SAN FRANCISCO — The first title was an ascension.
The second and third championships came with the heavy burden of expectation.
And after a couple of seasons out of the playoffs, the Warriors’ fourth title, won in June, was validation.
So if the Warriors repeat as champions this season, the triumph will have to be described as domination.
Last season’s surprise title — even head coach Steve Kerr didn’t think they would win it at the start of the playoffs — puts Golden State in a fascinating place amid their peers and in the context of NBA history.
The Warriors’ dynasty was supposed to be over. Instead, the Dubs might be at the start of another brilliant run.
“I think last year we were hoping to be in the mix, but we weren’t sure. Obviously, winning the title and returning our top six guys, we feel really good about being in the mix now. We’re back in it,” Kerr said last month.
The Warriors are still led by Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, but this season’s Golden State team will look to defend their title with arguably the deepest roster in franchise history.
Yes, the 2022-23 Warriors boast a stunning amount of talent. The NBA-record 73-win team of 2015-16 didn’t have this kind of upside. The 2016-17 team — arguably the best postseason team in NBA history — might have boasted more top-end talent (it had Kevin Durant, after all), but it didn’t have this many good players.
The Warriors are a fascinating mix of young and old, established and in progress. The Warriors have celebrated “Strength In Numbers” under Kerr, but never before has this team boasted this much strength.
It’s why I like them to repeat as champions.
The old guard — led by the Golden (State) Trinity, with Kevon Looney and Andrew Wiggins in tow — is arguably the best starting five in the NBA, even after all these years.
But this team’s second and third strings make this year’s squad so impressive. A squad that should be better than last year’s team.
These Dubs are reminiscent of the dynastic, league-ruining squads of years past. After years of struggling with Curry off the court, once again, this season’s Warriors’ backups alone could compete for a spot in the playoffs.
But unlike in seasons past, the Warriors are relying on young players to play serious minutes.
That’s not a bad thing, either. It’s exciting in the best possible way.
Golden State’s five-man unit of youth — Jordan Poole (23 years old), Moses Moody (20), Patrick Baldwin (19), Jonathan Kuminga (20), and James Wiseman (21) — impressed in the preseason, making the case that they can all be impact players for the Dubs this season. Moody and Wiseman both look poised for big leaps in quality this season, while the recently extended Poole should push for Sixth Man of the Year and possible All-Star honors.
Add Andre Iguodala and the impressive offseason pickups Donte DiVincenzo — a two-way guard with enviable athleticism — and JaMychal Green — a sweet-shooting big man who doesn’t cower away from rebounding — and you have 48 minutes of quality on the court.
There are some good teams in the league, but no other NBA team can match that this season.
And yet the Warriors are the third favorite to win the title this year per FanDuel sportsbook.
“There’s a lot of teams that are right in it, and the league is super competitive. I think the West has gotten even stronger. There’s a lot of competition out there,” Kerr said. “So we are one of the teams that’s in the mix and that’s exciting. We have to start over. It doesn’t just automatically happen from one year to the next, so we’ve got a lot of work.”
Forget the oddsmakers. The Warriors’ winning machine is humming. And while this is likely the deepest the Warriors roster will be — luxury tax concerns, even in the wake of Wiggins’ pay cut and Poole’s extension, should force some roster movement — the Dubs’ youth should keep that machine humming for years to come.
In the meantime, the goal for this season remains crystal clear. And it emanates from Curry, who is looking to be greedy as he extends his prime well beyond reasonable expectations:
“We are on hopefully another nine-month journey,” Curry said. “It’s exciting. You’re blessed to play this game at the highest level and understand that we still have an opportunity to win a couple more championships.”
