The Warriors Win Their 4th title in 8 Seasons, and I Couldn’t Be More Proud

One thing that many people might not know about me is that I’m a huge NBA fan. Like, REALLY a huge fan. And right now I’m just so damn proud of the Golden State Warriors for winning it all again, tonight.

When I say I’m a huge NBA fan, I’m not kidding. We buy the NBA season pass every season. I watch by my estimation at least 150 games every season, not counting the playoffs. Closer to 200 if you’re counting the postseason.

My Bride knows more about the NBA, the teams, and the players than any woman I know. She discusses basketball with her clients, mainly teenage boys and young men. They are always astounded at her NBA knowledge and she loves telling me about those interactions. I love this about her.

It wasn’t always like this for the both of us. I grew up in California, she traveled the world. My dad was from Los Angeles, so as a young child in the 80s, I saw my fair share of Lakers games with my dad. I started following Michael Jordan in the late 80s. She saw NBA games with her dad watching Larry Bird and the Celtics.

She met a number of the Portland Trailblazers from the late 80s to the early 90s. A couple of her girlfriends hung out with and dated them when she went to college in Portland. She met Clyde Drexler, Terry Porter, Jerome Kersey, Kevin Duckworth, Cliff Robinson and I’m sure a few others. I’m still in awe of that.

Baseball was my favorite sport growing up. NFL football overtook that during my later teens to early 20s. But I’ve been all about the NBA since then. It’s so entertaining to watch. Anyone who says it’s not as good as it was in the 70s or 80s isn’t paying very close attention to the game.

Around the time Shaquille O’Neal came into the league, I’ve followed basketball religiously. Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls were in their prime and winning championships almost every year. I started working for Footlocker and sold many signature player shoes in the span of a few years. It was fun being a fan back then.

As Kobe Bryant and LeBron James started to take over the league, it was an even bigger obsession of mine. Especially during playoff time. I had to watch all of the playoff games I could, and of course, every minute of the NBA Finals each season.

I was thrilled to see my Lakers three-peat against the Pacers, the 76ers, and the Nets from 2000 to 2002. And seeing Kobe win two more championships years later, without Shaq on the team this time. It made me proud of a historically amazing franchise.

When I met my Bride around the end of 2011, I remember watching the Finals in 2012 and 2013. She didn’t pay a lot of attention, as I recall. I’m sure we had the games on together during the playoffs most of the time. But things changed in a big way with the rise of the Golden State Warriors.

We started watching their games together during the 2014–2015 season. That was the first season with Steve Kerr as their head coach. The year that Steph Curry won his first league MVP award. It was also the season, Klay Thompson scored 37 points in one quarter, an incredible feat, and still the league record for one quarter.

We fell in love with the Warriors that season. The Lakers were suffering as a franchise as Kobe Bryant was getting older, and playing his next to last season. We enjoyed watching the Warriors play amazing basketball. Stephen Curry was incredible, breaking his own record for the most 3-pointers made in a season ever. He could shoot from SO FAR out.

The season and playoffs were unreal. We’d watch Steph do his thing and were in awe. He was so quick and crafty and would make 3-point shots from all over the court. I had never seen a shooter like him in all of my years following the NBA.

His shooting range was so much longer than anyone else’s. And he’d often use them to either win the game or put it out of reach. We’d yell and scream every time he’d hit an amazing shot or win a game for his team.

Klay Thompson was also incredible. They were nicknamed the Splash Brothers because they would splash down 3-point shots constantly. They combined to make 525 3-pointers that season.

My Bride and I have a running joke about Klay. She’s never allowed to be in the same room as him unless I’m with her. I think she’s a little TOO much of a fan of his. We’ve joked about this for years now. Ok, he’s a decent-looking fella, I can admit it.

With the tough and mouthy Draymond Green, and Andre Iguodala leading them in the Finals, they took their first championship together versus LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. We were so proud of them for winning their first title in 40 years.

This would become a regular thing. They played LeBron and the Cavaliers for three more NBA Finals in a row. They lost the next year in 7 games, as Cleveland made a big comeback to give LeBron his 3rd championship and his first in a Cavaliers uniform.

We were heartbroken that our Warriors blew a lead in the series. But we were also happy for LeBron finally bringing a championship to the city of Cleveland for the first time in decades. We tend to cheer for other players who do amazing things on the court, and not just for our favorite teams to win.

The next two seasons were different. The Warriors made a huge move by signing one of the very best players in the league, Kevin Durant. His offensive firepower and surprisingly improved defense helped the Warriors win back-to-back championships against LeBron and Cavs, earning the Warriors three championships in four seasons.

What can you say about their head coach Steve Kerr? This is a man who now has 9 championship rings. Five as a player, four as a head coach. A man who played alongside possibly the greatest ever, Michael Jordan. A man who won two other championships after that with Gregg Popovich and the Spurs. And a wonderful coach and human being who lead this Warriors team we love to their fourth title in eight seasons. I love Coach Kerr.

Durant declined to re-sign with the Warriors and left to test the waters in Brooklyn. Our Warriors were still able to make the finals for the 5th year in a row, only to be defeated by Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors. Klay Thompson suffered a devastating ACL knee injury which would cause him to miss the entire next season.

It didn’t get better for our Warriors the next season without Klay. Steph broke his hand and missed almost the entire next season. Without the Splash Brothers, the season was doomed and our Warriors had the worst record in the league. How the mighty fell, and we were pretty sad about it.

We hoped with Steph and Klay back the next season, as well as the new #2 pick in the draft, 7-foot big man James Wiseman, we’d have plenty to be happy about. Then came the Achilles tendon tear.

Just when Klay Thompson was getting ready for the new season, he tore his Achilles tendon in a practice game. That’s one of the very worst injuries to try to come back from, especially in basketball. Doubly so when Klay is not only a sharpshooting scorer but also an elite defender. I wanted to cry for him. I’m sure he was devastated.

With another season missed to surgery, rehab, and attempting his second comeback in two seasons, the Warriors again struggled. Steph bounced back admirably, but the Warriors just couldn’t quite make the playoffs. Suddenly we had two years in a row without any postseason action, after winning three championships in five straight Finals played.

Maybe this was the end. Perhaps the Warriors' run was going to be over. Klay was questionable to be able to make it back to the NBA before the end of the year. We knew he was working hard, but would he be the same? Could they play well or even dominate as they did in years past

We had started watching a lot of Charlotte Hornets games the season before this one. They had landed LaMelo Ball as the 3rd pick in the 2020 draft, and we just adored him.

We had watched his brother Lonzo play for the Lakers and watched their reality TV series, Ball in the Family. It was fun rooting for him and the Hornets, and he enjoyed immediate success as a player during his rookie season.

Still, we missed our Warriors. We caught their games at the beginning of the season and they surprisingly jumped to an amazing start, going 18–2 in their first 20 games. Wiseman was out for a long time with a bad injury, a torn meniscus, and we wondered how long Klay would be out before being ready to play after his Achilles tendon surgery and rehab.

Led by Steph Curry and the emerging young star Jordan Poole, the Warriors had a solid season. The comeback of Klay Thompson on January 9th after having not played professional basketball for 941 days was incredibly emotional and amazing. We cheered for him every time he touched the ball.

The Warriors played even better with Klay back in the lineup and used the next few months to prepare for the playoffs. We were so excited to see the main three of Steph, Klay, and Draymond back in the playoffs for the first time in three years.

They had tough opponents in the Denver Nuggets, the Memphis Grizzlies, and the Dallas Mavericks. But our boys held their own and faced the challenge of the Boston Celtics. With big scorers Jason Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Al Horford, as well as the defensive player of the year Marcus Smart and shot-blocking extraordinaire Robert Williams III, this would be no easy task.

The Warriors blew a big lead in Game 1 at their home arena. They battled back in Game 2 and the series shifted to Boston. The Celtics took the 3rd game, but we took the second one in Boston. With the series tied 2–2, the Warriors took them down in San Franciso despite uncharacteristically poor shooting from Steph Curry.

Game 6 tonight in Boston started out rough. The Celtics opened the game on a 14–2 run. But then the Warriors' experience and poise put them back in the lead. They led at halftime by 15 points, and by 10 after the 3rd quarter.

Boston tried to make it a game but didn’t have enough left in the tank to match the Golden State Warriors' playoff pedigree. Just like that, the Warriors won their 4th title in 8 seasons. They had made their 6th Finals in 8 seasons, only missing the two seasons that Klay Thompson missed with severe injuries.

I was so proud tonight seeing Steph Curry win his first NBA Finals MVP. Talk about something that was long overdue. Andre Iguodala had won it in that first finals they won, with a balanced, well-played series. Kevin Durant won it both times in their 2nd and 3rd championships, being the scoring machine that he is. Tonight, it was finally Steph’s moment.

Seeing him overjoyed and crying from the emotional overload was special. He had tasted big-time success by winning three championships in four seasons. He had experienced the lows, as well, losing in the Finals to Toronto, seeing his best teammate severely injured in the series, and then missing the playoffs the next two seasons.

He knew what the team and Klay Thompson had both been through the past two seasons. To come back from all of that and not only have success but actually WIN a fourth championship, that’s the stuff legends are made of.

Seeing him embrace his father, former NBA 6th Man of the Year Dell Curry, and seeing him hug his mother and wife was just joyous. Watching Klay get his 4th ring in six Finals played was also incredible. The amount of rehab work he put in for parts of three years and not knowing if he’d be the same player when he came back, that’s admirable. Now he’s a four-time champion along with Steph and Draymond.

Tonight, San Francisco celebrates their dynasty team. They return to the top after hitting rock bottom. For all the injuries and self-doubt, there was even more hard work, rehab, and encouragement of one another. These guys got it done. I am so proud of the 2021–2022 season champions, the Golden State Warriors.