The NBA has been a league filled with dynasties or mini runs, but the Golden State Warriors are in their own class of special.
The Miami Heat of the early 2010s were renowned predecessors for small ball, but the Warriors, with their amazing 3-point shooting and ball movement, have changed the league and basketball forever.
Golden State won three titles in five seasons during the last decade, achieving a level of dominance that hadn’t been seen since the Chicago Bulls of the 1990s. As one of the NBA’s most respected teams, the Warriors are poised to rise again.
Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson will have time to rest and recharge for whenever next season begins, and with that veteran core, Golden State always has a chance to achieve greatness.
1. The 2017 Warriors
The 2017 Warriors were the epitome of utter domination.
Kevin Durant had joined the Warriors in the summer of 2016, making his mark as one of the biggest free agent signings in league history. A four-time scoring champ, Durant became the one-man juggernaut for an offense that was already elite.
During the regular season, the Warriors went 67-15 to earn the league’s best record. Durant continued to be a scoring dynamo, and he was the most efficient he had been in his career. He scored 25.1 points per game and shot a career-high 53.7% from the field.
Curry and Thompson continued their stellar shooting, which created an offense that was essentially unstoppable. Curry shot 41.1% from the 3-point line, and Thompson shot 41.4%. The Warriors were the NBA’s most productive offense, averaging a league-high 115.9 points a game and having a league-best 114.8 offensive rating, according to NBA.com stats.
When the Finals came around, the Warriors played the Cleveland Cavaliers for a third straight season. As the reigning champs, the Cavs went 51-31 in the regular season and boasted perhaps the most talented team of their run. The duo of LeBron James and Kyrie Irving had Cleveland’s offense booming as both players averaged 25.2 points per game in the regular season.
But the Warriors had Durant — and he was the difference.
The Warriors had comfortably won the first two games of the series, but Game 3 was close. With under 50 seconds left, the Cavs were up 113-111. Durant dribbled down the floor and made his signature 3-point pull-up, rising over the outstretched arm of James. The Warriors won the game 118-113, and the Cavs only snagged Game 4 in the series.
Durant won his first title and Finals MVP, and the Warriors etched their name into history as one of the best teams ever.
2. The 2015 Warriors
2015 was when the Warriors began to instill fear.
The Warriors constructed a lineup aptly nicknamed “The Death Lineup” because of how effortlessly it broke down opponents. Teams had few solutions to defend the shooting of Curry and Thompson.
And with the complementary play of Andre Iguodala, Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green, Golden State had a group that made positionless basketball practical.
While the lineup highlighted Curry’s and Thompson’s shooting prowess, its defensive capabilities were just as meaningful.
Because of the versatility from Green, Barnes and Iguodala, the Warriors could switch throughout all positions. Thompson was also pivotal, with his perimeter defense helping secure the 3-point line. During that season, the Warriors ranked first in opponent field goal percentage (42.8%) and fifth in opponent 3-point percentage (33.7%).
Still, the Warriors were a budding team. Despite going 67-15 in the regular season, they hadn’t won anything yet.
They proved their worth in the Finals, as they defeated the Cavaliers in six games. Curry, Thompson and Green won their first titles, and Iguodala won Finals MVP. In 2015, the dynasty was born, and fear — particularly of how Curry and Thompson could stretch defenses — quickly arose.
3. The 2018 Warriors
Durant had one of his best postseasons ever in 2018, averaging 29.0 points per game on 48.7% shooting.
But the Warriors also encountered their stiffest competition yet in the Western Conference.
James Harden and the Houston Rockets were an offensive machine, with Harden being MVP for the season. He had scored 30.4 points per game, which had been a career-high at the time.
With Chris Paul by his side, Harden had the help of one of the league’s best floor generals. According to NBA.com stats, the Rockets had the league’s best offensive rating (114.1).
Golden State and Houston met in the Western Conference Finals, and the Rockets had the Warriors on the brink of elimination. Houston won Game 5 to go up 3-2, and then Thompson had a classic performance in Game 6. He scored 35 points and shot 9-of-14 from deep as the Warriors won 115-86.
Game 7 was when the Rockets faltered. They missed 27 straight threes, which shut down their hopes of advancing to the Finals. The Warriors won the game 101-92.
With the Warriors taking the series win, winning the 2018 Finals was easy against the underwhelming Cavs. Golden State swept Cleveland to win its last title of the decade.
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