By: Marvin Azrak
It’s a “Golden summer” for the Warriors once again in basketball, and given the state of the union, it’s how it should be. This 2022 championship was no accident, and although they didn’t possess the best talent on the hardwood, their championship pedigree and demeanor proved to be the synergist towards their success. It juxtaposed the notion that teams don’t solely win on talent alone; instead, it requires a stern and unified culture within the organization, which isn’t guaranteed and starts with the top men in the front office and takes devoir from all employees, especially the players. Just ask the Brooklyn Nets, who had dug into a myriad of quarrels and squandered the chance at a potential dynasty before it ever got started. On June 30th, 2019, KD and Kyrie decided to team up in Brooklyn.
The parties agreed to part ways on June 30th, 2022, and just one playoff series win later. Kevin Durant called owner Joe Tsai and abruptly demanded he’d be traded from the Nets, with Brooklyn saying they would honor that as well as Kyrie Irving’s, whose request followed minutes later. It was an era that moreover featured James Harden, who exhorted his way out of Houston precisely because he wanted to join the “fun times” in Brooklyn alongside their two stars, so akin to what they did in 2013, the Nets gutted their future draft capital and bench for the superstar to play alongside KD and Kyrie in January of 2021.
The trio was on the hardwood together, they were virtually unbeatable, and it showed in their strenuous finish to the regular season and their lynching of the Celtics in the first round. But against the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks, Harden and Kyrie Irving went down, and sharpshooter Joe Harris was cumbersome and practically extinct down the stretch, which exploited the bereft of depth they had and had them embroiled in “Durant or bust mode,” which despite his heroics saw them fall in seven games. In the interim between the offseason and the postseason, Brooklyn’s roster, as well as their culture, changed inordinately.
There was the NYC vaccine situation which Kyrie Irving respectively repudiated, and Brooklyn judiciously reciprocated by blackballing him until hereafter rescinding their proclamation and allowing him to become a part-time player. That wayward move contributed to unrest chemistry, including friction within the previously player-approved coach Steve Nash coaching huddle behooving the listless and disgruntled James wanting out after 13 months in Brooklyn. Ultimately, Brooklyn nabbed the East’s seven seed and was profoundly swept by Boston, which forayed the rift within the locker room amid management emphasizing player empowerment, and it has proceeded to shamble them once more as the offseason continues.
It was an additional proof that what Golden State has isn’t a surefire thing for the other franchises and can’t be taught; relatively developed. What GM Bob Meyers has created is a selfless atmosphere geared towards discipline regarding roles, loyalty to those who stay, strength in analytical numbers, and confidence in believing that should all pull their weight, it’ll transform into a homogenous model for success in the salary cap driven era of basketball. Even their swift 2020 move from oracle arena in Oakland to the Chase Center in San Francisco reverberated around the bay area. Still, it brought nothing except alacrity from the fans who the team treated like royalty during the pandemic when they instituted the Dub Hub”, a virtual fan experience like none other with chat rooms and various camera angles to portray different views from seats in the arena. There was even a moderator to enhance proceedings too.
It’s an inclusive and innovative organization that’s seen sustained success on the court because of it, and it begins from the head of the front office down to its weakest player and seemingly futile staff member.
But of course, you can’t only possess a star GM and a brazen coach in Steve Kerr. His basketball expertise back from when he was a five-time champ as a player in the early ‘90s, but also a generational superstar homegrown talent is necessitated to uplift your team in the superlative moments for years on end, which the Warriors retain in the living icon that is the revolutionary Stephen Curry. It’s well-documented just how influential Curry has been to the game of basketball, for his agility, authenticity, and efficiency beyond the arc have been a treat to watch over the past decade.
But it’s the human side of Steph that makes him a leader, always deferring to his teammates, coaches, family, and the Warriors fans for molding him into the player he has morphed into today. There’s a reason why guys call him the “Nicest teammate in the world,” and fans adore him instead of slandering him like some do with LeBron James. His elegance is almost second to none in the NBA, and his popularity has only transcended into a national celebrity as his reign continues. Since being with the NO7 overall pick in 2009, #30 has led the dubs to four championships in eight seasons with two MVPs and eight all-star appearances, making him one of the greatest players of all time.
Moreover, 2022 has been the year of a lifetime for Curry, who received his diploma from Davidson, officially graduated college, broke the NBA record for three-pointers in a career, made the NBA 75th anniversary team, and won the all-star game MVP with 16 three’s and 50 points.
He topped it off with a stellar postseason where he averaged 24.4 points in 22 games and shot a whopping .520 from downtown, taking home coveted Western conference and NBA finals MVP awards. Curry’s played 13 years in Golden State and has established them as his team even when Durant latched on for back-back championships in 2017 and 2018. Steph has responded to affliction, overcoming foot problems early in his career, a broken hand in 2020, and a slow 2021 start before erupting for torrid months in succession that has silenced any doubts of him being mentioned amongst the top 10 players to ever lace them up. There have been times where it’s been him and practically nobody due to injuries or robust management early in his stint, yet he hasn’t complained and instead has risen to the occasion several times, making for career-high performances such as his 62-point outburst this past January against Portland.
There was also game four of the NBA finals, where his iconic 43-point performance served as the catalyst for the comeback that saw his Warriors become champs again. It helped that splash brother Klay Thomson had returned to action after two years away due to UCL and ACL tears, but the other lifelong Warrior has always been overlooked but never overestimated due to his three-point prowess, as he went for 36 points per game in the postseason, and it alleviated some pressure off of Curry which has been the case throughout this dynasty. Then there’s the enforcer in Draymond Green, whose tenacity, work ethic, and competitiveness don’t show up on the stat sheets but enriches the eye test and is imperative to Golden State’s success.
That being said, Green is currently the Warriors’ assist leader and defensive anchor, but every player in the NBA who is averaging more assists per game than him takes over 10 shots a game. However, the fact Golden State went just 18-16 this regular season without Green and 35-13 with him is a testament to his value. He does all the little things, like facilitating offensive plays, boxing out opponents so his teammates can grab rebounds, and even helps draw fouls. He’s necessary to any dynasty and teams with championship aspirations in general. The Warriors saw that when they picked him with the 35th pick in the 2012 draft and haven’t regretted it since.
As usual, teams have been scouring the market looking to improve, but in reality, it’s about finding a way to dethrone the gift that keeps giving in these Warriors. Teams have tried to form “Superteams” of their own, most notably the Lakers, Clippers, Jazz, 76ers, Mavericks, and Nuggets, but now realize that it takes all 15 and not just one or two unicorns. Just ask Danny Ainge and Utah, who, after a few seasons of playoff failure within the West, have decided to strip it of its parts, having just traded Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for role players and valuable trade assets such as Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Walker Kessler(2022 RD1 pick), Jarred Vanderbilt and four first-round distinctions.
If that’s not enough for you, franchise cornerstone in 23-year-old Donovan Mitchell is on the verge of being dealt to the Knicks, who already nabbed young point guard Jalen Brunson from Dallas in free agency this offseason. Elsewhere, all-star Dejonte Murray was traded to the Hawks for a plethora of first-round picks going back to the retooling Spurs, and then, of course, you have the turmoil going down in Brooklyn.
However, it seems as if teams have begun to follow the curve set by Golden State in that success comes internally rather than externally and have recommitted to their superstars, making for an abundance of players re-upping with their respective teams. You would think that by now, we would have at least a couple constantly challenging the Warriors’ reign, and organizations would’ve taken long-term advantages of their two-year hiatus from the playoffs in 2020 and 2021. But they won their fourth title in eight years, winning it the day they won their first. Primarily, in the manner how it was accomplished by relying on a savvy group of vets, the Warriors are still the “Gold standard” in basketball, and in a league that has been encapsulated in player-empowerment, they continue to defy the odds of teamwork winning out in the end, presiding over our “Golden Summer.”
