The last calendar year has been an endless rollercoaster of triumphs, controversies and disappointments for the Golden State Warriors. Here are the four most salient memories from the defending champions in 2022 as the New Year dawns.

4. James Wiseman gets assigned to G League

The first couple weeks of 2022-23 laid bare just how naive it was for the Warriors to assume a controversial two-timeline approach toward defending their title would exactly how Joe Lacob envisioned. Golden State's bench hemorrhaged leads early in the season, with James Wiseman looking completely unprepared for a nightly rotation role, Jonathan Kuminga's role changing game to game and Moses Moody barely getting off the bench.

Letting Gary Payton II and Otto Porter—plus Damion Lee, thriving with the Phoenix Suns, and even Juan Toscano-Anderson—walk in free agency was understandable, and not just due to Golden State's mounting luxury tax bill. Why take talented prospects like Wiseman, Kuminga and Moody in successive draft lotteries if you aren't going to give them a runway toward the regular minutes needed to reach their potential?

Two-and-a-half months into the regular season, Steve Kerr has scrapped plans to center the development of his team's young players, even turning to two-way players Anthony Lamb and Ty Jerome ahead of them. The result has been overwhelmingly, with the Warriors at 13-10 since mid-November—tied for sixth in the league over that timeframe—despite extended absences of Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins.

Why that cutoff point? November 15th is when Golden State assigned Wiseman to the G League, sending a message to the front office and league at large that Kerr was fed up with sacrificing wins for the possible growth of he, Kuminga and Moody.

Wiseman has been recalled, re-assigned and recalled once more since then, impressing relative to his awful early-season play of late. Kuminga has carved out a permanent rotation role, and Moody has taken advantage of extra opportunities afforded by the Warriors' veterans missing time.

But the two-timeline strategy is no longer at the forefront of this team's priorities, a major shift from preseason that casts doubt on Golden State's long-term future—and more importantly, helped turn its wayward season around.

3. Klay Thompson's epic poster dunk in long-awaited return

It's no secret that Klay Thompson is still re-acclimating to rigors of the 82-game grind after missing two-and-a-half seasons due to a torn ACL and ruptured Achilles. He still hasn't played in a back-to-back this season, and his already weakened quick-twitch athleticism seems to come and go by the game. Thompson proved throughout last year's title run that he can still be a critical piece for the Warriors, but the notion he still has the chance to resume All-Star level play with any type of consistency has lost almost all of its steam.

Golden State doesn't need vintage Klay to repeat as champions, though. Just his five-alarm threat as a three-point marksman, opportunistic shot-making in isolation and solid individual defense makes Thompson a key impact player, especially when those more reliable facets of his game are mixed with random bouts of red-hot shooting and explosive athletic plays that turn back the clock.

Thompson previewed what was to come in his long-awaited return to the court last January against the Cleveland Cavaliers, scoring 17 points on 18 field goal attempts in just 20 minutes of play. But the most memorable from that unforgettable night at Chase Center was a throwback poster dunk late in the second quarter that came after Klay dusted Jarrett Allen in isolation, prompting a classic celebratory snarl.

Thompson doesn't have that in him every game, let alone every possession. Still, his epic in-traffic slam was a forceful reminder that Klay was back, bringing the Warriors' championship hopes along with him.

2. Draymond Green's vicious punch to Jordan Poole

Golden State's 2022-23 campaign hasn't gone the way anyone anticipated so gar, but don't blame the seismic preseason event that Kerr called “the biggest crisis that we've ever had.”

Draymond Green's vicious punch to Jordan Poole during a training camp practice was supposed to ruin the Warriors. It risked the chemistry that helped drive their title run even before video of the incident was leaked to the press. That development only pushed Golden State into more of an existential calamity, calling into question not just Green's future with the team but how organizational leaders managed the fallout of a unprovoked blow to the head that could've caused Poole serious damage.

Were the Warriors more concerned with identifying the leak than disciplining Green? Was their unofficial suspension of him for a week of practices and exhibition action nearly enough of a punishment? Would Poole ever be comfortable playing with Green again? Had Draymond already played his last game with the Warriors?

Nearly three months later, despite Golden State's 18-18 record, no one is questioning how Kerr and company handled the punch and its fallout. Green has re-cemented himself as an indispensable cog for the Warriors on both sides of the ball, and Poole has overcome early-season struggles to help keep this team afloat during Curry's absence.

Maybe the most telling indicator of the punch being firmly in the rearview mirror? It was Green's insertion to the second unit in mid-November that finally stabilized the Warriors' awful bench, providing Poole the playmaking and defensive support he needed to thrive as a reserve-lineup alpha dog.

So much for Green's right hook ending Golden State's dynasty. Almost no matter how this season ends, odds are it won't have any bearing on how the Warriors proceed beyond 2022-23.

1. Stephen Curry's NSFW tirade during epic Game 4 in NBA Finals

The happy tears Steph Curry cried on the Boston Celtics' home court as Game 6 drew to a close could've owned the top spot here. His hoisting of the Bill Russell Finals MVP Trophy could've, too, Curry finally and deservedly getting a key historical monkey off his back. Just Curry, Green, Thompson and Andre Iguodala sitting on the championship stage, holding the Larry O'Brien Trophy while flashing four fingers is one of the most significant moments in Warriors history.

But none of that would've been possible without Curry's epic Game 4 at TD Garden, a 43-point masterpiece against basketball's best defense that evened the NBA Finals at 2-2 and re-staked his claim as the best offensive player in the world. Even that context doesn't do the gravity of Curry's performance true justice.

Golden State had been blown out in Game 3, the Celtics' notoriously brash crowd raining chants of “F*** you, Draymond!” from the rafters en route to a 116-100 victory. Green's confidence was clearly shaken, the Warriors' emotional leader letting taunts and jeers from opposing fans affect his play on the floor.

Curry knew what he had to do from the moment Game 4 tipped off, unleashing a profanity-laced tirade at the Boston crowd after draining another triple that set the tone for even more singular dominance to come.

It was Curry's best game of a career full of legendary ones, and not just because of his production. Curry wasn't going to let Golden State lose Game 4, lifting his teammates up with him when they needed it most.