After four championship rings, 500+ wins, five all-stars, and one two-time MVP in the last decade, the Golden State Warriors have reigned the NBA as one of the most successful basketball dynasties of all time. However, following a medley of injuries, trades and heartbreaking losses, many fans question if 2024 marks the end for the infamous Bay Area superstars.
Following a disappointing 2023 season, where the Warriors were knocked out of the first round of playoffs by the Los Angeles Lakers, Bay Area fans are losing hope for the future of the franchise. The beginning of 2024 has only solidified doubts. The team entered the All-Star Break — the half-way point in the season — with a 27-26 record and in 10th place in the Western Conference.
In January, following the sudden death of Assistant Coach Dejan Milojević, the Warriors emerged a seemingly different team in efforts of honoring his memory — going 9-4 into the All-Star Break. With the same core players from their championship runs, fans debate whether the Warriors dynasty can continue.
Warriors’ fan and senior at Lick-Wilmerding High School Aj Naser ’24 thinks so. “Even though they’re the 10th seed right now, I will never give up on the Warriors, I will never give up on Stephen Curry.”
Mason Salma ’24 added similar sentiments. “It’s not over,” he said. “People said they were done in 2021, and they won the next year. Anything is possible.”
Though some fans are less optimistic, including Sarek Mallareddy ’25. “I feel like the dominance just isn’t there anymore, and that’s what defines a dynasty,” he said. “I don’t think at this point in the season that we can get another ring…we have the key players, but the supporting players and atmosphere needed for a championship team is gone.”
Mallareddy added that the reality for the Warriors is that the NBA has developed and improved since their reign, and in order to keep up, the Warriors will have to make some major changes. One change Mallareddy highlighted is from the fanbase. “We need more hype from the fans and in the media,” he said. “I think that’s a core part of what’s missing from a championship team.”
In addition, Mallareddy, Salma and Naser all noted that the development of young talent is essential too. However, the Warriors seem to be racing against the clock, as many of their core players see few prime seasons left.
Change has historically been welcomed by the Warriors franchise, with their last major coaching switch igniting the beginning of their dynasty.
In response to two mediocre Warriors seasons in 2012 and 2013 that ended in first and second round playoff exits, the Warriors management searched for a change of coaching to sharpen the young talent in the Bay. The former Warriors general manager Bob Myers landed on Kerr, a retired NBA champion and previous Phoenix Suns manager.
At the time, the Warriors’ roster featured many of the future all-stars that defined their dynasty, including Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala. However, their talent alone did not translate into a championship team. For Kerr, the monumental change came from their ball movement, emphasizing finding “great” shots instead of just “good” ones.
Kerr’s efforts were successful, as the Warriors went 67-15 in 2015, the best record in the NBA, and clinched the NBA finals championship for the first time in 40 years. This breakout season was only the beginning. The following season the Warriors had a staggering 73 wins in the regular season, losing only nine games and breaking Kerr’s own 72-10 season with the Chicago Bulls in 1996.
Though the team departed the season in a devastating upset to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the finals, the Warriors reign was far from over. The team acquired seven-time all-star Kevin Durant in a trade with the OKC Thunder for the 2016 season, sparking the beginning of an unstoppable and record-breaking dynasty.
This signing drew even more attention to the Warriors, as another superstar was headed to the Bay. Mallareddy reflected on this acquisition as his favorite moment throughout the dynasty. “I was at home with my parents watching NBA Central when we saw KD got signed,” he said. “This was the peak. We had already been good, but I knew for the next few years we would be great.”
With Durant, the Warriors went to the NBA finals for another three consecutive seasons, winning two titles in 2017 and 2018. But heartbreak set in for the team in 2019 when both Durant and Thompson exited the finals early due to season-ending injuries, and the Warriors lost the set 4-2 against the Raptors.
For many fans, the COVID-19 pandemic marked the end of the dynasty. After five consecutive trips to the NBA finals and three championship rings, the Warriors finished last seed in the West with Curry and Klay sidelined and Iguodala and Durant leaving the franchise. The team also made the move across the bay, which according to Naser, drastically altered the fan’s energy as well.
“After leaving Oracle [the Warriors arena in Oakland, CA], the fan energy went down and they haven’t been as good since,” Naser said.
photo courtesy of Public Domain
The optimism and loyalty of Warriors fans were put to the test during the pandemic as the future of the dynasty looked bleak—many believed it would take a miracle for the Warriors to recover their reign. In 2022, a miracle struck. Curry led the league in points-per-game, taking an underdog Warriors team to the NBA finals. There, Curry continued to dominate. He averaged 31.2 points-per-game and was awarded both a championship ring and the title of Finals MVP.
This win reignited a spark for Warriors fans. However, this spark seems to have faded since. “I feel like Warriors fans can be too harsh and unforgiving because we have such high expectations for the team.” Salma said.
Whether it’s time to begin rebuilding the franchise or the Warriors can make a push for another championship, the one element that remains consistent within the team is the unpredictability of these Bay Area fan favorites.
