All great dynasties eventually come to an end, a sentiment that was surely written more than once about the Golden State Warriors.
Golden State in the NBA Finals: From dynasty to the bottom and back
The Warriors made it five years in a row. Then they were crushed by injuries and questionable draft picks. And somehow they are back again.
June 1, 2022 at 7:11PM
It was the easiest narrative to construct, after all.
Golden State went to five consecutive NBA Finals, winning three of them. But in that fifth trip, they were undone not just by Toronto but by devastating injuries to Kevin Durant (torn Achilles in Game 5) and Klay Thompson (torn ACL in Game 6).
Durant left in free agency. With Thompson out for the 2020-21 season and other injuries to Stephen Curry and Draymond Green seemingly catching up to the aging Warriors, they went into a free-fall and finished 15-50 in the COVID year.
They got the No. 2 pick in the 2020 draft after the Wolves won the lottery. Minnesota took budding star Anthony Edwards. The Warriors took slow-developing and oft-injured big man James Wiseman. The Hornets took exceptional guard LaMelo Ball.
It seemed like a fatal mistake, another brick on a wall of misfortune and missteps.
So how in the world is it that Golden State — as I talked about on Wednesday's Daily Delivery podcast — is back in the NBA Finals this year, just two years after seemingly bottoming out?
How are they doing it with all their star players now at least 32 years old? Without much help from two high lottery picks (Wiseman and the 2021 No. 7 pick Jonathan Kuminga)? With Andrew Wiggins, of all players, playing a vital role?
It defies logic and aging curves, even if we acknowledge that Curry (34), Green (32) and Thompson (32) are special individual talents who have an incredible synergy.
Golden State should not be here. Someone else from the West should have been able to use those two down years — the 15-50 season and then last year's stunning play-in defeat — to vault past the Warriors in the hierarchy.
Heck, two or three teams should have done it. Phoenix looked like that team before it wilted in this year's playoffs. Dallas is intriguing but needs a betters supporting cast for Luka Doncic. Portland faded. Denver couldn't stay healthy. The Clippers are a mess and the Lakers are a disaster.
So here's Golden State, back in the finals and with a legitimate chance to win against Boston.
Whether you consider this an extension of the dynasty or simply a rebirth, it is an incredible story.
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