“Basketball is equivalent to an art. One must practice it, just like any other sport, to master and succeed.”
Steph Curry (The All-Time Favorite Warrior)
The journey of this San Francisco based American basketball squad Golden State Warriors started in 1946. Since then the team has evolved extensively. Today it’s one of the powerhouses in the business holding the inaugural BAA (Basketball Association of America) championship and five NBA titles. Now, that’s terrific!
From shifting home grounds to changing names the Warriors have seen it all but what remained intact throughout is their spirit and the excellent game. The players that have been a part of the Warriors are some of the basketball legends blessed with the best game acumen as well as the skills.
Being a club that has so much in store Golden State deserves to be explored in detail that too with eyes and ears wide open. So, let’s start walking through the journey of the American squad.
The Birth Of The Warriors & The Early Years: 1946-64
When the squad was founded in 1946 it was a charter member of the Basketball Association of America and titled as the Philadelphia Warriors. The team grabbed the inaugural 1946–47 BAA title by defeating the Chicago Stags. Also, the squad won their next NBA trophy (1955-56) against Fort Wayne Pistons (4-1). The credit goes to the basketball legends like Neil Johnston, Tom Gola, and Paul Arizin.
The owner of the Golden State Warriors us Peter Guber, is in his ninth season as the owner. He is an eminent name in the entertainment industry, for more than three decades. He and his co-owner Joe Lacob were instrumental in the Warrior’s current ownership bid. He purchased this squad in 2010 for record a $450 million!
In the year 1959, the Golden State signed the Wilt Chamberlain who changed how the squad played the game forever by scoring some of the best shots of his career like he nailed 100 points against the New York Knicks. This is remembered as one of the finest moments in NBA history.
The squad was moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1962 and hence they acquired a new name in the form of the San Francisco Warriors. Before the 1963–64 NBA season, the Golden State Warriors added the seven-time All-Star wizard Nate Thurmond and grabbed the Western Division crown. However, they lost the NBA title that year. The consecutive season (1964-65) wasn’t great for the Warriors as they traded Chamberlain but managed to win only 17 matches.
A Span That’s No Less Than A Wheel Of Fortune For The Warriors: 1965 – 2010
The year 1965 proved to be lucky for the NBA warriors as they added the free throw champ Rick Barry who performed excellently and grabbed the Rookie of the Year Award along with paving the way for the team to the finals in 1966-67 season.
He signed another club in the consecutive season and a couple of the next years went average for theteam. Some key players who kept the backbone of the team intact during that phase were Jeff Mullins, Rudy LaRusso, and Thurmond. In 1970-71 the squad played their last season as the San Francisco Warriors and got their brand new name the Golden State Warriors.
The squad made the playoffs back to back from 1971 to 1977 with only 1974 as an exception. Surprisingly, they grabbed the NBA championship in 1974-75 season by defeating another NBA giant the Washington Bullets by 4-0. Jamaal Wilkes and Barry were the heroes behind the victory and the latter even won the MVP of the season award.
In 1975-76 the Warriors made a league-record 59–23, thereby establishing themselves as one of the powerhouses in the NBA landscape. The period 1978 – 1985 was extremely struggling for the Golden State as they lost some of their gems such as Wilkes, Barry, and Thurmond.
Although a couple of players were added to make the squad powerful such as Robert Parish, Purvis Short, and Joe Barry Carroll, the trade that proved to be one of the best deals for the Warriors going forward was acquiring Chris Mullin in the NBA draft for 1985.
The next couple of years Chris excelled in the squad and due to the entry of the new mentor Don Nelson their playing style shifted from defense to scoring. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Warriors thrived because of the high-scoring trio that includes Mitch Richmond, Chris Mullin, and Tim Hardaway.
In spite of such a powerful line-up, the NBA Warriors failed to move beyond the second level in the playoffs. Their coach Nelson who left the squad during the 1994-95 season returned in 2006-07 with a bang as the squad entered the playoffs in that season.
The Warriors made a record of being the lowest-seeded squad in the history of NBA to defeat one of the top-seeded giants Dallas Mavericks that too in the first round of the playoffs. After accomplishing this landmark the Warriors couldn’t sustain their excellent performance in the three consecutive seasons and missed the playoffs which resulted in Nelson’s forceful resigning from the team in 2010.
The Steph Curry Era That Started For The Warriors In 2009 Itself & Is Ongoing Till Date
The Golden State picked Steph Curry in the NBA draft for 2009 which marked the beginning of an entirely new inning for the squad as the legend joined the squad with immense potential and determination for the game. The squad returned to the postseason in the 2012-13 season.
Besides, before the 2014-15 season, they added a new mentor in the form of Steve Kerr who lifted the performance of the team and they managed to grab 67 wins in that season. To the cherry on the top, they made an entry to the NBA finals for the first time in their 40 years journey. The boys performed excellently and gave a tough competition to the Cavs in the finals and grabbed the NBA title.
What happened in the 2015-16 season was simply shocking as the NBA Warriors made history by winning 73 matches and losing just 9. They broke the earlier record of the Chicago Bulls of 72 wins. In the finals, they got defeated by the Cavs but the season was one of the most memorable for the Warriors fans.
In the consecutive season (2016-17) the Warriors added Kevin Durant to their team and faced the Cavaliers in the finals again. They nailed the Cavs down with 4-1 and Durant was named the NBA Finals MVP of the season.
The consecutive season (2017-18) his story repeated for the Golden State. They defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers once again by 4-0. Stephen Curry, as well as Draymond Green, were named as the heroes of the victory by scoring 29 and 11 points respectively.
In the last season (2018-19) the Warriors reached the finals but got defeated by the Canadian gang Toronto Raptors. Now, as 2020 has begun the fans are expecting a lot from the American basketball squad and as usual, the eyes are set on Steph Curry and Draymond Green the two pillars for the Warriors.
After Exploring The Tale Of The Golden State, How About Looking At A Couple Of Their Gems In Detail?
The Warriors have been blessed with many legendary basketball players. There are a couple of gems without whom the squad could never reach where it stands currently. For example, if we look at some of the initial players who joined the American gang than Wilt Chamberlain, Paul Arizin, and Rick Barry would be on the top of the list.
These Warriors have laid the foundation of the Warriors and paved the way to success. Barry is among the 24 players in the history of the NBA with a minimum of 4,000 assists, 5,000 rebounds, and 18,000 points. Additionally, Chamberlain set the record of three highest rebounds-per-game and four highest points-per-game season averages in NBA history during his association with the warriors.
Nate Thurmond and Chris Mullin were two of the other legendary Warriors where the former was a master in grabbing rebounds while the other was the face of the Golden State for more than a decade. Chris is one of the players who have been consistent in the Warriors roster. He is the top-most player for them in terms of steals, one of the top-five in both assists and points, top 10 in terms of blocks and among the top 15 in rebounds.
Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Steph Curry are the youngest of the Warriors squad who have been proved to be the backbone of the team to date. All these legendary basketball players have showcased phenomenal skills and acumen for the game that paved the way for the team to grab quick wins in many tough situations. Also, three of these are still in association with the Golden State and the fans are expecting a lot from them in 2020 as well.
What’s In Store For The Warriors In 2020?
The Golden State Warriors have entered the ground with a robust squad in 2020 comprising players like Curry, Thompson, Jordan Poole, Draymond Green, and many others. They have been performing quite well until now and there’s much more in store for the fans as well as the fantasy owners.
The Final Word On The Warriors The Warriors is one of the most powerful NBA squads and their journey has been phenomenal. The team is a healthy mix of experienced legendary players and young rising stars who have performed best for their teams. They have an immense potential to prove their skills to the fans, and a bright future lies in store for them. Let’s hope that the Golden State boys will recreate their magic this year and we will get to witness something similar to what they have accomplished in the past.
