Golden State Warriors (1962-Present)

Historical Moments:
1962/63: Playing their home games at the Cow Palace, the San Francisco Warriors were coached by Bob Feerick. Once again Wilt Chamberlain was a monster inside, averaging 44.8 points and 24.3 rebounds per game, league in both categories for a 4th straight season. However, the team couldn't break the .500 mark and failed to reach the playoffs in the Western Division by finishing in 4th place with a 31-49 record.

1963/64: Their 2nd season in San Francisco brought better results as a team coached by Alex Hannum and led by Wilt Chamberlain, Tom Meschery, Wayne Hightower, Guy Rodgers, Al Attles, Gary Phillips, and Nate Thurmond-rose to the top of the Western Division with a 48-32 record. Chamberlain led the league in scoring for the 5th straight season with 36.9ppg, and Thurmond was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team. In the Western Division Finals the Warriors edged the St. Louis Hawks in a hard fought 7-game series to earn a trip to the NBA Finals. However, in the finals the Warriors were no match for the Boston Celtics who won their unprecedented 6th straight Championship by beating the Warriors in 5 games.

1964/65: After getting off to a rough start the Warriors decide to make a change by shipping Wilt Chamberlain home to Philadelphia in January 15th trade with the 76ers. Life without Wilt was hard the rest of the way as the Warriors plummeted into last place finishing with a woeful league worse 17-63 record.

1965/66: The Warriors showed dramatic improvement with the addition of Rookie of the Year Rick Berry. The Warriors would battle for the playoffs all season falling 1 game short while doubling their previous season win total at 35-45.

1966/67: The Warriors continued to rise winning the Western Division with a solid 44-37 record. In the playoffs the Warriors would beat the Los Angeles Lakers in 3 straight to advance to the Western Finals. In the Western Finals the Warriors would upend the St. Louis Hawks in 6 games to return to the NBA Finals. In the NBA Finals the Warriors met up an old teammate, Wilt Chamberlain who led the Philadelphia 76ers to a then best all time 68-13 record. The Warriors would prove a worthy adversary losing Game 1 in an overtime shootout. However, in the end Wilt was too much to overcome as the 76ers won the series in 6 games.

1967/68: The Warriors were dealt a blow before the season even started as star Forward Rick Barry signed with a team in the rival ABA. Without Barry Nate Thurmond would have one of his finest season picking up the slack, as the Warriors finished in 3rd place with a 43-39 record. In the playoffs the Warriors would get back to the Western Finals by knocking off the lame duck St. Louis Hawks in 6 games. However the Warriors would be swept in 4 straight by the Los Angeles Lakers.

1968/69: With Nate Thurmond pulling down 19.7 rebounds per game the Warriors are able to get back in the playoffs despite finishing with a mediocre 41-41 record. In the playoffs the Warriors would be knocked out right away falling to the Los Angeles Lakers in 6 games.

1969/70: With Nate Thurmond missing 21 games due to injury the Warriors fail to make the playoffs finishing in 6th place with a 30-52 record.

1970/71: With realignment the Warriors bounce back finishing 2nd place in the Pacific Davison to qualify for the playoffs with a 41-41 record. However, in the playoffs the Warriors are no match for the Milwaukee Bucks led by Lew Alcindor who take the Warriors out in 5 games.

1971/72: After struggling in San Francisco the Warriors jump across the Bay to Oakland changing their name to the Golden State Warriors to draw a broader fan base. With the addition of Cazzie Russell who along with Jeff Mullins, and Nate Thurmond average 21.4 ppg the Warriors finish in 2nd place with a 51-31 record. However, in the playoffs the Warriors would lose to the Milwaukee Bucks in 5 games for the 2nd straight year.

1972/73: After tearing through the ABA for four years to the tune of 30.5 points per game, Rick Barry was forced by a court decision to return to the Warriors for the 1972-73 season. His homecoming suddenly gave the team a formidable team. Although the Warriors won fewer games at 47-35 they made tae playoff again by finishing in 2nd place. However, in the playoffs the Warriors would final get past the Milwaukee Bucks winning their Western Semifinals series in 6 games. In the Western Conference Finals the Warriors run would come to an end as they fell to Wilt Chamberlain and the Los Angels Lakers in 5 games.

1973/74: Despite a solid 44-38 record which had them in contention for a Division Title all season the Warriors fail to make the playoffs.

1974/75: After four seasons of second-place finishes, changes were needed. Nate Thurmond was traded to Chicago for Clifford Ray, a young defensive center, and Golden State drafted Keith Wilkes , a graceful 6-61/2 forward whose game was as smooth as his nickname "Silk". Cazzie Russell had played out his option and joined the Lakers, leaving Rick Barry as the team's undisputed leader. Coach Al Attles used this to his advantage, installing a team-oriented system that drew on the contributions of as many as 10 players during a game, while emphasizing pressure defense, hustle, and passing. With Barry playing the staring role scoring 30.6 ppg the Warriors captured the Pacific Division title with a 48-34 record. In the playoffs the Warriors would get to the Western Conference Finals by beating the Seattle Supersonics in 6 games. In the Western Finals the Warriors looked like they were about to be done in by a former teammate again trailing Nate Thurmond and the Chicago Bulls 3 games to 2. However the Warriors rallied to win Game in Chicago and too k the series with a hard fought 83-79 Game 7 win in Oakland. In the NBA Finals the Warriors were in tight battles all series facing the Washington Bullets. However, they would win each game taking the series in 4 straight including 1 point wins in Games 2 and 4. Rick Barry would be named the series MVP.

1975/76: Coming off their NBA Championship the Warriors were even better finishing with a franchise best 59-23 record. In the playoffs the Warriors would get back to the Western Conference Finals by beating the Detroit Pistons in 6 games. In the Western Finals the Warriors faced the Phoenix Suns leading the series 2 games to 1. With Game 4 in overtime the Warriors were moments away from a 3-1 series lead. However, the Suns would rally to win the game 133-129. The Warriors would bounce back to take Game 5, but the Suns would not go away winning Games 6 & 7 to stun the defending Champions.

1976/77: With many of their stars aging the Warriors began to show signs of fading as they struggled to finish n 3rd place with a 46-36 record. In the first round the Warriors would have one last hurrah beating the Detroit Pistons in hard fought 3-game series. However, in the Western Semis the Warriors would be eliminated by the Los Angeles Lakers in 7 games.

1977/78: The Warriors began to fall apart as they lost Jamal Wilkes, and Gus Williams to Free Agency. Despite finishing with a winning record for 7th straight season at 43-39 the Warriors would finish in last place in a tough Pacific Division missing the playoffs by 1 game. Following the season the Warriors continued to fall apart as Rick Barry signed with the Houston Rockets.

1978/79: Without a true scoring star the Warriors struggled all season finishing in last place with a 38-44 record.

1979/80: The Warriors continued to plummet finishing in last place for a 3rd straight season with a terrible 24-58 record. Making matters worse was the Warriors knack for bad luck, first Phil Smith's season was ended by an Achilles injury then Coach Al Attles missed the final 21 games with same malady. In addition the Warriors finished with an all-time worst 0-8 record in overtime.

1980/81: The Warriors unveiled several new faces and improved to 39-43, missing the playoffs by just a single game. However, not all of the changes were for the better, in a trade that would haunt the team for years to come, the Warriors swapped Robert Parish and their 1980 1st-round draft pick to the Boston Celtics for the 1st and 13th picks in the Draft. The Warriors used the No. 1 pick to select Joe Barry Carroll. The 7-foot center would ring up 6 seasons of at least 17.0 ppg, but Parish would go on to win 3 championships with the Celtics, teaming with Larry Bird and Kevin McHale on one of the best front lines in NBA history.

1981/82: The Warriors led by recent acquisitions Bernard King and World B. Free increased their win total by 6 games, to 45-37, finishing 4th place in the Pacific Division. However, for the 2nd straight year missed the playoffs by just 1 game.

1982/83: Bernard King jumped to the New York Knicks, leaving behind a team decimated by injuries. Overall, the Warriors missed 238 player-games because of injury or illness, the most ever recorded by an NBA team at the time. A total of 19 different players donned the Warriors uniform during the year, as the team staggered to a 30-52 record, finishing in 5th place.

1983/84: With Pervis Short, John Barry Carroll, and Eric "Sleepy" Floyd as the top scorers the Warriors tallied a 37-45 record, finishing in 5 place in the Pacific Division and out of the playoffs for the 7th straight season.

1984/85: With Joe Barry Carroll choosing to play in Italy the Warriors struggled all season finishing dead last with an awful 22-60 record.

1985/86: The Warriors show signs of improvement, as Joe Barry Carroll returned, but still finish in last place in the Pacific Division with a 30-52 record, missing the playoffs for the 9th straight season.

1986/87: An ownership change and new Coach George Karl seem to be just the remedy as the Warriors make the playoffs for the first time in a decade by finishing in 3rd place with a 42-40 record. In the playoffs the Warriors would beat the Utah Jazz in a hard fought 5-game series. However, in the 2md round the Warriors would fall 4 games to 1 to the Los Angeles Lakers. In their Game 4 win versus the Lakers Eric "Sleepy" Floyd had the game of his life scoring 51 points.

1987/88: The success of the previous year evaporated in a season of transitions and transactions for the Warriors. Golden State took a step toward credibility when they lured Don Nelson away from Milwaukee to serve as the team's GM. Nelson went to work immediately, engineering one of the season's biggest trades in December when he sent Joe Barry Carroll and Eric "Sleepy" Floyd to Houston in exchange for Ralph Sampson and Steve Harris. The Warriors would go on to finish in 6th place with a disappointing 20-62 record. Following the season Don Nelson would assume coaching duties replacing George Karl who resigned in March.

1988/89: After struggling in his first few season on and off the court, Chris Mullin stepped out of rehab and became one of the league's best players. With Mullin leading the way with 26.5 ppg the Warriors made the playoffs by finishing in 4th place with a 43-39 record. In the playoffs the Warriors would hit another gear stunning the Midwest Division Champion Utah Jazz in a 3 game sweep. However, the Warriors run would end in the 2nd round as they are knocked off by the Phoenix Suns in 5 games.

1989/90: The Warriors led the league in scoring (116.3 ppg) and compiled a franchise-record .809 free-throw percentage while setting an NBA record for the fewest offensive rebounds per game in a season (11.2). However, the Warriors would miss the playoffs by finishing in 5th place with a 37-45 record.

1990/91: The trio of Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond, and Chris Mullin, collectively known as "Run TMC" came together as an explosive group, totaling 72.5 points per game and leading the Warriors to their best regular-season record in 9 years at 44-38. In the playoffs the Warriors would again pull of the upset beating the Midwest Champion San Antonio Spurs 3 games to 1. However, in the 2nd round they would fall to the Los Angeles Lakers in 5 games. Following the season Run TMC would be broken up as Mitch Richmond is traded to the Sacramento Kings for top draft choice Bill Owens.

1991/92: The Warriors were even stronger as the trade of Mitch Richmond enabled the defense to improve. Chris Mullin who was named to the original dream team continued to be the Warriors top player finishing 3rd in scoring at 25.6 ppg. However, in the playoffs the Warriors would be stunned in the first round by the Seattle Supersonics falling 3 games to 1.

1992/93: The Warriors are severely bitten by the injury bug, as 14 players were sidelined for a combined 312 player-games. The 4 top players Chirrs Mullin who missed nearly half the season with a torn ligament in his right thumb, Tim Hardaway who sat out 16 games with a bruised right knee, Sarunas Marciulionis, who broke his right leg and dislocated his right ankle in a jogging accident before the season, returned to play 30 games, then sat out the rest of the year with Achilles tendonitis; and Billy Owens who missed 45 games with a knee injury were on the court at the same time for a total of 2 minutes and 37 seconds. The fragmented team managed just a 34-48 record and failed to qualify for the playoffs.

1993/94: The injury plague continued as the Warriors lost Tim Hardaway and Sarunas Marciulionis for the entire season and Chris Mullin for the first 20 games. However, a strong Rookie of the Year season from Chris Webber, and the continued improvement of 2nd year man Latrell Sprewell enabled the Warriors to finish in 3rd Place with a 50-32 record. However, the young stars would falter in the playoffs as the Warriors are swept in 3 straight by the Phoenix Suns.

1994/95: The Warriors made a number of deals to toughen the team in the middle acquiring Ron Siekly from the Miami Heat. However, before the season even started the team fell apart. Rookie of the Year Webber began the season by exercising his option to become a restricted free agent, claiming irreconcilable differences with Head Coach Don Nelson. He asked to be traded, and the Warriors obliged, sending the 1994 Rookie of the Year to the Washington Bullets in exchange for third-year forward Tom Gugliotta and three first-round draft choices. Gugliotta would later be traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves for rookie forward Donyell Marshall, the No. 4 pick in the 1994 NBA Draft. Without Webber the Warriors would struggle le3ading to the resignation of Don Nelson. By season end the Warriors were in 6th place with a shattered team and a 26-56 record.

1995/96: The Warriors rode the young shoulders of guard Latrell Sprewell and rookie Joe Smith to post a 10-win improvement. However their 36-46 record was not good enough for a spot in the postseason.

1996/97: While the Oakland Coliseum underwent a complete renovation, the Golden State Warriors headed south to San Jose, struggling to a 30-52 finish in their temporary home. The season would make the end of an era as Chris Mullin was traded following the season to the Indiana Pacers.

1997/98: A new era began in the Bay Area as the Warriors had new uniforms, a new logo, a new arena, and a new Coach P.J. Carlesimo. However the Warriors stumbled out of the gate losing 14 of their first 15 games. Things would go from bad to worse as star guard Latrell Sprewell chokes Coach P.J. Carlesimo during an argument in practice. Sprewell would become a focal point in a league wide debate as he is suspended for the rest of the season. Without Sprewell the Warriors would struggle and would finish in 6th place with an awful 19-63 record. Following the season Sprewell would be traded to the New York Knicks, as the team and their star guard battle in the courtroom, and through the press.

1998/99: Newcomers and Rookies help the Warriors shown signs of improvement in a lockout-shortened season. Despite playing 32 fewer games the Warriors win 2 more games then the previous year. However, with a 21-29 record the Warriors would miss the playoffs for the 5th year in a row.

1999/00: In a season in which the Warriors hosted the All Star extravaganza, the Warriors go through another year of transition and struggle again finishing with a terrible 19-63 record. During the season the Warriors would change coaches and establish a new foundation acquiring Larry Hughes to go along with budding 2nd year star Antawn Jamison.

2000/01: With new Coach Dave Cowens the Warriors struggles continues as they finish in last place with a terrible 17-65 record, as Larry Hughes fails to live up to expectations.

2001/02: Another coaching change marks the Warriors 8th straight year without the playoffs. During the season Coach Dave Cowens would be fired and replaced by Brian Winters as the Warriors continue to be among the worst teams in the NBA finishing with the worst record in the NBA at a pathetic 21-61. Following another disappointing season the Larry Hughes would be allowed to walk away and sign with the Washington Wizards.

2002/03: Under new Coach Eric Musselman the Warriors would begin to shown signs of life after a slow start saw the Warriors win just 4 of their first 15 games, as their two young stars Gilbert Arenas, and Jason Richardson had breakout years. Richardson wowed the fans at the All-Star Game winning the Slam Dunk Contest, while Arneas was named NBA's Most Improved Player as the Warriors made a second half run at .500, and a possible playoffs spot. For the first time in nearly a decade the Warriors reached the .500 mark late in the season, holding a record of 30-30 on March 4th. However it would be the last taste of success for the Warriors as they struggled down the stretch winning just 8 of their last 22 to finish in 6th place with a 38-44 record, which held them out of the playoffs for the 9th straight season. Following the season the Warriors progress was all but erased as they were forced to trade leading scorer Antwan Jamison to the Dallas Mavericks, while Gilbert Arenas was swiped up by the Washington Wizards through Free Agency.

2003/04: Coming off a season in which the Warriors began to show they were turning the corner the Warriors got off to a relatively good start as they held a 14-13 record after 27 games. However as the New Year began the Warriors began to struggle losing 7 straight. The Warriors would on to miss the playoffs for the 10th straight year posting a record of 37-45, while finishing 4th in the Pacific Division. Despite the poor record there were some individual bright spots as Jason Richardson continue to develop into a solid NBA player averaging a team high 18.7 PPG, while Erick Dampier pulled down 12.0 rebounds a game which was 4th best in the league. With hopes of bringing the Warriors back to the playoffs they looked to their past and named Chris Mullen as the new GM who would replace Coach Eric Musselman with Mike Montgomery who had turned around the Stanford Basketball Program in the NCAA. However they will have to move forward without their top rebounder as Dampier was traded to the Dallas Mavericks after the Warriors were unable to re-sign him.

2004/05: The Warriors who were in a year of rebuilding and retooling got off to a slow start as they dropped their first 6 games on the way to an awful 3-12 start. The Warriors would finish December strong winning 8 of their next 14, but when 2005 rolled around their struggles worsened as they won just 1 of their next 16. In last place with a 16-38 record the Warriors again retooled at the trade deadline acquiring Baron Davis from the New Orleans Hornets for Speedy Claxton. The deal would have an immediate impact as suddenly the Warriors became competitive, as Davis not only played well in his new surroundings he made everyone around him better too, as the Warriors went 18-9 the rest of the way to finish with a record of 34-48 tying the Los Angeles Lakers for 4th Place and avoiding the cellar all by themselves.

2005/06: After their strong finish there was renewed hope in the Bay Area for the Warriors, as they hoped to make the playoffs for the first time since 1994. Earlier on they would not disappoint as they off to a strong start thanks to the play of Baron Davis as they posted an 11-6 record in their first month. In December, the Warriors began to show some signs of trouble as they dropped five straight, but thanks to a 3-game winning streak to close the month they entered the New Year above .500 at 17-14 for the first time in 12 years. However, it would not last as the Warriors lost their first five games of 2006 and would never be above .500 again. In February with Baron Davis injured things would go from bad to worse as the Warriors won just 4 times in 13 games and ended up in last place, where they would remain for the rest of the season posting a record of 34-48 for the second straight season. However, unlike the previous year the good feelings of a strong finish were not to be found, as Coach Mike Montgomery was fired and replaced by Don Nelson, who was the Warriors Coach from 1988-1995, a period in which the Warriors made the playoffs four times, before a falling out with Chris Webber led to Nelson stepping down in the middle of the 1994/95 season, which marked the start of the Warriors 12-year playoff drought.

2006/07: Under Don Nelson things started well for the Warriors who won seven of their first ten games, as they got strong play from a healthy Baron Davis. However, the Warriors bad habits would once again arise, as they struggled over the next two months. On January 17th the Warriors sitting with a subpar 19-21 record decided to make a bold blockbuster trade sending Troy Murphy, Mike Dunleavy, Jr., Ike Diogu, and Keith McLeod to the Indiana Pacers for Al Harrington, Stephen Jackson, Sarunas Jasikevicius, and Josh Powell. A week late the Warriors showed signs that the deal was a good one, as they beat the New Jersey Nets in dramatic fashion 110-109 on a 17-foot jump shot at the buzzer by Monta Ellis. Still it took time to adjust as the new players besides freeing up cap space allowed, Coach Nelson to employ a faster run and gun team. After struggling through much on February, Many point to the turn around coming on March 4th following a frustrating 107-106 loss to the Washington Wizards at home that dropped their record to 26-35, as former Warrior Gilbert Arenas was awarded a technical free throw with less then a second remaining. Following that loss the Warriors won six of their next seven games. After a brief bump in the road saw them lose three of four, the Warriors really threw into overdrive winning nine of their last ten games including five straight to close the season with a 42-40 record, sneaking into the playoffs with the eighth seed, as Monta Eliis was named the NBA's Most Improved Players. A quick look at the Warriors first round match up against the 67-15 Dallas Mavericks, and it would have been easy to dismiss the Warriors as not having any shot at an upset, as they were making their first playoff appearance since 1994. However, in the regular season the Warriors handled the Mavericks well, winning all three match ups, as Don Nelson knew the Mavericks well coaching in Dallas from 1997-2005. In Game 1 the Warriors showed just how dangerous they were to the Mavericks winning 97-85, as they held MVP Dirk Nowitzki to just 14 points on 4-of-16 shooting. After the Mavs won 112-99 in Game 2, the series shifted to Oakland where a frenzied crowd hungry for playoff basketball lifted the Warriors to a 109-91 win, as Jason Richardson scored a game high 30 points. The Warriors magic continued in Game 4, as Baron Davis closed the first half with a 3-point bank shot to close the first half. With the crowd seemingly going crazy threw halftime the Warriors rallied to win 103-99, as Davis led the way with 33 points to give the Warriors a stunning 3-1 series lead. The Mavericks would hold off elimination with a 118-112 win in Game 5. However, as the series returned to the Oracle Arena in Game 6 it was all Warriors as they completed the historic upset with a 111-86 win, powered by 36 points in the 3rd Quarter, led by Stephen Jackson who scored a game high 33 points. In the second round against the Utah Jazz the Warriors would stumble losing the first two games on the road, including a frustrating overtime loss in Game 2, where the Warriors scored just four points in OT. Coming home the Warriors were revived once again as Baron Davis scored 32 points with 9 assists and 6 steals to lead the way in 125-105 win in Game 3. However, in Game 4 the Jazz would run away at the end scoring 40 points in the 4th Quarter to take a 3-1 series lead with a 115-101 win, as they went on to end the Warriors magical run in five games winning the finale 100-87.