Two years after the Warriors finished the 2019-20 season with the worst record in the league (15-50), Golden State is back in the NBA Finals and itching for its fourth ring in eight years.
It’s been a roller coaster for Dub Nation, which has seen the highest of highs and lowest of lows. In 2015, the Warriors made their first Finals appearance in 40 years and went on to make four consecutive appearances in the following years.
Third-year rising star guard Jordan Poole called the journey a blessing in disguise.
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Golden State drafted Poole with the 28th pick in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft. The then 20-year-old rookie was joining a team that just won three titles in five years. The Warriors were the team that every young player wanted to be a part of.
But after Kevin Durant left Golden State, Klay Thompson suffered a torn ACL injury and other adjustments were made to the Warriors’ roster, this was a whole new team.
However, some things still remained.
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“I think something that stood out from our first year was that even though we didn’t win that many games, there was still championship culture and championship DNA,” Poole said. “Every single day we came into work, came into practice, it was about building for the future, continuing to better ourselves and putting ourselves in a situation because we know the opportunity is going to come where we’ll be at the highest stage. To see it come full circle is pretty cool.”
Cool might be an understatement, JP. Try potentially historic.
If the Warriors defeat the Boston Celtics and indeed get their fourth championship in eight years, they could make some remarkable sports history.
Another title would make the Warriors the second team in NBA, NFL, MLB and MLB history to go from champions to having the worst record and back to champions in a five-year span.
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The only other team in any of the four major American professional sports leagues to do that was the Detroit Lions, who were champs in 1953, had the worst record in 1955 and then became champs again in 1957.
The Warriors are still four wins away, and regardless of what happens, there’s no doubt that what they’ve been able to accomplish is nothing short of inspiring.