriors
They’ve done it. Three years of injuries, setbacks, and heartbreaks have led to this moment. The Golden State Warriors are back on top.
The Golden State Warriors are back on top of the world. Their journey was nothing short of incredible. It took 1,469 grueling days to get back to where they rightfully belonged. It was painful, and I’m sure they had their doubts along the way. But, to quote the ever charismatic Klay Thompson;
“Holy Cannoli”
Here’s an ode to the best dynasty of our times.
Stephen Curry Is *Officially* An All-Time Great
“What they gonna say now?”
Stephen Curry was asking the right questions right after winning his fourth title. Before this series, Curry was a no-doubt Hall of Famer. He had the accolades, the numbers, and the title of being the best shooter ever on his mantle. What more could a guy want?
A Finals MVP, perhaps? That’s the one thing that has eluded Curry. Many have argued he deserved to win the award in 2015. The narrative around Curry’s finals performances is that he comes up short. Against the defensive player of the year and one of the best defenses of the past 20 years, Curry cut through them both like butter.
31.2 points / 6.0 rebounds / 5.0 assists / 48% FG / 44% 3-PT / Greatness
Other than game five, Curry was on for this entire series. He made the Celtics switch their defense three different times in this series. Boston eventually gave up and tried to bully him on the other end. Even that didn’t work, as Curry more than held his own.
Curry is the most dominant little guy the game has ever seen. While most greats like Lebron or Jordan were physically imposing, Steph is the same way in his own right. There’s a reason the Warriors scored nearly 116 points per 100 possessions when Curry was on the floor in this series. He’s constantly moving, constantly in the back of your head. Curry doesn’t even have to touch the ball, and he can still make you pay.
Every NBA superduperstar has that one defining moment. That one series, game, or even shot that defines their entire legacy. After 13 seasons, I think Steph Curry just got his. If he wasn’t one of the best players of all-time, he is now. There’s no debating it. Let’s revel in the face of the Warriors dynasty, the sun that allows all life to grow.
Because without Steph Curry, none of this would be possible.
The Warriors Dynasty, By The Numbers
As if four titles in eight years wasn’t impressive enough, Golden State’s dynasty is the epitomy of excellence. The Spurs dynasty was slower, and more drawn out. You could argue that that’s more impressive, but to me, this is the only true dynasty of our times.
Under Steve Kerr, the Warriors have been unstoppable. Since the 2014-15 season, the Warriors have a 429-200 record. If we take away the two seasons where they didn’t make the Finals, Golden State would have a 375-117 record. That’s a 76% winning rate across nearly a decade.
The Warriors have lost just two playoff series with Kerr at the helm. Their 22-2 record in playoff series doesn’t make sense. For years, they’ve dismantled teams when they’ve needed to. This Finals run was perhaps their most unlikely.
Not only was this the worst roster Golden State has won a title win, nobody expected them to win it all. Going into this series, all the computer predictions overwhelmingly favored Boston. FiveThirtyEight gave the Warriors just a 17% chance to win it all. But, like they’ve done for all these years, they found a way.
They became the third team in the last nine years to win the title while being outrebounded. The other two teams? The 2015 and 2018 Warriors. It’s just what they do. They find ways to win when all odds, computers, and naysayers say they can’t.
But, oncemore, the plucky team from the Bay Area found a way to win.
Andrew Wiggins Is One Happy Dude
By far, the happiest person on the midcourt podium last night was Andrew Wiggins. And why wouldn’t he be? Wiggins was an outcast in Minnesota, viewed as a stat-padding bust. He was supposed to be the next Lebron. The next great savior of our league.
Instead, he went to Golden State for D’Angelo Russell. The rest is history. Wiggins has turned around his image in just a few short weeks. Wiggins went up against Morant, Doncic, and Tatum in these playoffs. He passed with flying marks, holding Tatum to just 38% shooting when he guarded him.
Wiggins is a UFA free agent after 2023. While his future with Golden State is uncertain, he was their second most consistent option. His clutch corner three all but sealed this championship. It’s all coming full circle for the former prodigee. He realized his potential on the team that has brought it out of so many others.
During this postgame presser, Wiggins could only grin at the question, ‘How much would it take to keep you [in Golden State]?’ Wiggins responded with a sheepish grin. “I don’t know. My agents take care of all that.”
Wherever Wiggins ends up, he’s turned around his career. He may not be Kobe 2.0, nor is he the second coming of Lebron James. Instead, he’s an overqualified 3&D wing who just won a title. That’s plenty of reason to smile if you ask me.
What A Journey It’s Been For Klay Thompson
941 days.
Torn ACL
Torn Achilles
Steph Curry started crying on the gulf course when he heard of Thompson’s second straight devastating injury. For two years, Golden State’s Iron Man was missing. Thompson was getting his but kicked in Santa Cruz against Golden State’s G-League affiliate. He was live-streaming himself on his prized boat. And more than anything, Klay Thompson watched as other teams won titles instead of him.
On January 9th, the Warriors were finally whole again. There were other uncertainties like injuries to Draymond, Steph, and Gary Payton II along the way. But Klay Thompson was back. That was all that the Warriors had wanted. Joe Lacob and Bob Myers, the front office gurus of Golden State, had waited for this moment.
And once it happened, there was no stopping the Warriors. Maybe we couldn’t see it, but that wasn’t the point. The nucleus of Steph, Thompson, and Green always wins. It’s just a fact of life. Would the Warriors have won it all without Thompson?
Honestly, I’m leaning towards a no. Thompson’s experience alone is valuable to a team – much more valuable than him on the bench. While he’s still getting his legs under him, he wasn’t half bad throughout the postseason.
Next year, I think we’ll see a fully healthy Klay Thompson. The closest thing to his 2019 form as we’ll ever get. And when that happens, maybe the Warriors will be all the way back. But for now, Klay Thompson can enjoy this moment because lord knows he’s earned it.
Holy Cannoli, indeed.
Where Does This Dynasty Rank Amongst The Other Great Ones?
Golden State’s run of excellence is unlike any other in NBA history. They’re the first dynasty built around a single shot. They’re also the only dynasty to win 15 games in a season in between their excellence. So, where do they rank amongst the pantheons of great teams?
The Bulls of the 90s didn’t lose when they had MJ. The Lakers of the 80s are a close comparison. They were more consistent, but they had an embarrassing flameout in 1981. And, their head coach got injured, so an interim had to take over, kind of like in 2016 with Luke Walton.
But, and no offense to the Lakers, their path to the Finals were easy. The Western Conference was a joke back then. And the league was overrun with drugs and all sorts of other nasty stuff.
No, I think the dynasty most comparable to the Warriors is the Spurs. Think about it. Both teams had elite front offices that were ahead of everybody else. They found great success in older veterans who knew their role.
The thing that they both did better than anyone, however? Finding their centerpiece. For the Spurs, it was Tim Duncan. For Golden State, that’s obviously been Steph Curry. Once they figured that part out, the rest was easy.
Think of Curry as the sun. Everything revolves around him. He makes anything and everything work, no matter the circumstances. The only superteam to ever really work was the Warriors. Why? Because Steph Curry took a backseat for Kevin Durant.
Curry broke down in tears at the end of Game 6. All the emotion, the pressure, had been released. Sure, Tim Duncan never did that, but in his own way, Curry embodies everything about Duncan. They were both better than their peers and incredibly humble about everything.
That rare combination allowed their teams to thrive. So, to answer the question from above, I don’t know. I don’t know where this dynasty ranks amongst the others because this one isn’t done. Golden State is still looking for more. Nothing has been satisfied, in their eyes.
They may be getting older, slower, and losing key pieces thanks to salary cap constraints. But guess what? As long as you have Steph Curry, the sun, anything and everything are possible.
Thank You
Before I close things off here, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has read my content during this postseason. It was exhausting and mostly thankless nights. Some all nighters were pulled in the pursuit of putting out the best product.
But, I could not put my thanks into words. Thank you for reading the ramblings of a high school student. I really appreciate it – more than you would know.
Here’s to 75 years of basketball history, and here’s to 75 more.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to catch up on some sleep.
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