The Golden State Warriors have never been a dynasty.
But that all changed last night, when they swept their way to their 3rd NBA title in the last 4 years.
And sure, it may have happened in a dramatically anti-climactic way, but you still have to stop and appreciate what it has taken to get them here.
No, it wasn’t just Kevin Durant.
Sure, he has helped in a significant way, but the Warriors were already on their way to dynasty territory before KD arrived.
In fact, they were mere minutes away from becoming a dynasty back in 2016, when they were outplayed by LeBron and Kyrie in the waning minutes of Game 7 of the NBA finals.
It’s crazy to think that this could have been the Warriors’ 4th consecutive championship if a few plays went the other way.
But alas, LeBron wanted it more than anybody else at that point in time, putting to bed any doubt that he was (and is) the best basketball player in the world.
Still, there is definitely a lot of randomness in sports.
But one thing that isn’t so random is how expertly the Warriors organization was crafted since changing ownership.
Not all Warriors fans have been around long enough to remember the horrors of the Chris Cohan ownership years. The guy flat out refused to sell the team to Larry Ellison, as if to give Warriors fans one last “fuck you” on his way out.
In the end, the joke was on him though, because the second highest bidders were definitely the better fit.
Really, you have to give a ton of credit to Joe Lacob (I’m intentionally excluding Peter Guber because his role has less to do with the team’s organizational components) for what he has done to turn this organization around.
Hiring Bob Meyers as the Warriors Assistant GM (only to be promoted shortly thereafter to GM), giving the go-ahead on the controversial Monta Ellis trade, firing Mark Jackson and eventually replacing him with Steve Kerr…
The list of good moves goes on an on.
The Warriors are a well-oiled machine from the top down, and it has to be acknowledged.
Some people also need to be reminded that the Warriors had been pursuing Durant years before losing to the Cavs in 2016. This was not just a reactive move to piss off NBA fans (aside from Warriors fans of course).
At this point, the only thing the Warriors organization has yet to achieve is becoming the greatest franchise of all-time. And yes, it would be awesome if they got there.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves…there is a long way to go.
And with the rise of a ton of young talent in the league, along with the question of where LeBron goes in the offseason, next year could be the most difficult road to a championship yet.
P.S. MJBRO47, show me where I gave up on this team.
When the Warriors went down 3-2 to Houston, I went to the social medias to specifically cite how much I hated seeing Chris Paul go down.
Why? Because I knew Houston fans would inevitably blame their ultimate series loss on his injury.
And wuddya know?
Book it.