The Golden State Warriors : From Underdogs to Serious NBA Title Contenders
By Leah Filamor
It has definitely been a crazy and record-breaking season for the Golden State Warriors. Individually, Stephen Curry broke his own record for the most three-pointers in a NBA season with 286 made, Klay Thompson set the record for most points in a quarter with his amazing 37-point third quarter, and Coach Steve Kerr lead the Warriors to an impressive 67 wins, the most wins by a rookie head coach ever.
Together, the Warriors had the best regular season in the NBA, while also setting a Warriors’ franchise record for most wins in a season. The Warriors were ranked first in the power rankings consistently, and have one of the best defenses in the league, all while averaging 27.4 assists per game, the most in the NBA this season.
With Coach Kerr’s emphasis on ball movement and strong defense, the Golden State Warriors are no longer the long shot to win an NBA Championship, but one of the favorites to do so.
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This magical and impressive season has transformed the Golden State Warriors from underdogs into the teams to beat during this year’s playoffs. Flashback to the 2007 opening round of the NBA Playoffs, and the “We Believe” Warriors pulled off a feat no one saw coming.
This particular group of guys were scrappy, tough and did not care if they were the first seed or the last seed. They then advanced to the Western Conference Semi-Finals after beating the number-one seeded Dallas Mavericks in six games.
During their play in the postseason, the Warriors became the “Cinderella” team, the team that everyone was rooting for. Despite the amazing upset in the first, the Warriors postseason run fell short to the Utah Jazz, only managing to win one game in the next series.
For basketball fans and especially Warriors’ fans, seeing a 6-foot-3 Baron Davis dunk over Andrei Kirilenko personified what the Warriors were about – a team who was not supposed to win, but decided to meet the challenge head on – the ultimate David and Goliath story.
Despite the epic dunk, the Warriors fell short and only won one game against the Jazz that year. The fairytale run for Jason Richardson, Stephen Jackson, Baron Davis and the rest of the group of “Underdogs” sadly came to an end.
For Warriors’ fans and the Warriors’ organization, the short time in the playoffs left them with a thirst for the playoffs – for postseason greatness. For a long time, the Warriors’ fans believed that the team could make it past the regular season. From that moment of losing to Utah, the Warriors became determined to make it again.
Six years later, the Warriors came back into the playoffs, fulfilling their underdog role. The 2012-2013 Warriors season was a monumentally different year for the Warriors. After struggling since the “We Believe” era, the Warriors began to craft a team with meaningful draft picks, new management and a new coach.
In the 2013 playoffs, the Warriors went on to defeat the third-seeded Denver Nuggets in six games, in a similar fashion the Warriors were known for – being the underdog of the series and winning – and then again, losing the next round, to the San Antonio Spurs.
A year later, the Warriors would lose in seven games to the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round, not being able to overcome their underdog status and pull a win.
Now, in 2015, the Warriors are no longer slated as underdogs. The Warriors boast an outstanding record, a highly-rated defense and they arguably have the best backcourt in the league.
The emergence of Draymond Green and Harrison Barnes has furthered their strength, while veteran Andre Iguodala added his skills and leadership to the second unit. The Warriors had to work their way into earning the top spot and found a way to no longer be the team who has been struggling, but they now are poised to possibly win it all come June.
After defeating the New Orleans Pelicans in a dominant four games, Warriors fans hope to see their once-underdogs stop coming up short, and win the coveted Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. Will the Warriors shed their underdog mentality and play like the best team in the NBA the rest of the postseason?