Golden State Warriors Team History

The franchise adopted its brand name Golden State Warriors prior to the 1971 – 1972 season, in order to suggest that the team represented the entire state of California. Almost all home games were played in Oakland that season; six were played in San Diego, but none in San Francisco or Daly City. Oakland Arena became the team’s exclusive home court in 1972.

In 1986, Jim Fitzgerald and Dan Finnane, who had also been involved with the Bucks, took over the Golden State Warriors, which they owned through 1995. At the time he owned each of these teams, Fitzgerald had only a “handshake agreement” with Don Nelson, head coach of both teams in turn, not a contract, an arrangement which reflected the friendship and trust between them. In an era of lawsuits and countersuits, this “contract” was unique in professional sports. In 1997, 50 years after he graduated, the Fitzgerald family donated funds to build a new sports and communications center and press box at Notre Dame Stadium.

The 1975 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1974 – 1975 NBA season of the National Basketball Association. The Golden State Warriors (48-34) of the Western Conference played against the Washington Bullets (60-22) of the Eastern Conference. The series was played under a best-of-seven format.

The Warriors’ home games were played at the Cow Palace in Daly City (near San Francisco) due to scheduling conflicts at their normal home court of Oakland Arena during the week of May 19–26. In addition, an odd scheduling format had to be used because Golden State could not secure the Cow Palace for Memorial Day Weekend (May 24–26). A Sports Illustrated article about the series reported that Washington, which held home court advantage, was given the option of a 1-2-2-1-1 scheduling format due to Golden State’s problems or, if they wished, opening on the road and then having Games 2, 3, and 4 at home. Washington opted for the 1-2-2-1-1 format not out of a sense of fairness, but because they wanted to open the series at home.

The series is notable as it was the first championship game or series in any of the four North American major professional sports leagues to feature two African American head coaches or managers, as Al Attles coached the Warriors and K. C. Jones coached the Bullets. On a lesser note, it was the first time that the NBA ever scheduled a game to be played in the month of June (Game 7 was scheduled for Monday Night, June 2). The first June game ever, however, would have to wait until the following year.

Peter Guber serves as the Co-Executive Chairman of the Golden State Warriors. As co-managing partner, he joined Joe Lacob as the driving forces behind the current ownership group’s NBA record-setting bid to purchase the Warriors in 2010.

Consultant Marc Ganis said of the purchase, “This could be one of the most valuable teams in the NBA.” The Golden State Warriors won the 2014 Sports Business Journal Award for Team of the Year, saying the team “continued a sharp trajectory in 2013 under owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber that produced strong, extensive on- and off-court gains,”

Guber and Lacob agreed to buy 12 acres of land in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood to build a privately financed new arena. The move would mark the Warrior’s return to a home arena in San Francisco (from Oakland) for the first time in more than four decades. Opening is targeted for the 2018 – 2019 season.

The 2015 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 2014 – 2015 season of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the conclusion of the season’s playoffs. The Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors defeated the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers in six games (4–2) for the Warriors’ first title in 40 years and their fourth in franchise history, becoming the first team since the 1990 – 1991 Chicago Bulls to win a championship without any prior Finals experience from any player on their roster. Golden State’s Andre Iguodala was named the Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP).

The 2017 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA)’s 2016–17 season and conclusion of the season’s playoffs. The Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors defeated the defending NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers 4 games to 1. This Finals was the first time in NBA history the same two teams had met for a third consecutive year. The Cavaliers sought to repeat as champions after winning the championship in 2016, while the Warriors won the first meeting in 2015. Golden State earned home court advantage with a 2016–17 regular season record of 67 – 15, while Cleveland finished the regular season with a 51 – 31 record. The Warriors entered the 2017 Finals after becoming the first team in NBA playoff history to start 12 – 0, while the Cavaliers entered the 2017 Finals with a 12 – 1 record during the first three rounds of the postseason. The Warriors’ 15 – 0 start in the playoffs is the most consecutive postseason wins in NBA history and their 16 – 1 record is the best winning percentage (.941) in NBA Playoff history.