Why this Warriors title might be the most special
“I knew we had a chance to do something special, and here we are.”
Klay Thompson, Warriors guard
Among those who grow accustomed to the throne, it’s said there’s nothing like the first time. The Golden State Warriors aren’t so sure about that. What took place this season just might rise to the top.
The players look back on their 2015 NBA championship as a time of euphoric discovery, a sense that their innovative style truly set the NBA on a different course. They celebrated into the after-hours that clinching night in Cleveland, often simply staring at each other in a swirl of exultation and disbelief.
On the surface, things weren’t so terribly different this time around. Once again, it was a private affair, an away-from-home bash just down the hallway from the disconsolate Boston Celtics. Stephen Curry could be seen strolling toward the locker room some two hours after the clinching Game 6 victory at TD Garden, holding the championship and Finals MVP trophies and shouting, “Where the Coronas at?”
What separated this title from that blissful maiden voyage was the validation, the triumph of will power and perseverance, a testament to mind, body and soul. To do this again, to gain that fourth championship after a troubling two-year drought, lifted the Warriors into an entirely new realm.
“We were the best team in 2015,” forward Draymond Green said, “and we were the best team in ’17, ’18, even ’19” when injuries dismantled their championship hopes in the Finals against Toronto. “This time, we had doubters the whole way. You get punched in the mouth a couple of times. It takes an incredible amount of resilience and togetherness and trust in each other.”
Curry marveled at how “we kind of limped our way into the postseason, (having to) peak at the right time, not knowing what our rotation was going to look like and what our chemistry was going to look like. But, damn, we did it. It’s crazy to think about.”
So much centered around the king of all comebacks, Klay Thompson, who found himself drenched in Champagne after a recovery from two nightmarish injuries — the torn ACL and the ruptured Achilles tendon — that must have seemed interminable at times. “There were a lot of people kicking us down,” he said. “People called me crazy, but I knew we had a chance to do something special, and here we are. It’s so incredible. Wow.”
The setting, so rich in Celtics
tradition, gives this title a singular lodging. The Warriors can’t match the Lakers, Knicks or 76ers in their history with Boston, but the Game 4 victory at TD Garden has been called the Warriors’ greatest in postseason history, or at least on a par with the “Game 6 Klay” stunner in Oklahoma City after the Warriors trailed 3-1 in the 2016 Western Conference finals. And now this: Only the second time a team has won the championship on the Celtics’ court, and the first since 1985, when the Lakers’ Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy led a 110-100 Game 6 win at the old Boston Garden.
There will be those who dismiss the significance of the Warriors’ fourth title in eight years, saying it’s somehow bad for the league, but they don’t know their history. The NBA traditionally thrives on the power of dynasties and the cult of personality: Bob Cousy leading the Celtics’ fast break, Magic and Larry Bird orchestrating eight titles for the Lakers and Celtics in the ’80s, Michael Jordan rising above them all as the consummate performer, LeBron James appearing to be a dynasty unto himself. These are the reasons — not some sort of pipe-dream parity — that made the NBA great, and the Warriors are worthy heirs as both entertainers and game-changers.
Nobody needs to be reminded of the season’s low points. There were plenty of times when the ultimate path — all the way back to a title — seemed insurmountable. But there were signs of hope, right from the outset, when the Warriors started 18-2 and pushed it to 27-6 on Christmas. That provided a substantial cushion for gaining postseason home-court advantage, and the Warriors held that edge over the last two rounds of the playoffs.
There was a remarkable February evening in San Antonio when, for a variety of reasons, they took the floor without Curry, Thompson, Green, Andrew Wiggins, Andre Iguodala, Otto Porter Jr. and Nemanja Bjelica — seven mainstays of the rotation — and overcame a 17-point deficit to win.
Even more telling was a runaway victory in Brooklyn, about a week before Thanksgiving, that left Kevin Durant and James Harden staring forlornly from the bench in the final minutes. This was Curry and Green at their best in transition, and as Brooklyn head coach Steve Nash said that night, “We’re not in the same category with them. I think they just have such a clear identity, a clear understanding of their mission.”
Along the way, the Warriors became high-flying dunk artists, matching the league’s best with memorable throw-downs by Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, Gary Payton II and Juan Toscano-Anderson. (That’s no small thing; such explosive moments bring the bench to life and can totally change a game’s mood.) They unveiled a future All-Star in Jordan Poole, who wondered during a difficult rookie season if the game was moving too fast for him — and developed into a lightning-quick whirlwind who could blow past most any defender when he wasn’t launching 3-point rainbows.
As for Wiggins, Curry put it best when he said “we wouldn’t be here without him.” Before the season started, with a stipulation in place requiring San Francisco-based players to get a COVID-19 vaccination in order to participate at Chase Center, Wiggins clearly stated his reluctance. His teammates intervened, but without anger or insults. The matter was discussed quietly and Wiggins relented, admirably, for the sake of the team. By March — specifically a victory in Miami that Wiggins personally nailed down with an eight-point outburst over 45 seconds at crunch time — it was evident he’d be a vital factor come playoff time.
There’s no doubt that the Warriors’ latest title stirs lingering regret in the homes, taverns and workplaces of Oakland. So much history was made there, and for many, the move to San Francisco simply wasn’t necessary. But that was the undeniable vision of coowners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber, and the Chase Center project was magnificently orchestrated. You can’t take a tour of that place without sensing the pride and accomplishment of a franchise built around foresight and sustained excellence. So call this season the unofficial farewell to Oakland, with memories to last a lifetime.
As for the immediate future, it’s time for NBA rivals to take an uncomfortably hard look at the Warriors’ so-called “Big Three” and what’s to come.
Curry: Still a little kid out there. Full-fledged showman with humility. Not even close to surrendering his command.
Thompson: Just getting started on his second NBA life. All about winning, legacy and stamina. Off-and-on shooting proved to be less relevant than his 38.3 minutes per game in the Finals.
Green: Dominated the clinching Game 6. When it really mattered, set his volatile temper aside. Won’t turn to TV work just yet, not with at least another Hall of Fame-caliber season in him.
“As you can see, there’s still a lot of growing for all of us,’’ said the Celtics’ voice of reason, Al Horford. “It’s something we have to accept. The Warriors are on a different level.”
This thing just might last a while.