Congratulations to the 2014/15 Golden State Warriors who ended a 40 year title drought with their 6 game victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. After 4 decades of being the laughing stock of the league, or worse, being completely irrelevant, the Warriors did the unthinkable and won the NBA Championship!
This was a very special moment for the Bay Area…besides the fact that it had been so long since the last title, the Warriors are our lone NBA team so this victory truly galvanized the entire Bay Area. While the recent world series victories by the Giants left half the Bay Area (Oakland A’s fans) disheartened and cranky, this was a team that brought the entire region together.
The greatness of the Warriors was on full display all year. Steph Curry blossomed into super star talent. Klay Thompson and Draymond Green quickly established themselves as household NBA names. Veterans sacrificed personal playing time and stats for the greater good of the team. There were many story lines throughout the year that made this team so compelling on so many different levels. In fact, there were many traits in this Warriors team that share similar qualities to the culture that makes the Bay Area the innovation hub of the world.
Innovative, forward thinking, risk taking, bold, young, disruptive…these are all common adjectives that are used when describing the latest start-up or hottest IPO that fuels the famed Bay Area corporate landscape. Similarly these are all adjectives that can describe the rise of the Golden State Warriors to NBA dominance
Innovative – The Warriors built their roster with many pieces that were interchangeable. Whereas in the past, teams were afraid of players that didn’t have a defined position, the Warriors embraced these players that could play and defend multiple positions and it led to the #1 defense in the league.
Forward Thinking – One of the first moves the owner made when purchasing the team a few years back was to hire a players’ agent as the GM of the team. With no experience running a franchise, they took a chance on a young GM that was connected to many players and had a vision for how a front office should operate. (His former boss, a super agent, has since been hired by another team in the league into a similar role.)
Risk Taking – When the Warriors got behind 2 games to one in the series against the Cavs they were getting beat primarily by Cleveland’s much larger front court. Their response…take the center out of the starting lineup and play small and fast. If conventional wisdom would have prevailed, and the Cavs dominated the even smaller front court of the Warriors, Steve Ker and staff would have been questioned and mocked for the next decade. Instead the risk they took paid off and the Warriors never lost another game in the series.
Bold – One of the biggest moves that turned these Warriors into the champions they are today was a trade made several years ago. At the time, Monta Ellis was the star of the team. A guard who could score at will on any opponent and the crowd favorite. One of the first moves the new ownership made was trading their star player for an oft-injured center, who, at the time, was sitting out for the remainder of the season with a devastating ankle injury. Needless to say this did not go over very well with the fans and the owner was famously booed the next night at the arena. However, that bold move netted them the front court defender the team desperately needed and was an anchor of the team on the way to the title.
Young – Although there were some very instrumental veterans on this championship team, the core of the team is very young and that youthful energy was the driving force of this team.
Disruptive – From the hiring of the front office, to the assembly of the players on the team, to the style of play on the court, the Warriors disrupted every conventional NBA norm on the way to their first championship in 40 years. They consistently did things their way, not caring about the criticism they caught for changing the NBA landscape. And they were ultimately rewarded with one of the 10 greatest seasons in the history of professional basketball.
At the end of the day, what captivated the entire country was the fact that a group of men checked their egos at the door, sacrificed their personal agendas, and played together with a genuine love for each other, the game and their fans in an up-tempo and entertaining manner that will not soon be duplicated. For that the entire Bay Area says thank you to the 2014/15 Golden State Warriors.
Even better…this team is set up for success for the next several years which means that when they move to Hotel VIA’s neighborhood in two years you may be watching another Warrior’s victory parade from our rooftop lounge!