National Basketball Association. - Golden age: the brilliance of the 2018 champion Golden State Warriors

Contents

Introduction

If you look up there, that is a very lonely flag. We want another one!

Joe Lacob, November 15th, 2010

When Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob said this shortly after buying the team with Peter Guber in 2010, it felt like an impossibility. For more than 30 years, the Warriors had been one of the most forgettable teams in the NBA. For the Warriors and their fans, a Slam Dunk Contest victory by one of their players or a playoff appearance was a cause for great celebration. Scoring an upset over an opponent in the playoffs was a once-in-a-lifetime accomplishment to be celebrated and cherished.

But while it initially seemed like hubris or delusion, Lacobs dreams of more championship banners hanging in the rafters for the Warriors became a reality.

On Friday, June 8th, The Warriors completed their sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers, defeating them 10885 in Game 4 to claim the 2018 NBA championship. For the Warriors, this was their third title in four years and was another highlight in one of the most dominant stretches in NBA history.

Through a series of smart drafts (picking Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, and Draymond Green to join Stephen Curry), trades (sending Monta Ellis to Milwaukee in exchange for Andrew Bogut), and free agent signings (bringing in Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, and, most prominently, Kevin Durant), Lacob, Guber, GM Bob Myers, and head coach Steve Kerr have transformed an irrelevant franchise into the class of the league.

The road to the 2018 title was much rockier than the one these Warriors had trod in previous seasons. There was the wear-and-tear that came along with playing in three consecutive NBA Finals, along with the knowledge that their season would be judged based upon what they did in the postseason and not in the regular season. Their focus would wax and wane, their play during stretches of the regular season could be less-than-perfect.

The Warriors also dealt with a rash of injuries in 2018, including losing Curry to a Grade 2 MCL Sprain for the final 10 games of the regular season and the first round of the playoffs.

The Warriors also had to face much tougher competition on their way to the title. Most notable was a Houston Rockets team that added Chris Paul and P.J. Tucker to go with James Harden, Trevor Ariza, and Clint Capela, that pushed the Warriors to seven games in the Western Conference Finals.

Owner Joe Lacob cradles the third championship trophy for the Warriors in four years, a dream realized for him and fellow owner Peter Guber.

In the regular season the Warriors also had to contend with an Oklahoma City Thunder team that added Paul George and Carmelo Anthony to play alongside the 2017 MVP Russell Westbrook. There were also tougher foes in the Eastern Conference, with Kyrie Irving joining the young core of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum in Boston.

And, lest we forget, there was the great LeBron James and his Cleveland Cavaliers waiting in the NBA Finals for a fourth-straight season.

But in spite of all these obstacles and challenges, the Warriors still managed to persevere. While this season was not as easy as the previous three, with the team at times not looking like the presumptive champion everyone assumed them to be, in the biggest moments they displayed the will to win and the poise to overcome any challenge. The ride might have been a bit choppier, a bit bumpier, than in the past, but with those obstacles along the way the Warriors harnessed the toughness and determination that defines their greatness.

With this 2018 championship, the Warriors join the pantheon of great modern NBA dynastiesthe Showtime Lakers, Larry Birds Celtics, Michael Jordans Bulls, the Duncan-Popovich Spurs, the LeBron-Wade Heat teams. The Warriors also solidified their place amongst the great teams in Bay Area professional sports history, earning a place alongside the Swingin As of the 1970s, John Maddens Raiders teams, the Bill Walsh-Joe Montana San Francisco 49ers, and the San Francisco Giants of the early 2010s.

We are currently watching one of the greatest periods in the history of professional basketball and the team that is leading the way in this new golden age are the Golden State Warriors, the 2018 NBA champions.

NBA Finals: Game 1

Warriors 124, Cavaliers 114 OT

May 31, 2018 | Oakland, California

Working Overtime

Warriors Survive LeBrons 51 points in Epic Game 1

In one of the strangest and yet most exciting NBA Finals games in recent memory, the Golden State Warriors took Game 1 from the Cleveland Cavaliers in overtime 124114.

It was an exciting game, one that featured 15 lead changes and 17 ties. But in the pivotal moments where the game hung in the balance, the Warriors were able to capitalize on their opportunities as they took a 10 lead in the 2018 NBA Finals.

After addressing questions about why he hadnt yet won a Finals MVP, Stephen Curry came out in Thursday nights game and played like someone who was looking to win one. Curry scored 29 points in the Game 1 victory, while also handing out nine assists and grabbing six rebounds.

Curry did much of his damage from beyond the arc, going 5-for-11 from three-point range. One of those made three-pointers came seconds before halftime, and he knocked it down from 38 feet just before the buzzer sounded to tie things up at 56 after one half of play.

Currys offensive impact was vital for the Warriors in the second half. With Kevin Durant struggling, Curry became the best offensive option for the Warriors, and the Warriors turned to him to get the win.

With under a minute to go and the Warriors trailing, Curry got three points the old-fashioned way, making the circus-style driving layup and then adding the free throw to give the Warriors a brief one-point lead. Though that lead wouldnt last as it would take overtime to determine the winner of this game, Curry worked hard to get his team the victory.

While Curry played exceedingly well and led his team to the win, LeBron James put in one of the greatest individual performances in NBA Finals history in Game 1. James scored 51 points in Game 1, the fifth-highest point total in NBA Finals history (and the most in a loss).

LeBron James, who scored 51 points, goes in for a layup during Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

The Warriors had no answer for James, who could drive to the basket at will while also making plenty of shots from three-point range. Even if Andre Iguodala had been able to play, the Warriors still might not have been able to slow him down.

Its tough to stop him, Durant said after the game. Especially, hes getting a lot of screens, hes getting Steph on him a lot [in switches], and thats what the mismatch is, getting the bigs on him.