Without a doubt, Stephen Curry elevated the Golden State Warriors from bottom dwellers in the NBA to perennial contenders for the championship throughout the last decade.
But the thing some fans don’t know is that there have been several iterations of the Dubs that brought the franchise to new heights over the years.
With that said, we take a look below at the five best Warriors teams in franchise history and what they did during their respective runs.
The Rick Barry-led Warriors
The departure of Wilt Chamberlain from the San Francisco Warriors back in the 1964-65 season might have been worse if Rick Barry wasn’t there.
Right from the get-go, the second pick from the 1965 NBA Draft took over and made this team a contender.
Two years after entering the league, Barry would take his team far in the postseason by leading the NBA in points by making 35.6 per game and defeating a Los Angeles Lakers team with Jerry West and Elgin Baylor in it.
Unfortunately, the Warriors lost to a Philadelphia 76ers squad led by Chamberlain.
After spending some time in the American Basketball Association, Barry went back to the NBA and rejoined the Warriors in 1972.
Three years later, he would finally get over the hump and lead San Francisco to win a championship against Wes Unseld, Elvin Hayes, and the Washington Bullets during the 1975 NBA Finals.
Along the way, Barry took a squad of Derrek Dickey, Butch Beard, Jamaal Wilkes, Clifford Ray, Jeff Mullins, and Charles Johnson to transform them into champions.
The “We Believe” Team
Twelve years is such a long time not to make the playoffs in the NBA.
Fortunately, the Warriors didn’t have to see that drought get extended another season more back during the 2006-07 campaign as Baron Davis, Al Harrington, Matt Barnes, Monta Ellis, Jason Richardson, Stephen Jackson, and Andris Biedriņš came together to make the Bay relevant again.
Dubbed as the “We Believe Team,” this particular version of the Warriors was instrumental in turning the tide for the franchise.
After a 12-year playoff drought, the team finished with a 42-40 record during the regular season and secured the last seed in the Western Conference Playoffs.
From there, the Warriors faced off against the Dallas Mavericks led by Dirk Nowitzki as the first seed.
What was supposed to be an easy match-up turned into history as Golden State took care of business and defeated their stronger opponent in the first round.
Led by Davis and supported by key guys in Jackson, Richardson, and Barnes, the Dubs took the Mavs to six games and overcame them in the end.
And even though they fell to the Utah Jazz in the second round, no one can deny the excitement and massive hope this team gave to Golden State fans after over a decade of mediocrity.
Run TMC
Even though the trio of Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond, and Chris Mullins, collectively known as Run TMC, didn’t lead the Warriors toward a championship, they still ended up being among the most exciting teams in the 90s.
Inspired by Run DMC, the trio played two seasons together under Coach Don Nelson starting in 1989.
Using an up-tempo offense known to many as Nellie Ball, this version of the Warriors counted on smaller and quicker guards to outrun opposing squads and score on them fast.
This type of offense catapulted Golden State to the top of the league in points per game (116.3) and pace (105.9). Unfortunately, their 37-45 record wasn’t enough to land them a playoff spot that year.
The following season, though, the Warriors finished with a 44-38 record and went on to defeat the David Robinson-led San Antonio Spurs in the first round.
Even though they fell to the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round, and Richmond left the following season, their impact on fans grew beyond more than what they accomplished on the court.
Era of the Splash Brothers
No one believed Mark Jackson when he claimed that the greatest shooting backcourt in NBA history was the duo of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
But Jackson was right and everyone who doubted him ate humble pie, especially after this version of the Dubs won their first ring back in 2015.
The Splash Brothers-led Warriors finished the 2014-15 NBA season with a 67-15 record under their then-first year coach, Steve Kerr. They would lead the league in points scored per game (110), defensive rating (101.4), and pace (98.3) during that period.
Using the offense generated by Curry and Thompson, the defense anchored by Draymond Green, and the basketball intellect of Kerr holding it together, the Dubs won their first championship in the modern era, cementing their legend as those who changed the game into what it is today.
The Death Lineup with Kevin Durant in it
There’s no denying that the Splash Brothers’ version of the Warriors was potent enough to win a championship.
The following year after winning their first ring, though, they lost to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, striking out any chance to create a dynasty from there.
But as fortune would have it, the Dubs would strike gold and land Kevin Durant in free agency.
During that first regular season with Curry, Thompson, Durant, Green, and Andre Iguodala, the Dubs finished first in points scored per game (115.9), offensive rating (115.6), and net rating (+11.6), leading to a 67-15 record.
They would demolish their competition in the playoffs in three straight sweeps of all the squads they faced in the West to take on James and the Cavs back in the Finals.
They would only sustain one loss during that postseason on their way to another ring.
The following season was similar to the first year with Durant as the Dubs’ Death Lineup was still dominant enough to nab another championship.
And even though their attempt to three-peat was thwarted by injuries, internal conflicts, and the Toronto Raptors back in 2019, this version of the Warriors proved to be the best out of all iterations of the franchise throughout the decades.
With Chris Paul set to make his debut as part of Golden State soon, fans will be looking forward to how the new Warriors will look on the court.
Expect some fireworks to fly off as Curry and company seek to return to the Finals with the Point God in their lineup.