The Golden State Warriors went 67-15, rolling to the best regular season record in the NBA for the third straight year. While the season had its fair share of memorable moments during the season, it was known all along that the narrative and legacy of this team would only focus on whether or not they would finish the season as NBA Champions.
Mission accomplished. Not only did the Warriors bring the Larry O’Brien trophy back to the Bay Area, they did it in a convincing manner. The Dubs went 16-1 in the playoffs, recording the best postseason winning percentage in NBA history.
Let’s take a look back at the top 10 moments of the Warriors’ run through the 2017 playoffs.
10. Warriors block party against Trail Blazers
The Warriors started off their postseason run on a strong note, pulling away from the Trail Blazers late to win 121-109. Draymond Green led the way on the defensive end, finishing with 5 blocks.
9. Curry’s late 3-pointer in Game 5 versus Cleveland
Up 126-115 with under a minute left, the Warriors were well on their way to defeating the Cavs to win their second title in three seasons. A late three by Curry blew the roof off of Oracle Arena and put the finishing touch on a dominant postseason for the Dubs.
8. Iguodala slam spurs second quarter run in Game 5
Trailing 41-37, Andre Iguodala recovered a loose ball on the defensive end, took it all the way down the lane and threw down a ferocious dunk to send Dubs fans into a frenzy. The dunk helped spark a second quarter run that saw the Warriors go up by as many as 18 points, a lead they’d hold onto to win the game, and the championship.
7. Iguodala strips LeBron in final seconds to clinch Game 3 win
With the Cavs trailing 116-113 with 12.9 seconds remaining, Iguodala stripped the ball from James before he could get a shot off. The play iced the game for the Warriors to give them a commanding 3-0 lead, as well as earn some revenge on James for his Game 7 block on Iguodala in the 2016 Finals.
6. Curry crosses up Gobert
Safe to say this play isn’t on Rudy Gobert’s highlight reel in his case to win NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
5. Warriors come back from big deficit against Portland
The Warriors entered Portland with a 2-6 record in Game 3’s over the past two seasons. Trailing by as many as 16 points, the Dubs’ Game 3 demons seemed to carry over into the 2017 playoffs. Instead, a big second-half comeback gave the Warriors a 119-113 win to go up 3-0 in the series, before blowing Portland out of the Moda Center in Game 4 for the first-round sweep.
4. Warriors come back again in Game 1 of Western Conference Finals
Following a nine-day break after sweeping the Jazz in Round 2, the Warriors came out flat in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against San Antonio, trailing by as many 25 points. However, after Kawhi Leonard went down with an ankle injury, the tides shifted, and the Warriors came roaring back to steal Game 1 and improve to 9-0 in the playoffs.
3. Durant and Curry combine for 66 points in Game 1 win over Cleveland
Cleveland vs. Golden State was the matchup that everyone had waited for all season, especially after Kevin Durant announced he would be joining the Warriors. Durant and Curry set the tone in the opening game of the series, combining for 66 points in a convincing 113-91 win. KD led the way with 38 points, including leaving James in the dust in this first quarter slam.
2. KD with the dagger in Game 3
Trailing 113-107 with just under 3 minutes left, the Warriors went on an 11-0 run to end the game, winning 118-113. The late run was punctuated with a no hesitation, go-ahead three pointer from Durant, arguably the biggest shot of his 10-year career. Instead of being up just 2-1 in the series (in which Cleveland won Game 4), the shot and the win put the Warriors up 3-0.
1. Champs once again
After letting a 3-1 lead slip away to the Cavs in the 2016 Finals, the Warriors got their redemption in 2017. After losing Game 4 to prevent the chase towards a 16-0 postseason, the Warriors came back to Oracle and handled business on their home floor, winning Game 5 129-120 to take back the crown as NBA Champions.