The Golden State Warriors are the 2015 NBA Champions, capturing their first league title since 1975. It was a historic year for the franchise, winning a league high 67 wins, and Stephen Curry being named the MVP of the regular season, all concluding with being crowned the NBA Champions by defeating Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in six games. Their performance all throughout the year was one for the ages, one that will go down as one of the best in basketball history. Nevertheless, there’s more than meets the eye for this team, and the very foundations that allowed them to excel is much part of their story as the victories themselves.
Balance, Guts, and Strength Facing Adversity: The Blueprint for Golden State
About a year ago the Warriors where in rebuilding mode personnel wise. They fired their head coach Mark Jackson due to building tension between him and front offense, and hired Steve Kerr as his replacement. It was a risky move for them; Kerr had no experience coaching in the league and was serving as a commentator for over four years. The move proved to be, however, very successful for the team, with Kerr instilling a much calmer atmosphere that allowed the players to work on their game peacefully and determined, and by hiring very solid assistant coaches he secured the balance they needed in order to be successful. It made them a much more united team.
As soon as the season began, the Warriors where clearly the team to beat, going 34-6 for the first 40 games of the season, and at one point having a 16 game win streak. They were playing offense at an unprecedented rate, scoring three pointers at will, and being excellent distributors. Their bench was easily the best in league, with the likes of Andre Iguadola, Shawn Livingston, David Lee, and Leandro Barbosa among others in charge of keeping their second unit performing at a high level.
A factor to the Warrior’s success that was lost in all the talk about their offense was how effective their defense was performing as well. They did an excellent job in playing perimeter defense, adjusting to the pick, and trapping players to force bad passes that would later turn into transition points. They also did a great job guarding one on one when needing too, proving their depth on the defensive end and how effective it can be when used properly.
Once the playoffs begun, no other factor was as important for the Warriors as the resilience when facing adversity. They proved it time and time again how important was their mental strength, and found ways to win games they were losing by more than 20 points. Much credit has to be given to Steve Kerr, for working at the adjustments the team needed to make in order to win. Being down 2-1 against the Grizzlies and Cavs, his decision making is what propelled them to win those series, along with Stephen Curry’s re-emergence from his slump on both occasions. They delivered the goods when performing under pressure, banding together as a team, and that, more than anything else, is why they won the NBA Finals.
The Warriors showed once again to the NBA landscape that nothing beats playing fundamental basketball, and they, along with the Spurs, have set the gold standard on how it’s done. Every pass must be perfect, every pick sets up a play, and the spacing of the floor will allow a variety of wide open shots, all which worked effectively for them. Expect the Warriors to continue this amazing streak of success for many years to come, as they have shown to all of us this is only the beginning on what promises to be a team filled with more championships. Stephen Curry is still young, Thompson is still young, Steve Kerr has only begun his coaching career, and their front office has proven they can make the right moves that will keep the team relevant. Only time will tell how the Warriors will be remembered, but as of right now, things are looking pretty great for them.
