‘The Town’ Warriors Jerseys’ Best and Worst Playoff Games

The statement edition uniforms made their debut in 2017 and serve as a nod to Oakland, the previous home of the Golden State Warriors.

Ahead of their return, here’s a look back at some of the best and worst playoff memories when those jerseys were worn.

Best Moments

1. 2019 Western Conference Finals Game 2

Curry got the best of his younger brother in their first playoff series against each other, dropping a near triple-double (37/8/8) to rally the Warriors from behind 15. This match was a prime example of basketball as “a game of runs”, with the Trail Blazers and Warriors going back and forth with each other throughout. The Warriors’ turnover problems continued, yet they were able to overcome them thanks to not only a massive game from Stephen Curry, but several clutch plays down the stretch.

Many of these plays came from Jordan Bell and Kevon Looney, who stepped up in the absence of DeMarcus Cousins and Kevin Durant.

The Warriors went on to sweep the Portland Trail Blazers and advance to the NBA Finals, despite Durant and Cousins missing all four games.

2. 2019 Western Conference Semifinals Game 2

Steph Curry fought through a dislocated finger injury, and the Warriors took a 2-0 lead versus the Houston Rockets. Curry left the game in the first quarter with his finger in pain, but returned on the court shortly after X-rays came back negative.

This win was pivotal because it was one of the last playoff games the Warriors had Durant’s help for; he strained his calf in Game 5 of this series. Not only would the calf strain sideline him until Game 5 of the Finals, but he would later suffer his season-ending Achilles tear in his return game.

3. 2018 NBA Finals Game 2

Stephen Curry broke Ray Allen’s record for most threes made in a Finals game, with nine.  Coming off a clutch Game 1 iwin in which the Warriors were able to withstand a 51-point explosion from Lebron James, the Warriors, specifically Curry, brought their A-game. Klay Thompson showed no signs of his ankle sprain affecting him either after his Game 1 collision with J.R. Smith, adding in 20 points himself.

After J.R, Smith’s infamous Game 1 blunder, this victory all but guaranteed the Warriors were in the driver’s seat the rest of the way. The Warriors go up 2-0 on the Cleveland Cavaliers and never look back, winning their second title as a dynasty.

Worst Moments 

1. 2019 NBA Finals Game 4

In what was essentially a must-win game for Golden State, the Warriors could only conjure up 92 points against the Toronto Raptors’ tough defense. The Raptors took a commanding 3-1 lead after the Warriors dropped both of their home games, struggling to create good offense without Kevin Durant. The Warriors were no strangers to facing a 3-1 deficit, but this time felt different.

This go around, they didn’t have homecourt advantage, nor were they facing an unproven star. Kawhi Leonard, a former Defensive Player of the Year and NBA Champion, had been there before with the Spurs in 2014. He ensured there was no complacency from his squad until they had officially completed their mission, capturing the Larry O’Brien.

On top of that, the Warriors were the ailing team with Durant and Thompson nursing injuries. Durant had remained on the bench for nearly a month. with a calf strain. Thompson was playing through a hamstring injury.

2. 2019 NBA Finals Game 6

Game 6 was a do-or-die situation for the Warriors. Up until the end of the third quarter, when he fell to the floor in agonizing pain, Klay Thompson had been living up to his “Game 6 Klay” moniker. After Thompson returned to the court to shoot both free throws, there was hope that his fall was potentially a minor one— that he could return and help his team get to the finish line.

After he was ruled out for the remainder of the game, Golden State suffered elimination in heartbreaking fashion.

This game is widely regarded as the beginning of the end of the Warriors’ dynasty. Durant left Golden State for Brooklyn that offseason, and Klay Thompson missed two and a half seasons after tearing his ACL and Achilles.

The Raptors celebrated their first championship on Golden State’s home floor in the final game at Oracle Arena, leaving doubts and uncertainty about the Warriors’ future going forward.

3. 2018 Western Conference Finals Game 4

Durant and Thompson both struggled mightily shooting from the floor in this game. James Harden and Chris Paul had their best game against the Warriors, carrying the Rockets to a narrow victory on the road. Despite the poor shooting from the Warriors, they still led the contest heading into the fourth quarter.

Their third-quarter prowess, scoring double as many points as the Rockets, wasn’t enough to put them over the edge. Unfortunately for the Warriors, the nail in the coffin was their rough shooting in the final minutes, scoring only 12 points in the fourth quarter.

Ultimately, Klay Thompson’s missed game-tying jumper in the waning seconds of regulation left the door open for Houston to complete a comeback, evening up the series 2-2.

Due to the tough back-and-forth nature of the series, many believe this Conference Finals is the closest the Warriors came to losing a series while having a healthy squad in the Durant era.

New Era

The Warriors have experienced both amazing highs and devastating lows while wearing the beloved uniforms. Now, they have a chance to add to the legacy of ‘The Town’, creating new historical moments and adding to their list of great victories.