It’s easy to look back now and think the 2014-15 Golden State Warriors were an inevitability. We see the four rings, the 73 wins that came later, and the way Stephen Curry basically broke basketball, and we assume it was always going to happen. But honestly? At the start of that season, nobody saw this coming. Most experts were busy talking about LeBron’s return to Cleveland or whether the Spurs could repeat. The Warriors were just that fun team from the Bay with the skinny guard who had "glass ankles" and a rookie coach named Steve Kerr who had never called a timeout in his life.
They weren't supposed to win 67 games. They definitely weren't supposed to revolutionize the entire sport by proving a "jump-shooting team" could actually hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy.
The league was different then. Physicality still lived in the paint, and the analytics revolution was still a quiet hum in the background rather than the deafening roar it is today. When Kerr took over for Mark Jackson, he inherited a top-five defense, but an offense that felt stagnant, ranking near the bottom in passes per game. Kerr brought in a philosophy inspired by the Spurs' "Beautiful Game" and Phil Jackson’s Triangle, focusing on ball movement and spacing. Suddenly, the 2014-15 Golden State Warriors weren't just playing basketball; they were playing a high-speed game of "keep away" that left opponents exhausted and confused.
The Draymond Green Pivot Point
If you want to understand why this season worked, you have to talk about David Lee’s hamstring. That’s the "butterfly effect" moment. Lee was an All-Star, a double-double machine, and the highest-paid player on the roster. When he went down in the preseason, Draymond Green stepped into the starting lineup.
The league wasn't ready.
Green was a 6'6" power forward who could guard centers, bring the ball up the floor, and scream loud enough to be heard in the nosebleeds. By moving him into the starting five, the Warriors stumbled upon the "Death Lineup" precursors. It allowed them to switch everything on defense. It gave Curry a secondary playmaker who could short-roll and find shooters. Most importantly, it gave the team its heartbeat. While Steph provided the magic, Draymond provided the grit. He finished runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year that season, and honestly, he probably should have won it over Kawhi Leonard if you look at the advanced impact metrics.
Steph’s Leap into the Stratosphere
We have to talk about the MVP.
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Before 2015, Stephen Curry was an All-Star, but he wasn't The Chef yet. He averaged 23.8 points and 7.7 assists that year, which actually looks modest compared to his later seasons. But the efficiency? It was terrifying. He shot 44.3% from deep on over eight attempts per game. That doesn't sound like much in today's NBA where guys pull up from the logo every night, but in 2014, it was revolutionary. He was the first player to ever make 286 threes in a single season, breaking his own record.
People forget how much pushback there was. Charles Barkley famously said jump-shooting teams couldn't win titles. There was this persistent idea that if you just played "physical" with Curry, he’d fold.
He didn't.
Instead, he turned every third quarter into a personal highlight reel. The "Oracle Arena explosion" became a real thing. You could feel it through the TV screen—one three goes in, the crowd gets loud, another three goes in transition, and suddenly a two-point lead is a 12-point lead and the game is over. It was demoralizing for opponents because the math simply didn't work in their favor.
Klay Thompson’s 37-Point Fever Dream
You can't mention the 2014-15 Golden State Warriors without bringing up January 23, 2015.
Klay Thompson against the Sacramento Kings.
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It remains one of the most absurd statistical anomalies in the history of professional sports. 37 points. In one quarter. He didn't miss. He went 13-for-13 from the field and 9-for-9 from three. It was like he entered a literal flow state where the basket was ten feet wide. That performance solidified the "Splash Brothers" as the most dangerous backcourt in history. While Curry was the gravity that pulled defenders away, Klay was the flamethrower who made them pay for it. He also happened to be one of the best perimeter defenders in the league, often taking the toughest assignment so Steph could save his energy for the offensive end.
The Defense Nobody Talked About
Everyone focuses on the threes, but the Warriors finished the season with the #1 Defensive Rating in the NBA. This is the part people get wrong. They weren't a finesse team that just outshot you; they were a meat grinder.
Andrew Bogut was the anchor. Before his injuries piled up, Bogut was an elite rim protector and one of the smartest passing bigs in the game. He gave them an edge. Behind him, you had Andre Iguodala, Klay, and Draymond. They had length everywhere. They switched screens perfectly, a tactic that Steve Kerr and defensive coordinator Ron Adams mastered. They forced you into long mid-range jumpers while they went down the other end and hunted layups and corner threes.
It was a math problem that nobody else had the variables to solve.
The Finals Turn: Andre Iguodala and the Small-Ball Revolution
The 2015 NBA Finals started off looking like a disaster for Golden State. LeBron James was playing like a man possessed, and the Cleveland Cavaliers—despite losing Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love to injuries—were mucking up the game. They led 2-1. The Warriors looked rattled.
Then came the adjustment that changed NBA history.
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Nick U'Ren, a 28-year-old special assistant, suggested starting Andre Iguodala and benching Bogut. It was a massive gamble. Moving to the "Lineup of Death" meant they had no one over 6'8" on the floor. It worked perfectly. Iguodala didn't "stop" LeBron—no one does—but he made him work for every single inch. He made LeBron a high-volume, low-efficiency scorer.
Iguodala ended up winning Finals MVP.
Some people still argue Steph should have won it, and they have a point. Steph averaged 26 points and 6 assists. But Iguodala’s insertion into the lineup was the tactical masterstroke that broke the series open. The Warriors won three straight games to close it out in six, winning their first title in 40 years.
Key Takeaways from the 2014-15 Season
To really grasp the impact of this squad, look at these specific shifts they forced upon the league:
- The Death of the Traditional Big: Post-2015, every team started looking for "stretch fours" and "switchable fives." If you couldn't guard on the perimeter, you couldn't stay on the floor.
- The Power of the Bench: Shaun Livingston and Marreese Speights were vital. Livingston’s mid-range post-up was the "break glass in case of emergency" play when the threes weren't falling.
- The Assist Record: They led the league with 27.4 assists per game. It wasn't "hero ball"; it was a collective system where the open man was the only priority.
- The Health Factor: Critics often point out that the Warriors faced injured teams in the playoffs. While true, they were also remarkably healthy themselves, a testament to their training staff and Kerr’s minute-management.
How to Apply the 2015 Warriors Philosophy Today
If you’re a coach or a student of the game, the 2014-15 Golden State Warriors offer a blueprint that goes beyond just "shooting more threes." It's about maximizing the talent you have by removing ego. David Lee, a former All-Star, accepted a bench role without complaining. Andre Iguodala did the same.
To replicate this success in any competitive environment, prioritize these three things:
- Iterative Adjustment: Don't be afraid to bench your "best" traditional player for a tactical advantage (The Iguodala Swap).
- Focus on Versatility: Build teams where people can perform multiple roles. In basketball, that's switching positions; in business, it's cross-functional skills.
- Trust the Math: The Warriors knew that even if they missed five threes in a row, the high-percentage nature of the shot over time would win out. Stay the course when the process is right.
Study the tape of their ball movement. Watch how Steph moves without the ball. That's where the real lesson lies—not in the highlight dunks, but in the relentless, unselfish motion that eventually breaks the opposition’s will.