By: Yama Hazheer
In 2007, the Golden State Warriors were simply thrilled to be in the postseason for the first time in nearly two decades. There were no expectations for them in mid-April. Yet, they were still able to dethrone the best team in the league, the 67-win Dallas Mavericks. They pulled off the greatest upset in NBA history and it’s something that Dub Nation takes pride in ‘til this day.
-== 7 Reasons Why The Warriors Should Re-Sign Draymond Green ==-
A few years later in 2012-13, the Dubs were a Manu Ginobili three pointer away from gaining full momentum in a series with the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Semi-Finals. The Spurs prevailed and used their experience to put away the young Warriors.
The next season was disappointing. Golden State wasn’t expected to beat a Los Angeles Clippers team that had homecourt advantage without Andrew Bogut playing a single minute in the series. No one was convinced the Warriors would pull off the upset. They were right. But it was closer than anyone could have ever imagined.
It’s 2015. A new coaching staff has been assembled, the supporting cast has improved, and Stephen Curry seems to be a lock to win the Most Valuable Player Award. Times have changed in the Bay Area basketball scene. Nobody expected the Warriors to be this good this year.
The Warriors won 67 games in the regular season. They beat their opponents by an average of 10.1 points per game. Only nine teams have won 67 games or more in NBA history, just two haven’t won it all. The 68-win 1973 Boston Celtics fell short and the 67-win 2007 Mavericks were ironically upset by the Warriors in the first round.
The National media expected the Warriors to collapse without Mark Jackson at helm. They were wrong. They expected the Warriors to regret not trading Klay Thompson for Kevin Love. They were wrong. Stephen Curry wasn’t mentioned in the preseason for MVP consideration this year. They were wrong.
In a season that’s been nothing short of surreal for the passionate fan base of the most exciting team in the NBA, expectations have risen.
A simple 51 wins and a trip to the semi-finals prior to the season seemed like a realistic goal. That would have made Steve Kerr look like the right hire because the Warriors would have gotten further in the playoffs than they have the year before.
However, at this point…a 67-win team should be able to advance past just the second round of the postseason.
The Warriors had their best regular season in franchise history. They shattered the record books and have blossomed their fan base throughout the country. Naysayers are now believers.
Golden State went from being just another team in the playoffs to the team to beat in the league.
I’ve witnessed countless debates on Twitter, in person, on local radio and on television. It’s all been centered around if the Warriors need to win it all in order for it to be a successful season.
The regular season dominance has been so strong that anything short of a championship would be considered a disappointment to many.
To make matters worse, this could be the last time we see Draymond Green in a Warriors’ uniform. Alvin Gentry also might not be on the sidelines next season if he gets offered a head coaching position. And let’s face reality for a moment; the Warriors have been fairly healthy (knock on wood) this year. You seldom see that during the course of a brutal 82 game season.
The NBA Finals expectations are set. The season has been picture perfect thus far. And for the first time in 30 years, playing and succeeding in June would make the end of a fairy tale season, happily ever after.