The Golden State Warriors broke the basketball world with their unprecedented run of five straight Finals appearances from 2015-2019, debunking the unscientific narrative that a jump-shooting team -- more specifically a 3-point shooting team -- couldn't be relied upon to win at the highest level.
They played a style unto their own. They bombed 3s with reckless abandon. Their unprecedented depth made the slogan, "Strength in Numbers" a familiar refrain.
But here's the thing. They didn't actually shoot that many 3s. And they weren't actually that deep.
If you're looking for a team that truly ticks those boxes -- a team that embodies everything we think about when we think of Warriors basketball -- the 2024-25 version stacks up even better those the dynastic iterations. Let's be clear, in no way does this year's squad compare to the greatness of arguably the best basketball team ever assembled. But it certainly aligns with our perception of the way those teams played.
Take, for example, the trademark 3-point shooting. Yes, Golden State was always at the top of the league in accuracy thanks to the legendary marksmanship of the Splash Brothers -- Steph Curry and Klay Thompson -- and later Kevin Durant. But in terms of volume, it wasn't exactly the all-out blitz our brains may trick us into remembering.
During that five-year Finals run, the Warriors never led the league in 3-point attempts per 100 possessions. They finished second in their record-breaking 73-win season of 2015-16, but outside of that, sixth was the highest they finished, and they landed 17th in long-distance attempts in 2017-18. The dirty little secret with those Warriors teams was that they didn't actually have great shooting depth -- they just had three of the best to ever do it leading the charge.
Compare that to this year's team, which is fourth in 3-point attempts per game overall, but closer to second in the four games that Curry has played. They have six players averaging at least four 3-point attempts per game, led by nine apiece from Curry and offseason acquisition Buddy Hield -- who has been revitalized in Steve Kerr's system. Everyone in the rotation -- and there are a lot of them (we'll get to that later) -- is averaging at least 2.5 3-point attempts per game, except for Kevon Looney and Gary Payton II.
It was an unquestioned emphasis from Kerr early and often during training camp. Brandin Podziemski, Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga -- hell, even Looney -- were all encouraged and expected to take more 3s this season.
For Kerr, who talked about simplifying his offense heading into the season, upping the 3-point volume is simply a necessary evil in a modern NBA where the reigning champion Boston Celtics are averaging over 51 long-range attempts per game.
"More and more teams are playing space bigs and leaning into the analytics," Kerr said of the increased NBA 3-point shooting volume. "And the final piece of it is, I would say, over the last 10 years, player development. Every player is shooting a couple hundred 3s every single day. That didn't happen. It's all part of the evolution.
"Frankly, I don't love seeing 100 3s taken in a game. But, you gotta do what you gotta do to win. I don't think that'll slow down anytime soon."
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And then there's the aforementioned "Strength in Numbers" concept, which Kerr has taken to unprecedented levels this season. He's long said that playing even 10 guys in a game is difficult, but this season he's had a 12-man rotation at times, and the emergence of Lindy Waters III could make it 13 when everyone is healthy. Spots were up for grabs in training camp and everyone performed so well that Kerr said that he couldn't, in good conscience, cut players out of the rotation.
So, you might notice the Warriors box scores this season are longer than printed CVS receipts, thanks to how many players are regularly taking the floor. Even during the 73-win season, in close games (there were a LOT of blowouts) the rotation trimmed to eight, maybe nine players. By contrast, during Wednesday's statement win over the Celtics, Kerr played 11 guys at least 13 minutes apiece.
"You have to have a commitment," Curry said of the deep rotation after the first game of the season. "No agenda, no egos. Well, healthy egos ... If it's not your night, can't bring the team down with your energy. Haven't seen any red flags of that."
Even the ball movement, which Kerr suggested might be toned down this season, has been at an all-time high. Golden State is making 330 passes per game, second only to the Indiana Pacers. That's a higher average than any of the five Warriors Finals teams from 2015-2019 and much higher than the 2022 championship team. Having willing, accurate shooters all over the floor opens up all sorts of lanes for passing and cutting, which has led to the league's third-ranked offense to go with its NBA-best defense.
Put together the 3-point shooting, the depth and the ball movement -- what you have is a 7-1 team that looks every bit like a genuine title contender heading into Friday's road showdown with the unbeaten Cleveland Cavaliers. The Warriors are, of course, no stranger to big games in Cleveland, having played against the Cavs for four straight NBA Finals. But LeBron James will be nowhere in sight on Friday. Instead, Golden State will have to contend with Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen and the league's No. 1 offense averaging over 122 points per 100 possessions. Adding a little extra sizzle to the matchup is the fact that Kenny Atkinson, a former Warriors assistant, is in his first year as Cleveland's head coach.
The Warriors are under no illusion that a hot start automatically makes you a contender. They've beaten up on a handful of bottom-dwellers and injury-riddled MASH units, also losing a 31-point lead to the Houston Rockets before hanging on in overtime. The Celtics win was perhaps their first meaningful one of the season, and the Cleveland matchup on Friday will be the next in a series of tests that includes the Oklahoma City Thunder and Dallas Mavericks over the ensuing five days.
Perhaps the Warriors will fall by the wayside, wishing they had made a bigger offseason move. Or maybe the vibes will continue and lead to a No. 1 seed. One thing's almost certain, however. The way things work in April will be different than the way they're working right now.
"Somebody texted me, it's like, you know, hey, 12 guys -- it's a real democracy. I said, 'As soon as we lose, it's going to be communism.' That's the truth," Kerr said. "The results dictate the judgment, and that's the business we're in.
"I've got to do what I think is best for our team and, generally speaking, that changes throughout the year in an 82-game season. So we have to be ready to adapt, but I like the commitment that the guys have made."
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