The Golden State Warriors are good. The defending champions have taken the rare step of continuing to improve AFTER they won a title, when the norm is to have some complacency after hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
Through March 2, Golden State is 54–5 and on pace to break Chicago’s 72-win record.
So how did they do it? It didn’t happen overnight.
Unlike what the Miami Heat did when they went from decent team to juggernaut overnight by signing All-Stars LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade in the summer of 2010, Golden State’s rise has been piece by piece.
1. Don Nelson Started It All
This seems insignificant now, but Nelson not only could coach; he also knew how to acquire talent, and he was in charge of the team’s operations when they took Stephen Curry.
Nelson was originally with the Warriors as their head coach from 1988–95 and helped the team draft and develop star players like Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond, Chris Webber, and Latrell Sprewell.
He was then with Dallas from 1997 to 2005 and was instrumental in the team’s fleecing Phoenix for Steve Nash and then getting Dirk Nowitzki in a lopsided draft-day trade with Milwaukee for Robert Traylor. That’s two probable Hall of Famers in one offseason.
2. Stephen Curry
Nelson came back to Golden State in 2006 and coached the team through 2010, with his lasting contribution being that he drafted shooting guard Curry in 2009, with the seventh overall pick in the draft.
Drafting Curry—a 6-foot-3 shooting guard—wasn’t a no-brainer at the time either. For one thing, the Warriors already had smallish guard Monta Ellis on the roster. In addition, Curry would have to move over to point guard if he was going to make it in the NBA.
Obviously it’s worked out, though he didn’t have “MVP” written all over him at the beginning. Ankle injuries limited him early in his career. He played just 26 games due to injuries in 2011–12, and he didn’t become an All-Star until the 2013–14 season—his fifth year in the league.
By that time, the sharpshooter had already led the league in free-throw shooting once (93.4 percent in 2010–11) and was in the midst of leading the league in threes for three straight seasons (2012–2015).
Now he’s the reigning MVP and—barring a major catastrophe—should win his second straight award this season.
