In a season that was marked by flashes of brilliance and plenty of lapses, the Warriors showed that they were California’s best team and one of the NBA’s best. They swept the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round and beat the Dallas Mavericks in five games in the Western Conference Finals.
The 1947 BAA Championship
Led by future Hall of Famer Joe Fulks, the Warriors won their first championship in the league’s inaugural 1946-47 season by defeating the Chicago Stags four games to one. The BAA merged with the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1949, so the team’s first NBA championship is also its first as part of the new league.
The Warriors won a franchise-record 73 games that season, an incredible achievement by modern standards. It was the third best regular season record in the entire league at that time.
It also set a new mark for most wins in a playoff series. The Warriors would win the next two BAA finals as well, establishing themselves as one of the top teams in league history. In 1962 Franklin Mieuli bought shares of the franchise and moved it to California, where they took on their current name. They have since won six NBA titles. The Warriors are the most successful and winningest franchise in NBA history.
The 1974-75 Western Conference Finals
For a few seasons after the Warriors’ lone championship in 1971-72, the franchise floundered. General manager Garry St. Jean made mistakes committing money to second-round draft picks like small forward Latrell Sprewell and point guard Danny Fortson.
By 1974-75, though, the team was on the upswing and reclaimed its place among the best in the West. The Warriors defeated a talented Dallas Mavericks team in the first round, then stunned the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar-led Los Angeles Lakers in a seven-game Western Conference semifinal series.
The key was Al Attles’ roster construction. He assembled a squad that could complement Rick Barry, who was still in his prime at 30. The team included Clifford Ray, Butch Beard and rookies Charles Johnson and Jamaal Wilkes (who would later be dubbed “Dub”).
It was also the first time since the 1951-52 season that a sixth-seeded team had knocked off a top seed in an NBA playoff series. The Warriors capped their season with a five-game win over the Washington Bullets in the conference finals.
The 1975-76 NBA Finals
This was the Warriors’ first trip to the Conference Finals since the move west. They defeated the defending champion Detroit Pistons in six games, but were ultimately grounded by the Celtics in a seven-game thriller in Boston.
The ’75-76 Warriors featured Hall of Famer Paul Arizin, who won his second consecutive scoring title. They also included future Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain, Nate Thurmond, Rick Barry and Chris Mullin. They were coached by Al Attles, who led the team for all or part of 14 seasons after the franchise moved to Oakland and changed its name to Golden State.
The Warriors struggled in the 1980s, but were a playoff regular during the turn of the 1990s. They were led by point guard Tim Hardaway, shooting guard Mitch Richmond and small forward Chris Mullin, nicknamed “Run TMC”. This era was also marked by the rise of defensive specialist Andre Iguodala. The Warriors have appeared in a record 19 NBA Finals as a franchise, winning 10 and losing 11. They will look to add another win to their list on Sunday when they face LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.
The 1990-91 NBA Finals
After a long period of rebuilding in the early and mid-80s, the Warriors became regular playoff contenders under head coach Don Nelson. The team, nicknamed “Run TMC” in reference to the rap group of the same name, featured high-scoring players Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond, and Chris Mullin.
Led by a healthy Baron Davis and future all-star off-guard Monta Ellis as well as emerging star center Andre Biedrins, the Warriors shocked the heavily favored top-seed Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 with their frantic up-tempo play.
But the Mavericks managed to win Game 2 behind a dominant effort from superstar center Dirk Nowitzki and a clutch third quarter 18-0 run.
Dive into the action-packed 2023 -24 Golden State Warriors Schedule and secure your seats today for an epic season of basketball brilliance!
