The Golden State Warriors have had a phenomenal season so far, making it all the way to the NBA Finals to prove to the NBA that their two years with injury weren’t indicative of the larger franchise competitiveness. In their first season with their core trio back, the Warriors have achieved a familiar level of success.
Even though this is the first season Klay Thompson has come back since his injury in 2019, the Warriors came close to making the playoffs last season. After a poor season, Golden State made a run towards the end of the season to force themselves into the play-in tournament as the 8 seed. They faltered at the worst possible time, as they lost back-to-back games to the Lakers and Grizzlies and were eliminated from the playoffs.
Missing the playoffs last year motivated Steph Curry to bring this team back to the playoffs and now they have made it all the way to the NBA Finals.
"I got a lot of juice from the last 20 games last year."
Stephen Curry on what gave him confidence coming into this season. pic.twitter.com/o8kncDmXft
— NBA (@NBA) June 1, 2022
“I got a lot of juice from the last 20 games last year. We had a crazy up and down year, just trying to stay afloat, and then it got to a point where we found our rotation and finished 15-5 and had those two tough losses in the play-in tournament. You could feel we were close, close to being in the conversation where you’re a serious contender out of the West. I got a lot of juice from that finish.”
The Warriors are looking like the favorites heading into the NBA Finals considering their dominant run through the West. Golden State is built for the NBA Playoffs and to play championship basketball. This post-season has proved it, as the entire team is stepping up and putting teams away. From missing the playoffs to a championship is the perfect story for these Warriors.
