History of the Golden State Warriors
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The history of the Golden State Warriors began in Philadelphia in 1946. In 1962, the franchise was relocated to San Francisco, California and became known as the San Francisco Warriors until 1971, when its name was changed to the current Golden State Warriors. Along with their inaugural championship win in the 1946–47 season, the Warriors have won six others in the team's history, including another in Philadelphia after the 1955–56 season, and five more as Golden State after the 1974–75, 2014–15, 2016–17, 2017–18 and 2021–22 seasons.
1946–1962: Philadelphia
1946–1959: Fulks and Arizin
The Warriors were founded in
Led by early scoring sensation Joe Fulks, the Warriors won the championship in the league's inaugural 1946–47 season by defeating the Chicago Stags, four games to one. (The BAA became the National Basketball Association in 1949.) Among the individual Warriors highlights of the 1940s, Fulks set an NBA single-game scoring record of 63 points in 1949 that stood for more than 10 years. Gottlieb bought the team in 1951.
The Warriors won their other championship as a Philadelphia team in the
1959–1965: The scoring machine – Wilt Chamberlain
In 1959, the team signed draft pick Wilt Chamberlain, a Philadelphia native (he graduated from Overbrook High School). Known as "Wilt the Stilt", Chamberlain quickly began shattering NBA scoring and rebounding records and changed the style of play forever. During each of his three seasons as a Philadelphia Warrior, Chamberlain led the NBA in both scoring and rebounding. In his first season, he was named NBA Rookie of the Year, the NBA All-Star Game MVP, and the league's regular season MVP after averaging 37.6 points per game and 27.0 rebounds per game. In his second season, he set still-standing records when he averaged 27.2 rebounds per game and grabbed 55 rebounds in a single game. On March 2, 1962, in a Warriors game played on a neutral court in Hershey, Pennsylvania, Chamberlain scored 100 points against the New York Knicks, a single-game record that the NBA ranks among its finest moments.[6] During that season, his third in the league, Chamberlain averaged 50.4 points per game and 25.7 rebounds per game.
1962–1971: San Francisco
In 1962, Franklin Mieuli purchased the majority shares of the team and relocated the franchise to the San Francisco Bay Area, renaming them the San Francisco Warriors, playing most of their home games at the Cow Palace in Daly City (the facility lies just south of the San Francisco border), though occasionally playing home games in nearby cities such as Oakland and San Jose. During their first season in San Francisco, Chamberlain again led the league in scoring at 44.8 points per game and rebounding at 24.3 rebounds per game.
Prior to the 1963–64 season, the Warriors drafted 6'11" power forward Nate Thurmond to go along with Chamberlain. The Warriors won the 1963–64 Western Division title, but lost the NBA championship series to the Boston Celtics led by Bill Russell, four games to one.
During the 1964–65 season, the Warriors traded Wilt Chamberlain to the Philadelphia 76ers, and they finished the season with only 17 wins. In the off-season, the Warriors drafted
In the 1966–67 season, Barry averaged a league-leading 35.6 points per game and Nate Thurmond averaged 21.3 RPG. Together, they helped to lead the Warriors to the best record in the Western Division and ultimately, the NBA finals. The team lost in six games to the team that replaced the Warriors in Philadelphia, the 76ers, despite Barry's output of 40.8 points per game performance during the NBA Finals.
Angered by management's failure to pay him certain incentive awards he felt he was due, Barry sat out the 1967–68 season, joining the Oakland Oaks of the rival American Basketball Association the following year.
The Warriors changed their name to the Golden State Warriors for the
After four seasons in the ABA, Barry rejoined the Warriors in 1972.
1974–2018: Oakland
1974–1976: Championship contention
The 1974–75 team was coached by former Warrior Al Attles, and was led on the court by Rick Barry and Jamaal Wilkes. Wilkes was named the NBA Rookie of the Year, while Barry had a great all-around season averaging 30.6 points per game, leading the league in both free throw percentage and steals per game, and finishing sixth in the league in assists per game. In what many consider the biggest upset in the history of the NBA, the Warriors defeated the heavily favored Washington Bullets in a four-game sweep. So little was felt of the team's chances in the playoffs, even by their home fans, that the Coliseum Arena scheduled other events during the dates of the NBA playoffs. As a result, the Warriors did not play their championship series playoff games in Oakland; rather, they played at the Cow Palace in Daly City. Barry averaged 29.5 points per game during the Finals and was named the NBA Finals MVP.
At 59–23, the Warriors had the league's best record during the 1975–76 season. They were upset, however, by the 42–40 Phoenix Suns in seven games in the Western Conference Finals.
1976–1985: Collapse and resurgence
Because of the loss of key players such as Barry, Wilkes and Thurmond, to bad trades and retirements, along with the poor business decision not to offer
The departure of these players for various reasons symbolized the franchise's futility during this period, as head coach Al Attles would move up into the front office to become the team's general manager in 1980, and the team would go through several coaching changes. However, with Attles installed as general manager, they would finally manage to climb back to respectability by hiring former
1985–1997: The Run TMC era
After a subpar stretch in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the team had a brief resurgence with coach Karl, culminating in a famous 1987 Western Conference Semifinal match against Magic Johnson's Lakers, which is still shown on TV in the NBA's Greatest Games series. In the game, the Warrior's NBA All-Star point guard
The season after that, however, saw a rift form between Webber, Sprewell and Nelson. All three soon left the team, and the organization went into a tailspin.
1997–2009: Wilderness years
Garry St. Jean became the new Warriors general manager in July 1997; he and Dave Twardzik received much of the blame for the Warriors' struggles following the start of Chris Cohan's tenure, including Cohan himself.[8] St. Jean brought in several players, such as Terry Cummings, John Starks, and Mookie Blaylock, who were well past their primes. Twardzik drafted several flops, such as Todd Fuller and Steve Logan (who never played an NBA game). In the following draft, the team selected Adonal Foyle while Tracy McGrady was still available. St. Jean did, however, draft the future 2-time NBA slam dunk champion Jason Richardson (from Michigan State), who would become a key player on the team until the end of the 2006–07 season.
The team also saw a change of visual identity, with a new logo featuring a lightning bolt, that eventually brought in a superhero mascot, Thunder, who remained with the team until the emergence of the Oklahoma City Thunder forced its retirement.[9]
For a few years, with rising stars Jason Richardson, Antawn Jamison and guard Gilbert Arenas leading the team, the Warriors seemed like a team on the rise. In the end the young Warriors just did not have enough in the ultra-competitive Western Conference. After the 2002–03 season, Garry St. Jean's earlier mistakes of committing money to players like Danny Fortson, Adonal Foyle and Erick Dampier were painfully felt by Warriors fans when the team was unable to re-sign up-and-coming star Gilbert Arenas, despite Arenas's desire to stay in the Bay Area.
After spending two years in the Warriors front office as a special assistant,
Warriors fans hoped that
During the off-season, the Warriors rebuilt themselves. First in the 2006 NBA draft, the Warriors selected center Patrick O'Bryant with the 9th overall selection. They also traded Derek Fisher to the Utah Jazz for guards Devin Brown, Andre Owens and Keith McLeod, and signed training-camp invitees Matt Barnes, Anthony Roberson and Dajuan Wagner. Brown, Owens, Wagner, Roberson, Chris Taft and Will Bynum were all waived while Barnes established himself in the rotation. Golden State also announced that it had bought out the remaining two years of head coach Mike Montgomery's contract and hired previous Golden State and former Dallas Mavericks coach Don Nelson to take over in his place.
2006–07: "We Believe" era
Entering the 2006–07 season, the Warriors held the active record (12) for the most consecutive seasons without a playoff appearance (see
On January 17, 2007, Golden State traded
On March 4, 2007, the Warriors suffered a 107–106 loss in Washington handing them their 6th straight loss when Gilbert Arenas hit a technical free throw with less than one second remaining. The loss dropped them to 26–35, a hole inspiring the squad to a point of total determination. March 4, 2007 marked the turning point in the Warriors season. The Warriors closed out the regular season (42–40) with a 16–5 ending run.[11] During the run, they beat Eastern top seed Detroit Pistons 111–93, snapping their 6-game losing streak and notching their first win on the tail end of a back-to-back. The Warriors also ended the Dallas Mavericks' 17-game win streak with five players recording double digits. "We Believe" became the Warriors' slogan for the last couple months of the season and the playoffs.[12]
On April 22, 2007, the Warriors played their first playoff game in 13 years, and beat the Dallas Mavericks 97–85, holding MVP Dirk Nowitzki to just 4-of-16 shooting, making it six straight against the NBA-best, 67 game winners. But the Warriors were crushed by the Mavericks in Game 2 when both Baron Davis and Stephen Jackson were ejected from the game. Then the Warriors bounced back by winning both Games 3 and 4 at home, putting Dallas on the brink of elimination. A close Game 5 saw the Mavericks eke out a 118–112 victory to send the 3–2 series back to California. The Warriors led by nine with 2:41 left in the game, but Dallas scored 15 straight points. On May 3, 2007, the Warriors, with the help of their explosive third quarter, eliminated the Mavericks and became the first #8 seed to beat a #1 seed in a seven-game series. This was the Warriors' first playoff series win in 16 years. The Warriors went on to play the Utah Jazz in the second round of the 2006–07 playoffs.
Facing the Utah Jazz in the Conference Semifinals, the Warriors dropped two close games at
2007–09: Roster reconstruction
After re-establishing itself as a playoff contender in the past season, the team set high expectations for itself. A much challenging year was foreseeable because the "We Believe" generation of Warriors had already gotten attention of the whole league. Shooting guard
On January 29, 2008, the Warriors signed Chris Webber for the rest of the season. But the Warriors offense was too fast for Webber and he ended up playing only nine games.[14] The team remained in playoff contention until the last week of the season. On April 14, 2008, the Warriors were officially eliminated from playoff contention after losing to the Phoenix Suns 122–116 in Phoenix. Despite finishing with a 48–34 record—their highest winning percentage in 14 years—they finished two games out of the playoffs in a conference where every playoff team won 50 games. The Warriors sold out nearly every home game during the season averaging 19,631 per game, the highest in team history.
On June 30, 2008, Baron Davis opted out of the last year of his contract with Golden State. Days before July 9, when teams were officially allowed to sign free agents, he had verbally agreed to a five-year, $65 million deal with the Los Angeles Clippers.
To replace Davis, Golden State offered Gilbert Arenas and Elton Brand lucrative contracts, but Arenas re-signed with the Washington Wizards and Elton Brand signed with the Philadelphia 76ers. With the 14th pick of the 2008 NBA draft, the Warriors selected and signed Anthony Randolph out of LSU. On July 10, Golden State inked Clipper free agent Corey Maggette to a five-year, $50 million deal.
On July 19, 2008, the Warriors signed
On November 21, 2008, the Warriors traded forward Al Harrington to the New York Knicks for guard Jamal Crawford. On January 23, 2009, after missing 43 games due to injury and suspension, Monta Ellis returned in a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He recorded 20 points to go with three rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block. On April 14, 2009, fans cheered as rookie Anthony Randolph scored 24 points with 16 boards to lead the Warriors to a 30-point loss against the San Antonio Spurs. As the youngest team in the NBA, the Warriors were ranked second in the league in scoring averaging 108.6 points per game. The Warriors had a disappointing 2008–09 season, finishing 29–53. Their record can be largely attributed to the absence of Monta Ellis in the beginning of the season, injuries and the minimal experience of the young players such as C. J. Watson, Rob Kurz, Anthony Morrow and Brandan Wright.
The Warriors'
2009–present: The Stephen Curry era
On May 12, 2009, the Golden State Warriors decided not to renew the contract of general manager
On January 8, 2010, the Warriors waived
The Warriors finished the season 26–56, fourth in the Pacific Division.
On June 24, 2010, the Warriors selected
On July 15, owner Chris Cohan sold the Warriors to Peter Guber of Mandalay Entertainment and his partner Joe Lacob for a then-record $450 million.
The Warriors continued their signing spree by adding Harvard guard
In February 2011, the Warriors traded Brandan Wright and Dan Gadzuric for Troy Murphy and a 2011 second-round pick. On February 27, Murphy and the Warriors reached a buyout agreement and he was waived.
During a steady season without making any real ground in the playoff race, the Warriors broke franchise records with 21 made 3's in a win against the Orlando Magic. In April 2011, Dorell Wright made a franchise record of 184 3's in a season in a home win versus Los Angeles Lakers, surpassing Richardson's 183 in 2005–06. He then broke another NBA record, as the first player to have scored more points in his seventh season than in all his first six seasons combined in a win against the Portland Trail Blazers. He ended the season with the most three-pointers made in the NBA that season with 194, as well as the most 3s attempted with 516, both of which set new Warriors franchise records.
The Warriors failed to make the playoffs after a 36-win season in 2010–11, and coach Smart was dismissed on April 27 due to the change in ownership. 17-year NBA veteran and former ABC and ESPN commentator
The Warriors did not improve in the 2011–12 season under coach Jackson, finishing the lockout-shorted season with a 23–43 record, 13th in the conference. The team suffered several injuries to key players, and due to the lockout, Jackson could not establish his system in training camp. They then entered into another chaotic rebuilding phase.
Team leader Monta Ellis was traded in mid-March 2012, along with
Coming out of this maelstrom of trades and injuries with a team starting two rookies (Barnes and Ezeli) in the 2012–13 season, the Warriors had one of their best starts in decades, earning their 20th win before hitting the 30-game mark for the first time since 1992. The Warriors also achieved a milestone by completing their first ever 6–1 road trip in franchise history, including a 97–95 win over the defending champion Heat in Miami. On April 9, 2013, with a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Warriors clinched the playoffs for the second time in 19 years and the first time since the 2006–07 "We Believe" Warriors. This time, the local battlecry was "We Belong".
The team finished the 2012–13 season with a record of 47–35, earning the sixth seed in the Western Conference, and defeated the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs by winning four out of six games. They lost in the second round to the San Antonio Spurs, four games to two. This was the first playoff experience for all of the starters of this group except for Andrew Bogut.
Other highlights of the season included Stephen Curry's 272 three-point baskets to set an NBA single-season record, giving him the nickname "baby-faced assassin", and the naming of forward David Lee to the 2013 NBA All-Star Game as a reserve, ending the team's 16-year drought without an All Star selection, dating back to Latrell Sprewell in the 1997 season. Curry and Klay Thompson, dubbed the "Splash Brothers" by team employee Brian Witt for their backcourt shooting prowess, combined for 483 three-pointers during the season, easily besting the prior record of 435 set by the Orlando Magic's Nick Anderson and Dennis Scott in 1995–96.
With their lone selection in the
The Warriors began the 2013–14 season showing flashes of brilliance and also plenty of lapses. In early December their record was 12–9, as compared to 17–4 the year before. One challenging factor was a tough starting schedule that saw them play 14 of their first 22 games on the road, including 10 games against teams holding playoff spots in the standings. A stream of injuries also held the team back, including injuries to Festus Ezeli (off-season surgery to repair the right knee, out for the season), Toney Douglas (left tibia stress reaction, out nearly a month from mid-November to December), and Jermaine O'Neal (right wrist injury and surgery, out from mid-November to early February). Stephen Curry and Harrison Barnes were also out for at least four games before the all-star break, each with minor injuries. Most prominently of all, Iguodala suffered a hamstring pull in late November that kept him out for over a month, during which time the Warriors' performance suffered significantly on both the defensive and offensive ends of the court, and the team posted a losing 5–7 record while revealing a lack of depth on their bench. With Iguodala back in the lineup, the Warriors went on a 10-game winning streak, which included six consecutive wins on a single road trip, tying an NBA record. The winning streak was the longest for the franchise since the 1975 championship year, and just one short of the team record of 11 consecutive wins, set in the 1971–72 season.
To strengthen their underperforming bench, the Warriors made a three-team trade on January 15, sending Douglas to the Miami Heat and picking up guards Jordan Crawford and MarShon Brooks from the Boston Celtics and then, a day before the trade deadline, trading Kent Bazemore and Brooks to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for veteran point guard Steve Blake. Thanks in part to the improved effectiveness of their backup squad, boosted by the additions of Blake and Crawford and the play of 35-year-old Jermaine O'Neal (who returned sooner than expected from wrist surgery), the Warriors were one of the winningest teams in the NBA after the all-star break. Nonetheless, and despite several victories over top contenders, the team displayed a pattern of losing games to inferior teams even at their home arena. On April 11, in a 112–95 stomping of the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center, the Warriors clinched a playoff berth in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1991 and 1992. However, just one day earlier in a loss against the Portland Trail Blazers, Andrew Bogut suffered a cracked rib that would keep him out of the postseason, a big blow to the sixth-seed Warriors' playoff hopes.
The Warriors ended the 2013–14 season 51–31, winning more than 50 games for only the fourth time in franchise history, finishing 20 games over .500 for the first time in 22 years, and tying the 1991–92 squad for the franchise's all-time mark of 24 wins on the road. Even without Bogut, in the first round of the playoffs the Warriors battled the third-seed Los Angeles Clippers to a seventh and deciding game, which the Warriors lost, bringing their 2013–14 season to an end. It was season of many thrilling moments in which the Warriors' played in 17 regular season games decided by two points or less, six games with winning shots in the final three seconds, and seven comeback wins in which the Warriors had been behind by 15 points or more.
In other noteworthy occurrences for the season, Curry was named to the starting lineup for the 2014 NBA All-Star Game. For Curry, the only Warrior named to the team, this was his first all-star appearance in five seasons as an NBA player. Curry hit another notable milestone in posting four triple-doubles for the season, tying a franchise record unequaled since Wilt Chamberlain in 1963–64. Curry also averaged career-bests in points and assists; averaging 24.0 points and 8.5 assists in the season. Curry and Klay Thompson continued to set league records in three-point shooting. On February 7, in a 102–87 win over the Chicago Bulls, the backcourt duo became the first teammates to each make a three-pointer in 30 consecutive games. Curry, who finished the season with 261 threes, set an individual record for most three-pointers in a span of two seasons with 533, surpassing the previous mark of 478 set by Seattle Supersonic Ray Allen in 2004–05 and 2005–06. Together, Thompson and Curry combined for 484 threes on the year, besting by one the NBA record they had set the year before.
2014–15: First title in 40 years and first MVP in 55 years
On May 14, 2014, the Golden State Warriors named Steve Kerr the team's head coach, in a reported $25 million deal over five years. It was a first-time head-coaching position for Kerr, 48, a five-time NBA champion point guard who holds the all-time career record for accuracy in three-point shooting (.454). Kerr formerly served as president and general manager for the Phoenix Suns basketball team (2007 to 2010), and had most recently been working as an NBA broadcast analyst for Turner Network Television (TNT).
The Warriors completed the 2014–15 season with a record of 67–15, the best in the league and the most wins in franchise history. The Warriors also finished with a home record of 39–2, the second best in NBA history. They were first in defensive efficiency for the season and second in offensive efficiency, barely missing the mark that the Julius Erving led Sixers achieved by being first in both offensive and defensive efficiency. On May 4, Stephen Curry was named the 2014–15 NBA Most Valuable Player, the first Warrior to do so since Wilt Chamberlain in 1960. In the first round of the playoffs, they swept the New Orleans Pelicans, defeated Memphis Grizzlies in the second round in six games and defeated Houston Rockets in five games of the Western Conference Finals. The Warriors advanced to their first NBA Finals since 1975, where they defeated the injury-plagued Cleveland Cavaliers in six games to win their fourth NBA title, and their first in 40 years. Andre Iguodala was named Finals MVP.
Other highlights of the season included Stephen Curry breaking his own record for three-pointers made in a single season with 286. He and Klay Thompson made a combined 525 three-pointers, the most by a duo in NBA history. In the postseason, Curry shattered Reggie Miller's record of 58 made three-pointers in a single postseason with 98. On January 23, 2015, Klay Thompson broke an NBA record for points in a quarter with 37 in the third. Curry was also the leader in the voting polls for the 2015 NBA All-Star Game, won the 2014–15 NBA Most Valuable Player award and the 2015 ESPYs Best Male Athlete award.
2015–16: Historic season, 73–9 record, and NBA Finals defeat
The Warriors began the
Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson were all named to the
On April 13, 2016, Golden State set the record for most wins in a single season, beating Memphis 125–104 and finishing the regular season 73–9. Since the game occurred at the same time as Kobe Bryant's final career game with the Los Angeles Lakers, both games gained competitions in terms of ratings and viewership.[15][16] On May 10, 2016, Stephen Curry was named the NBA Most Valuable Player for the second straight season. Curry is the 11th player to win back-to-back MVP honors and became the first player in NBA history to win the MVP award by unanimous vote, winning all 131 first-place votes. Golden State defeated the Houston Rockets in five games in the first round, the Portland Trail Blazers in five in the second round, and finally, the Oklahoma City Thunder, led by future Warriors legend Kevin Durant, in seven games in the Conference Finals, rallying from a 3–1 deficit. The Golden State Warriors went to their second consecutive appearance in the finals with a rematch against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Warriors went to a 3–1 advantage, but the Cavaliers won the next three games to force a Game 7, notable for which LeBron James blocked by Andre Iguodala's layup attempt. The Cavaliers won Game 7 93–89, effectively winning their first championship and ending the Cleveland sports curse, giving the Warriors the unfortunate distinction of becoming the first team to give up a 3–1 lead in the NBA Finals.
2016–18: The Dynasty – Death Lineup, back-to-back titles, and further success
On July 4, 2016, Kevin Durant announced he would leave the Oklahoma City Thunder in order to sign a 2-year contract with the Golden State Warriors. On July 7, Durant signed his contract, which gave the Warriors a fourth All-NBA player on their team. The Durant signing made the Warriors the prohibitive favorites to win the NBA championship, according to oddsmakers.
The Warriors posted many notable achievements during the 2016–17 regular season. On November 7, 2016, Stephen Curry set the NBA record for most 3-pointers in a game with 13, in a 116–106 win over the Pelicans. On December 5, 2016, Klay Thompson scored 60 points in 29 minutes, in a 142–106 victory over the Pacers. In doing so, Thompson became the first player in NBA history to score 60 or more points in fewer than 30 minutes of playing time. Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson were all named to the 2017 NBA All-Star Game, making the Warriors only the eighth team in NBA history to have four All-Stars. On February 10, 2017, Draymond Green recorded a triple-double with 12 rebounds, 10 assists, and 10 steals, becoming the first player in NBA history to post a triple-double with fewer than 10 points. On March 2, 2017, the Warriors' streak for most games without back-to-back losses ended at 146 with a 94–87 loss to the Chicago Bulls. The streak eclipsed the previous record of 95 held by the Utah Jazz.
The Warriors earned
The Warriors finished the regular season 58–24, third best in the league and the second best in the conference. They defeated the San Antonio Spurs in five games in the first round, the New Orleans Pelicans in the second round, and, finally, the Houston Rockets, the team with the best NBA record, in the conference finals in seven games. This led to the fourth consecutive Finals matchup with the Cavaliers.
On June 8, 2018, the Golden State Warriors swept the Cleveland Cavaliers in four games, becoming the ninth team to have swept their rivals in NBA Finals history. They have established themselves as a dynasty with their second consecutive championship and third in the past four years. The 2018 Finals also marks the first sweep since the 2007 NBA Finals.
2018–19: Fifth straight Finals, Death Lineup's collapse, and final season in Oakland
The Warriors finished the
After the 2019 NBA Finals, the Death Lineup and the "Hamptons Five" era ended when Kevin Durant left the Warriors for the Brooklyn Nets and Andre Iguodala was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies.
2019–present: Return to San Francisco
2019–20: Injury struggles
During the 2019 off-season, the Warriors, who played their home games in Oakland, California, since 1971, moved to the newly built Chase Center in San Francisco, California, before the start of the 2019–20 NBA season. With injuries to Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, the Warriors regressed, finishing with a league-worst 15-50 record, their first losing season since 2012, before the season was put on hiatus due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The Warriors did not enter the 2020 NBA Bubble.
2020–21: Continued struggles and Play-in contention
The next season saw the Warriors draft
2021–22: The Comeback – return to the Finals and seventh championship
During the
On May 26, 2022, the Warriors became the Western Conference Champions for the sixth time in the Steve Kerr era and clinched a spot in the
2022–23: Performance uncertainty
During the 2022–23 season, the Warriors faced a challenging regular season due to numerous injuries. Key players like Iguodala, Donte DiVincenzo, Thompson, Green, Jonathan Kuminga, and Curry, who was also unable to participate in the 2023 NBA All-Star Game, were impacted.[18][19][20]
However, despite the team's average performance throughout the season, the San Francisco-based squad displayed remarkable determination and resilience. They ultimately finished with the sixth seed and a 44–38 record, qualifying for the last direct playoff spot. In the first round, the Warriors defeated the Sacramento Kings in seven games. During the series, the Warriors lost the first two games, including Game 1 by a narrow victory, in which Curry missed his game-tying 3 pointer.[21] The Warriors won the next three games before Sacramento dominate in Game 6 to force a Game 7. In the deciding game, Curry scored 50 points in a 120–100 victory, giving him the most points scored in a Game 7.[22] Although this record was broken shortly after by the Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum,[23] Curry remained the first ever player to score 50 points in a series-clinching Game 7.[24] His 50 points surpassed the 48 points record by former teammate Kevin Durant in 2021.[25] With the win, the Warriors advanced to the next round, where they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.[26]
References
- ISBN 0-679-43293-0.
- ISBN 0-679-43293-0.
- ^ Stark, Douglas (2011). The SPHAS: The Life and Times of Basketball's Greatest Jewish Team. Temple University Press. pp. xiv, 13, 20, 267–287.
- ^ Beighle, Nathan (10 July 2020). "Carmelo Anthony calls out Warriors, wants team to change name". Fansided.
- ^ Beighle, Nathan (10 July 2020). "Carmelo Anthony calls out Warriors, wants team to change name". Fansided.
- ^ NBA's 100 top moments Archived 2011-03-09 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 5 Dec 2007
- NBA.com. Archived from the originalon 2009-01-15. Retrieved 2010-06-04.
- ^ Fainaru-Wada, Mark (February 10, 2002). "The man who owns the Warriors / Cohan's rocky reign / An era marked by lost games, lost fans and endless litigation". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ The Golden State Warriors' Superhero, Back When They Needed One, The New York Times
- ^ Pacers make 8-player trade with Warriors @ Pacers official website
- ^ Warriors@ Trail Blazers Recap On April 18, 2007, the Warriors clinched their first playoff bid since 1994 with a resounding 120–98 victory in their season finale at Portland.
- Contra Costa Times. Archived from the originalon July 17, 2007.
- ^ ESPN Baron Davis Player Card
- ^ Warriors' Webber calls it quits, SI.com. Retrieved on March 25, 2008.
- ^ "Kobe's 60 Trails Warriors' 73, But Trounces Jordan Finale". Sports Media Watch. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
- ^ "Golden State Warriors' Record, Kobe Bryant's Farewell Deliver Two Most-Watched NBA Regular-Season Finales Ever on ESPN". April 14, 2016. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
- ^ Valenzuela, Sarah (May 29, 2019). "Raptors vs. Warriors: Everything you need to know about the 2019 NBA Finals". New York Daily News. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
- ^ "2022-23 Golden State Warriors Injuries - NBA". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
- ^ "Golden State Warriors Injury Report - NBA". FOX Sports. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
- ^ Param, Adarsh (2023-04-11). "Stephen Curry 2022-23 NBA Season Stats: Golden State Warriors Star Shines Despite Multiple Injuries". Sportsmanor. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
- ^ Ward-Henninger, Colin (April 16, 2023). "Kings reward starving fans, snap 17-year drought with Game 1 win over Warriors, but now the real work begins". CBS Sports. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
- Sporting News. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
- ^ Hartwell, Darren (2023-05-14). "Jayson Tatum sets NBA record with Game 7 masterpiece vs. Sixers". NBC Sports Boston. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
- ^ "Clutch Curry Scores 50 Points in Game 7 Victory". NBA.com. April 30, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- ^ Salmon, James (April 30, 2023). "Warriors: Kevin Durant reacts to Stephen Curry breaking his Game 7 scoring record vs. Kings". ClutchPoints.
- ^ "LeBron James, Lakers eliminate champion Warriors with 122-101 victory in Game 6". ESPN.com. May 13, 2023. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
Further reading
- Peterson, Robert W. (2002). "The BAA and War Between the Leagues". Cages to Jump Shots: Pro Basketball's Early Years. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. pp. 150–165. ISBN 0-8032-8772-0.