Many view the Golden State Warriors dynasty as two different eras — the “Strength in Numbers” Warriors from 2014 to 2016 and the super-dominant squad from 2016 to 2019 brought about by their acquisition of Kevin Durant in the 2016 offseason. In an interview with Wes Goldberg of The Mercury News, head coach Steve Kerr describes the difference between the 2015 title team and the 2017 championship squad.
“I think the first championship just kind of came out of nowhere. Deep down, I think we weren’t really sure in 2015 that we could win it. We were trying to convince ourselves that we could, but we didn’t really know,” Steve Kerr said. “And whereas in ’17 we knew we were the best team in the world, and we knew we were going to win the championship. We had the champion’s confidence for winning in ’15 and then we had Kevin Durant. So it’s like a totally different level of belief.”
Certainly, there was a stark difference between the 2015 and 2017 Warriors championship teams. As Kerr mentioned, the 2015 title squad featured an inexperienced group of guys that eventually got it done. In 2017, Golden State had a juggernaut team that predictably went all the way.
In a way, the Warriors' 2015 title team did come out of left field despite finishing the regular season as the best team in the NBA. The year before in the 2014 playoffs, Golden State somewhat took a step back from a Western Conference semifinals finish in 2013 and bowed out in the first round.
Golden State took the league by storm in 2014-15 by finishing with the league's best record, 67-15. Led by budding superstar and league MVP Stephen Curry, the Warriors proved their naysayers wrong and won the 2015 title by defeating the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers in six games.
The year after, Golden State turned it up a notch, winning a record-setting 73 games in the regular season. Unfortunately, they lost in heartbreaking fashion to the Cavs in the Finals as James and company stormed back from a 3-1 series deficit to spoil what could have been the greatest season of all time.
In the ensuing summer, the Warriors shook the entire league by signing Kevin Durant, adding one of the three best players in the league to their already packed 73-win squad. Without surprise, Golden State ran amok on the entire league and went 16-1 in the 2017 playoffs, losing only once to the defending champion Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.
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