Newly Crowned NBA Champions: GSW
Source: https://judebfood.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/gsw-wlppr-team.jpg?w=1092
6 years ago, around the middle part of April 2009, my brother and I got a chance to live out a life dream that we never thought could ever happen. And this dream was to be able to watch an actual NBA game live and in person. The whole family was in the states then and we were lucky enough that one of our uncles got us tickets for the game between the injury plagued Golden State Warriors and the young Minnesota Timberwolves led by then rookie Kevin Love. We didn't really care if we saw a bunch of second and third stringers playing. In all sincerity, we just felt so blessed and excited that we were in Oracle Arena watching an actual NBA game. It was one of those truly unforgettable moments ever. And by the way, the warriors lost the game. Yet, The Dub Nation in Oracle was still as loud and crazy as always. I guess, it was the greatest indication of why they were called the greatest fans in the world. Win or Lose, Dub Nation would always support and love their Warriors, no matter what. And fast forward to 6 years later, Dub Nation can officially call their Warriors NBA champions.
What a turn of events indeed. Two months later after seeing them got beat by the T-Wolves, the Warriors drafted reigning MVP Steph "Spicy" Curry 7th overall in the 2009 NBA draft. We were already back in the Philippines then, and I, mistakenly, even thought that hotshot Brandon Jennings would have been a better pick for them. Oh well, I was obviously very wrong. By 2010, they had new owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber, who were ultra competitive and passionate about the game. And of course, we should never forget that these new owners were never afraid to take risks and to shell out some cash. They hired Mark Jackson who had no prior coaching experience. They drafted Klay "37 points in a quarter" Thompson 11th in the 2011 draft. They were bold enough to trade one of my favorite players Monta Ellis for big man Andrew Bogut. And then in 2012, they hit the jackpot when they drafted Harrison Barnes (7th overall), Festus Ezeli (30th overall) and yes, even Draymond "$85
M bucks" Green (35th overall). They made the playoffs the following season and even snacthed and persuaded this past season's finals mvp Andre Iguodala to come over after they ousted Iggy's Denver
Nuggets.
The following season, they had to endure coaching issues, trade rumors, injuries and of course, a heartbreaking game 7 loss to the clippers. They fired Mark Jackson days after they lost to LAC. It was a little tough to swallow as the guy brought them back to prominence and was loved by Curry a lot. But, in life, there comes a point when hard decisions have to be made. They hired Steve Kerr as their new coach and Alvin Gentry as lead assistant. Former agent turned GM Bob Myers had all the pieces together. They veered away from splitting the splash brothers. Kerr placed Barnes and Green in the starting lineup by asking former all stars to come off the bench. They got Ezeli back from injury. Leandro Barbosa, Brandon Rush and Shaun Livingston added much depth to the backcourt. They added young guys like Justin Holiday and James McAdoo. And when the season started, GSW just took the League by storm. Steph won MVP. The team won a whopping 67 games. Kerr was second for coach of the year. Green was also second for defensive player of the year. They swept A.D. and the New Orleans Pelicans in GSW fashion. They came back from a 2-1 deficit against Marc Gasol's Grizzlies. They shut down and stopped The Beard and the Rockets in the West Finals. And of course, they had to pass through the underamaned Cavs led by none other than the best player in the planet, LeBron James in six super exciting games. Iggy won Finals MVP and Dub Nation amidst the heat celebrated their championship parade after 40 long years.
A lot has changed since that night we got to watch GSW six years ago. Yet, the faith and the support of Dub Nation remained constant. It never wavered. And that is why, I can proudly say that they've always had hearts of champions.
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