Golden State Warriors: End Of A Dynasty (Pt. I)

A Greek tragedy features the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.

The year is 2015. And the Golden State Warriors are in the NBA Finals for the first time since…gosh. 1975?

Their opponent? A LeBron-led Cavaliers squad featuring the likes of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. Sure, Golden State had sharpshooters in Klay Thompson and Steph Curry–an X factor in Andre Iguodala and a young, emerging defensive stalwart named Draymond Green.

Perhaps I’m getting too far ahead of myself.

Prior to 2015, the Warriors weren’t known for deep playoff runs. From the “We Believe” era to the Run-TMC trio of Tim Hardaway, Chris Mullin and Mitch Richmond, the Warriors could just never put it all together for one reason or another.

Throw in a slew of 19-win, 17-win, and 20-game seasons? The Warriors were in Hell.

It’s not to say Golden State found themselves in a situation the Sacramento Kings have found themselves in. The Warriors have always had talent but talent doesn’t win championships alone. It takes the perfect storm for the elements to align.

This takes us back to 2015.

Birth Of A Shot-Chucker

In his inaugural season, Coach Kerr had the Warriors rollin’.

If you remember NBA 2K15, you’ll remember the Warriors being absolutely infuriating to play against.

For good reason. Golden State had accrued some homegrown talent with the likes of Curry and Thompson. Iguodala was acquired through a sign-and-trade deal with Denver. Shaun Livingston became a key bench player–and a perfect fit at that. He was a mid-range maestro who could set the table for others and get you a few boards.

Some credit should go to Mark Jackson–without Jackson’s bones, Kerr’s prime rib wouldn’t have any substance. But Kerr just put it all together.

Kerr played chess with his offensive pieces. An offense predicated on high octane ball movement, elite floor spacing and a fastbreak offense that operated at breakneck speed. It took the league by storm, and with it, came the emergence of one Stephen Curry.

Curry’s career was off to a rocky start after a slew of ankle injuries. In 2012-13, Curry seemed to hit his stride–a then-career high 22 points per and seven assists a game. Throw in eleven MVP votes and Curry was evolving into an all-time great before our very eyes.

The start of Curry’s peak coincides with Kerr’s arrival. Two years after his breakout season, Curry & Co. were set to take the league by storm.

The Hero Turns Heel: A Dynasty Is Born

Winning turns heads. Winning consistently draws ire.

Being the best damn team in the sport is a whole other ballgame.

The sports world cheered for Golden State during their impressive ’14-15 campaign, and cheers turned to jeers the moment they signed Kevin Durant.

From OKC’s perspective, this hurt. Bad. Durant was among the last draft picks before the Sonics rebranded themselves as the Thunder. He helped them reach the NBA Finals in 2012 and helped establish the Thunder as Western Conference contenders.

“Starting a new chapter” really meant “I’m going to chase another ring because I can’t win one here–sorry/not sorry” and the league caught on pretty quick. This was the start of Durant’s villain arc–and like Curry’s emergence, coincided with the Warriors becoming a dynasty.

Yet somehow, the Warriors didn’t pay their dues to the basketball gods. In 2015-16, the 73-9 Warriors set the record for most wins in a season. Durant not only performed well, but he fit in. He carried his performance in OKC to GSW–he averaged 25 PPG and helped the already-space-heavy Warriors space out further.

Then the LeBron Game 7 block happened. What made blowing a 3-1 lead to the Cavaliers even more painful was that their record-breaking year meant nothing. Durant’s acquisition meant nothing–at the time.

Because if you ain’t playin’ for championships, you might as well not play at all.

Some thought the Warriors would fall into dysfunction but the opposite was to come. The juggernauts of Golden State reeled off an additional two championships with Durant, Curry and Thompson at the helm. Both were against LeBron’s Cavs and all three superstars performed well.

Durant won Finals MVPs with 29 PPG in 2017 and 30 in 2018. Curry put up 28 and 25 in those respective seasons and Thompson was the third catalyst in an explosive Golden State Warriors.

Good things must always end, though. As with any Greek tragedy.

End Of My Golden State Warriors Rant

I hate to leave you on a cliff-hanger, but, well, we all know what happened.

Destitution, one last hurrah, and perhaps a final sendoff to one of the league’s greatest player-coach duos all await.

Stay tuned.