Warriors’ success has many sources

A coronation awaits the Golden State Warriors, and they have come too far to retreat. Everything they imagined in the darkest days, with Klay Thompson grinding through rehab and the losses piling up, has come to fruition — not merely through their unshakable belief, but an on-court system that stands alone in NBA excellence.

The Finals against Boston or Miami will be a formidable test, no question, but it’s remarkable to realize that Golden State is the only team 100% devoted to ball movement and the twopoint shot. The result — plus the crucial factor of the Warriors holding home-court advantage — will lead to the fourth championship of this magnificent run.

It sounds so easy, doesn’t it? Watch how the Warriors — not just Stephen Curry, but of them — are in constant motion during an offensive set.

It’s not copied, nor does any other team even come close, because there’s no stifling the force of ego. a given player might think. Why should I run all over hell when I probably won’t get the shot? Now I’m supposed to get back and play tough defense, too? Maybe I’ll cut to the basket here, set a screen there, but every time down the floor? No way!

Which is perfectly understandable — you’re picturing the likes of James Harden, Russell Westbrook and so many other elite stars taking possessions off — except the Warriors will not relent. It’s built into the mind-set of Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson to perform at a fulltilt pace, and you’d better comply if you hope to join them on the court. Come the fourth quarter of a crucial game, especially at Chase Center, the combination of elite conditioning and long-crafted familiarity becomes too much to overcome.

We all know the Warriors revolutionized the 3-point shot — to the league’s great detriment. How often does a team simply set up its halfcourt offense in a semicircle, whipping the ball around the perimeter until some rudimentary element of strategy, like someone setting a screen, triggers a shot?

What a nauseating dead end. The Clippers and Utah staged a playoff series last year that was

about the creativity-crushing semicircle. You see it periodically from every team in the league, including the Dallas Mavericks, who just bowed out of the Western Conference finals. Luka Doncic’s individual masterpieces are something to behold, but by the end of the first half Thursday night, the wondrous 23-year-old Slovenian looked tired, bitter and resigned.

The Warriors’ ultimate weapon will always be the 3pointer, but in the meantime, that pass-and-cut flurry could mean an open lane to the hoop, a weak-side dunk, a midrange jumper when it’s absolutely necessary. What a concept. Head coach Steve Kerr has believed in its value from the start, while analytics-driven teams can’t seem to get over the math.

During the “Inside the NBA” postgame show, Kenny Smith asked Curry and Green how they outclass people without the physical force of nature so prevalent among winning teams — from George Mikan, Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson (the 6foot-9 point guard) and LeBron James.

They found it difficult to articulate, but it’s the same reason the dynastic Boston Celtics won 11 championships during Bill Russell’s 13 seasons: Veteran teammates knew each other like brothers. They had an unassailable halfcourt system based on ball movement. They won the mental game, largely through Russell’s defensive presence but also because they knew exactly what to do in a crisis. That’s the beauty of the Warriors’ three future Hall of Famers — and by all means, don’t forget Andre Iguodala, who was part of all three championships and can’t be ruled out for a return during the Finals.

It’s such a beautiful thing to watch. It’s why the Warriors are 6-for-6 reaching the Finals when they have their health. It’s why this column picked them to get out of the West seven weeks ago, amid a swirl of public doubt. It says here they’ll finish the job.

Hey, let’s wreck the show

Rocketing straight to the top of incomprehensibly dumb ideas: Setting up a crew of TV analysts in front of a bunch of screaming, gesturing, signwaving fans. This happens throughout sports, always a ludicrous blight on the proceedings, and when people started throwing things at TNT’s Charles Barkley on Thursday night at Chase Center, you started thinking how this strategy could go wrong. … Barkley nails the target with a lot of his opinions, but the Warriors’ dynastic run has taken place to his relentless dismay. He doesn’t it; never has. What a shame to have such a disparaging voice in the face of basketball greatness. … Astounding: The Warriors have won at least one road game in 26 straight postseason series. You figure Russell’s Celtics might have approached that, but they actually experienced four series without a road win, against Syracuse (1959) and the 76ers (1962, ’65 and ’67).

Speaking of which, ESPN’s Jalen Rose asked the studio panel if there has ever been an NBA superstar who didn’t dominate the ball, played selflessly in a star-driven system and never stopped moving, yet took big shots when it mattered. They came up empty, so I’ll volunteer John Havlicek. Forget the straight comparisons; Curry is a global icon, the consummate entertainer, someone who changed the game and will be remembered among the league’s all-time top 10. Merely consider Havlicek over a string of 10 playoff series for the Celtics from 1967-73.

He averaged 26 points per game (Curry’s career playoff average) before the advent of the 3-point shot, proved to be the ultimate clutch player and was in even better shape than Curry. Perhaps the most wellconditioned athlete in the history of professional team sports, Havlicek 45 minutes of playing time during that stretch, missed only two minutes of the 1968 Finals and saw the bench during the seven-game 1969 Finals. He was also a first-team All-Defensive choice five straight years during his career. When I mentioned this via email to retired Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan, a legend of NBA journalism, he stressed his deep regard for Havlicek as a player and a man. “Nothing against Steph,” Ryan wrote. “He should be honored to be in the same discussion as John Havlicek.”

Quick baseball note for Giants fans: Sunday’s game against the Reds (8:30 a.m. start, Jon Miller working with Shawn Estes and Barry Larkin) is available only through Peacock streaming. Through the app store or peacocktv.com/sports, you’ll need to sign up for the Premium package at $4.99 per month, good for weekly baseball games and many other features. Full replays are available, but I wasn’t able to determine if fans can launch a replay while the game is still in progress (as in, conveniently starting it up at 10 a.m. instead of 8:30). “I believe it varies depending on what device you’re using,” said former Bay Area sports anchor Ahmed Fareed, part of Peacock’s Sunday crew, via Twitter. “I know for sure all replays are on the Peacock app.” So there you have it. Streaming is here, and it’s only the beginning, and if you’re outraged over having a Giants game banished from NBC Sports Bay Area — while paying a little extra coin to turn elsewhere — you’re not alone.