5 Luckiest Moments of the Warriors Dynasty
By Nick Porr
You don't make five straight NBA Finals appearances without having a bit of luck on your side. With that being said, the Golden State Warriors got an absurd number of breaks during their three titles from 2014-2019.
With Kevin Durant now in Brooklyn and Klay Thompson still battling back from a torn ACL, whatever new era the Dubs are about to enter will be a distinct break from the absolute domination they unleashed for five straight seasons. The Warriors' dynasty also hinged on luck, however -- and these five instances exemplify that.
5. Game 1 of the 2018 Finals
The Golden State Warriors hosted the Cleveland Cavaliers, as they often did, for Game 1 of the '18 Finals. The game was tied with 4.7 seconds left on the clock, thanks to a herculean effort by LeBron James. After George Hill missed a free throw, Cleveland's J.R. Smith snagged an offensive rebound. Luckily for the Warriors, Smith thought the Cavs were ahead. He dribbled out the clock, bringing the game to overtime. The Warriors won in OT, and swept the Cavs. That...that doesn't just happen. Luck was firmly on Golden State's side that day.
4. Kevin Durant joining the Golden State Warriors
Most star players wouldn't join the team that just defeated them in the playoffs. Kevin Durant isn't your average NBA star. After the Oklahoma City Thunder fell to the Warriors in seven games in the 2016 Western Conference Finals, Durant left the Thunder for GSW in free agency. Durant brought a new life into the Warriors, winning back to back Finals MVPs in championship wins in 2017 and 2018. If that's ANY other NBA player with any other NBA player's attitude, they aren't able to woo an additional superstar during the summer of 2016.
3. The Kawhi Leonard injury
When Kawhi Leonard of the San Antonio Spurs went down in Game 1 of the 2017 Western Conference Finals, the Warriors were able to turn around a 22-point deficit to win the game against what might've been their strongest competition of the era. Instead of staring down a genuine battle, the Warriors would sweep the Leonard-less Spurs in four. Furthermore, the Leonard injury's treatment drove a wedge between him and the Spurs, leading to his trade to the Raptors in the summer of 2018. The Spurs haven't been a threat to the Warriors since.
2. The Chris Paul Injury
In the 2018 Western Conference Finals, the Golden State Warriors found themselves in a 3-2 hole against the Houston Rockets. Chris Paul had been second on the Rockets in scoring with 19.8 points per game before a hamstring injury sidelined him for the rest of the series. Without Paul, the Rockets couldn't stop the Warriors. Golden State would win Games 6 and 7 to defeat the shorthanded Rockets and advance to the NBA Finals.
1. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love's 2015 injuries
The Golden State Warriors' dynasty was almost over before it even started. The 2015 NBA Finals featured the Warrirors against a shorthanded Cleveland Cavaliers squad. Cleveland's Kevin Love was out the entire series with a shoulder injury suffered against Boston earlier in the postseason, and and a knee injury kept Kyrie Irving out for every game except Game 1. The Warriors still barely defeated LeBron and the Cavs, winning in six. If Love and Irving were healthy, the series could have easily gone the other way.