In a Postponed NBA, Warriors Fans Find Solace in Former Glory
On Feb. 27, 2016, Stephen Curry pulled up from 38 feet in Oklahoma City to beat the Thunder. On Nov. 7 of the same year, he rained down a then-NBA-record 13 threes on the New Orleans Pelicans.
On Jan. 23, 2015, Klay Thompson dropped 37 points in a quarter against the Sacramento Kings. On Dec. 5, 2016, he faced the Indiana Pacers and scored 60 in just 29 minutes of play.
As the dates indicate, none of these games happened within the last couple of seasons. But there’s a good chance they’re much fresher in the minds of Warriors fans than they normally would be. The NBA shutdown means that there are no new games to show — and as a result, networks have turned to showing classic games in their time slots.
The Warriors are far from the only team who have seen their old games aired. The local NBC Sports affiliate has replayed classic games from the Giants and Sharks, among others, and ESPN programming has been filled with past college basketball showdowns such as Mississippi State’s stunning 2017 upset of UConn. But for Golden State, thanks to the dynasty of their last five years, repeats of Warrior games are particularly special. With no fresh contests for the time being, Dub Nation has an opportunity to truly appreciate those teams once again.
To be clear, this does not mean that the suspension of sports is a good thing, but it is completely understandable and the correct decision to halt the NBA, NHL, MLB and other leagues. The most important thing right now is the safety and health of all people, everywhere. That should be everyone’s focus, sports fan or otherwise, and if sports must temporarily be stopped as a result, so be it.
But it does provide a modest silver lining for Warriors fans. It’s an opportunity for reflection. Rewatching Curry’s best performances serves as a reminder that we’ve been watching a once-in-a-generation talent demonstrate his craft. Rewatching Thompson’s best performances reminds us that the other Splash Brother was pretty good too and could be as electrifying as anybody in the league when he got hot as well as a shutdown defender when healthy. And rewatching the games in general — for the team as a whole, rather than a specific player — reinforces that we were watching some of the greatest teams the league had ever seen.
Too often, when basketball fans watch games the first time around, they focus on the negatives. And yes, even at their best, the Warriors had occasionally infuriating levels of carelessness on offense and lapses on defense. But now that there’s been some time since then, it’s easier to understand just how good the Warriors were when they were at their best from 2014 to 2019. Curry and Thompson have already been mentioned, but they only scratch the surface of who those teams had. Draymond Green always appeared to be in five places at once. Andre Iguodala was the perfect steadying hand on both ends of the court. Kevin Durant is one of the greatest scorers the game has ever seen. That isn’t even getting into role players like Shaun Livingston, David West and so many others. Even fringe guys like James Michael McAdoo were fun to watch. Up and down the lineup, the Warriors could be counted on to entertain, be productive on the court and have fun.
They also played basketball the right way. Often they could move the ball and find the right player on seemingly every possession. They could run a fast break and score before the defense could even understand what was going on. They could rotate very well on defense and could practically guard any opposing player with any player of their own. They could turn an eight-point deficit into a six-point lead in what felt like seconds. And most importantly, they could win. It almost felt like it didn’t matter what the other team did; the Warriors were going to emerge victorious.
The world is in truly unprecedented times at the moment. In instances of uncertainty and insecurity like this one, people will turn to things in which they find comfort, such as movies, TV reruns — and old sporting events. That last one can help a lot of people get through this scary period in history. For Warriors fans, however, it means just a little more.