The Golden State Warriors haven't always been the "Dub Nation" juggernaut that fills up your social media feed every June. Honestly, for a long time, they were basically the league's punching bag. If you grew up watching basketball in the 90s or early 2000s, the idea of the Golden State Warriors NBA championships being a frequent occurrence seemed like a total pipe dream. They were a team defined by missed draft picks and a rotating door of coaches.
Then everything changed.
It wasn't just about drafting Stephen Curry, though that's obviously the biggest piece of the puzzle. It was a perfect storm of ownership change, a massive shift in how the game is actually played, and a level of chemistry that most teams can only dream of. When Joe Lacob and Peter Guber bought the team in 2010 for $450 million—a record at the time—people thought they overpaid. Looking back, it was the heist of the century. They didn't just buy a team; they bought a dynasty that would eventually claim seven titles in total across the franchise's long, weird history.
The Early Days and the Philadelphia Roots
People forget the Warriors started in Philly. Before they were the Silicon Valley darlings, they were the Philadelphia Warriors. They actually won the very first league title in 1947, back when it was called the Basketball Association of America (BAA). That team was led by Joe Fulks, a guy who basically invented the modern jump shot because everyone else was still throwing two-handed set shots like they were in a gym class in 1920.
They won again in 1956. This was the era of Paul Arizin and Neil Johnston. It's ancient history to most fans, but it's where the DNA of the franchise started. They moved to San Francisco in 1962, but even with Wilt Chamberlain—the man who once scored 100 points in a single game—they couldn't quite get over the hump for a while. Wilt was a statistical god, but the rings didn't follow him to the Bay.
The 1975 championship is the one the "old school" fans still talk about with a certain glint in their eyes. Rick Barry was the star, and he had that famous, albeit slightly ridiculous-looking, underhand free throw. They swept the Washington Bullets in what is still considered one of the biggest upsets in NBA Finals history. Nobody expected them to win. Not the media, not the fans, probably not even some people in the front office.
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Why the 2015 Title Changed Everything
Fast forward forty years. Forty years of mostly nothing. Then comes 2015. This is the year the modern Golden State Warriors NBA championships era truly kicked off. Steve Kerr took over for Mark Jackson and did something radical: he told his players to stop dribbling so much and start passing.
It sounds simple. It wasn't.
That 2015 run against the Cleveland Cavaliers changed the geometry of the court. When Steve Kerr decided to start Andre Iguodala over Andrew Bogut in the middle of the Finals—the famous "Death Lineup"—it broke LeBron James’s Cavs for a moment. They went small. They played fast. They shot threes from the parking lot. Draymond Green became the ultimate Swiss Army knife, a guy who could guard a center and then bring the ball up like a point guard.
The Warriors won in six games. Steph Curry didn't win Finals MVP (Iguodala did for his defense on LeBron), which is still a point of contention for some fans, but it didn't matter. The curse was broken. The "Strength in Numbers" mantra wasn't just a marketing slogan; it was a reality.
The Kevin Durant Eras: Unfair but Incredible
Then 2016 happened. The 73-9 season. The 3-1 lead collapse. The Draymond suspension. It was a nightmare end to a historic season. Most teams would have just tried to run it back. Instead, the Warriors went out and got Kevin Durant.
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Let's be real: it felt like a cheat code.
The 2017 and 2018 championships were almost surgical. Watching that team was like watching a masterclass in offensive efficiency. You had the two greatest shooters of all time in Curry and Klay Thompson, and then you added arguably the most effortless scorer in history in KD.
- 2017: They went 16-1 in the playoffs. One loss. That’s it.
- The 2018 run was a bit harder—the Houston Rockets almost had them in the Western Conference Finals—but once they got to the Finals, they swept Cleveland.
- It wasn't just talent; it was the way they shared the ball. Durant bought into the system, and for two years, they were untouchable.
Some people hate this era. They say it ruined "competitive balance." Maybe it did. But if you appreciate high-level basketball, it was the closest thing to perfection we've ever seen on a court.
The 2022 "Golden State Warriors NBA Championships" Redemption
If you ask Steph Curry which ring means the most, he’ll probably tell you it’s 2022. This is the one that solidified his legacy as a top-10 player of all time. After KD left and Klay Thompson spent two years in injury hell with an ACL and then an Achilles tear, everyone wrote the Warriors off. They were "washed." The dynasty was "over."
They missed the playoffs two years in a row. They were a lottery team.
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But 2022 was different. Andrew Wiggins transformed into a defensive monster. Jordan Poole had his breakout year. And Klay came back. It wasn't the same dominant force as the KD years, but it was grittier. When they beat the Boston Celtics in six games, Curry finally got his Finals MVP. Seeing him crying on the floor in the closing seconds of Game 6—that told you everything you needed to know about the weight of that journey.
That title brought their total to seven. It moved them past the Chicago Bulls for the third-most championships in NBA history, trailing only the Lakers and the Celtics.
The Nuance of the Dynasty
What most people get wrong about these wins is thinking it was just luck. "Oh, they just shoot threes." No. The Warriors led the league in defensive efficiency or was near the top for almost all their championship years. You don't win rings just by outshooting people; you win by stopping them.
Draymond Green is the heartbeat here. He’s loud, he gets technical fouls, and he’s polarizing as hell. But without his ability to read a play three seconds before it happens, the Warriors don't have those banners. It's a combination of Steph's "gravity"—the way defenders have to chase him everywhere, opening up lanes for everyone else—and a defense that swarms like a hive of bees.
What to Watch for Moving Forward
The window is closing, obviously. The core is getting older. But the impact of the Golden State Warriors NBA championships is permanent. They changed how kids play at the YMCA. They changed how GMs build rosters. They made the "stretch four" and the "small-ball center" mandatory.
If you want to understand the modern NBA, you have to study the Warriors' run from 2015 to 2022. It wasn't just a streak of wins; it was a total reimagining of what basketball could look like when you value IQ and shooting over raw size and isolation play.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Analysts
- Look at the "Gravity" Metric: When watching old games or current highlights, don't just watch the ball. Watch how three defenders panic and run toward Steph Curry the moment he crosses half-court. That’s the "Curry Gravity" that makes the whole offense work.
- Study the 2014-2015 Transition: If you're a coach or a student of the game, compare the 2013-14 Warriors (Mark Jackson) to the 2014-15 Warriors (Steve Kerr). The roster was largely the same, but the philosophy shift—moving the ball, high-post splits, and constant motion—is what unlocked the championship potential.
- Appreciate the Defensive Rotations: Rewatch the 2022 Finals. Notice how Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green navigated screens. Most people focus on the threes, but the 2022 title was won on the defensive end against a very athletic Boston team.
- Acknowledge the Ownership Factor: Joe Lacob's "light years ahead" comment was mocked at the time, but the investment in player health, analytics, and a world-class facility (Chase Center) played a massive role in sustaining the dynasty longer than most.
The story of the Warriors isn't just a sports story. It's a case study in organizational culture and the courage to change a winning formula (like adding KD to a 73-win team) to chase greatness. Whether they win another one or not, the seven banners hanging in the rafters are a testament to a decade where the Bay Area owned the basketball world.