Five biggest moments from Golden State Warriors' historic postseason
The Golden State Warriors are NBA champions. Again. Only this time, they lost just one game en route to the title, becoming the first team in NBA history to finish a postseason 16-1.
We take a look at the five biggest moments of their historic run.
5. The chef
The date: April 22 (Game 3 of first round)
The moment: Playing without Kevin Durant and coach Steve Kerr, Stephen Curry hit a game-clinching three-pointer with 49 seconds left to give the Warriors a 113-106 lead over the Portland Trail Blazers.
The significance: The Blazers held a 17-point first-half lead, but Curry — who finished with 34 points, eight assists and five three-pointers — put the lid on one of the few opportunities a team had to beat Golden State this postseason.
The quote: “It’s not necessarily ‘hero ball,’ it’s being aggressive in those spots that you have,” Curry said. “You might need to force the issue. That might mean taking a shot, it could be trying to get your feet in the paint and make a play, defensively trying to assert yourself — whatever the game calls for, getting ready for those moments.”
4 . The return
The date: June 4 (Game 2 of NBA Finals)
The moment: Kerr, who hadn't coached since Game 2 of the first round due to complications from back surgery, made his return to the sidelines and was greeted with a warm welcome from the Oracle Arena crowd.
The significance: The Warriors have proven they can win without Kerr, so there's definitely a chance they go 16-1 with Mike Brown filling in. But Kerr, who coached all 82 games during the regular season, deserved to be back on the sidelines for the final four games.
The quote: “It felt great,” said Kerr. “Got a really nice reception from our fans and our players. It was just great to be on the sidelines again. That's what makes it so much fun, to feel the energy of the Finals. And so it's really nice to be back.”
3. The injury
The date: May 14 (Game 1 of Western Conference finals)
The moment: San Antonio Spurs superstar Kawhi Leonard tweaked his ankle after landing on the foot of Warriors big man Zaza Pachulia.
The significance: The Spurs, who were up by 23 points at the time of Leonard left for the locker room, went on to lose the game. Leonard was ruled out for the remainder of the postseason, and the Warriors rolled to their third consecutive playoff sweep.
The quote: "We've had a pretty damn good season, we've played fairly well in the playoffs, I think we're getting better and we're up 23 points in the third quarter against Golden State and Kawhi goes down, like that," said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who was livid over Pachulia's controversial closeout. "And you want to know if our chances are less, and you want to know how we feel? That's how we feel."
2. The dagger
The date: June 7 (Game 3 of NBA Finals)
The moment: Durant grabbed a defensive rebounded, trotted up the court and drained a three-pointer over LeBron James, giving the Warriors a 114-113 lead with 45.3 seconds remaining.
The significance: The Cavaliers put up their best fight, but Durant's shot propelled Golden State to victory, giving them a 3-0 Finals lead.
The quote: "(Durant) took over. You can tell, he knows this is his moment," Kerr said. "He's been an amazing player in this league for a long time, and I think he's — he senses this is his time, his moment, his team. When I say his team, I mean it's not literally just his team, it's we got a group around him that can help him and create space for him with the shooting and the play making, and I think he's having the time of his life out there."
1. The redemption
The date: June 12 (Game 5 of NBA Finals)
The moment: With 2:46 left in the fourth quarter, Draymond Green threw an alley-oop to Andre Iguodala for a wide-open dunk, pushing Golden State's lead to 126-113.
The significance: This was the exclamation mark on the Warriors' season, the moment the NBA world knew the Larry O'Brien Trophy was headed back to Oakland.
The quote: "This is history," Iguodala said. "We're going down as one of the best teams ever, and that's a special thing you cannot take away from us."
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