How the Warriors Broke My Heart

The Golden State Warriors were seen as just another bad team as recently as a few years ago. They missed the playoffs year after year, 12 to be exact. I'd watch them, but mostly as background noise. There were a few seasons where they showed promise, just to fizzle out once again. The head coach position was a revolving door after Don Nelson left.

And then the 2006-2007 season arrived. Don Nelson returned. Chris Mullin came in as GM. Baron Davis was obtained the season before, and he showed flashes of brilliance even though he was injury-plagued. They had Jason Richardson, who was always fun to watch as well as being a fan favorite. Monta Ellis and Andres Biedrich were emerging as young stars. And then, halfway through the season, they traded away Troy Murphy, Ike Diogu, and Mike Dunleavy for "bad boy" Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington. (I was only bummed about Dunleavy leaving because of his sexy arms, but I understood the reasoning).

That trade transformed the team. After a losing streak that prompted Nelson to declare that the team sucked (in so many words), they caught fire. They beat Portland in the final game of the season to sneak into the final playoff spot.

I was just happy that they were decent again. What they did in the first round against Dallas was nothing short of amazing. The "We Believe" shirts, the flat-out beatdown... it was amazing. They fell flat against Utah, but it was okay. It gave Bay Area fans hope. And, as a certain presidential candidate has said, there's nothing false about hope.

Needless to say, the 07-08 season was full of hope, even after Richardson was traded away. It was dashed, though, when they started out 0-6. That was mainly because Jackson was suspended for the first seven games of the season. Once he returned, though, things improved greatly. (There were also grumblings when he was named one of the team captains, but he's behaved himself). They beat almost everybody at least once, except for Detroit and Utah. Baron Davis played every game, and Monta Ellis... is it possible to win the Most Improved Player award two years in a row? He's the best player nobody knows about- he's quick and has a sweet move to the hoop. And, uh, he's kinda cute in that dorky kind of way. (See, queen, I told you I'd hold back on the fangirling :p).

Sadly, they ran out of gas at the end. Denver emerged and took the final spot. Once the Warriors lost to Denver at home, I knew it was over. I screamed and cussed and declared that they were dead to me, but I got over it. Their final record was 47-35, which would've placed them fourth (I think) in the east, but left them out of this absolutely batshit insane western conference. Once they were mathematically eliminated, I turned my attention to baseball, and, at the moment, hockey.

Some have said that this will be the last time we see this team in this formation again. I hope not. They're really fun to watch, and I'm starting to learn more about basketball by doing so. It would be nice, though, if they stopped being so 3-point happy.

And I still want a "We Believe" t-shirt.

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