Golden State Fans Come Out of the Desert After Forty Years of Despair

June 22, 2015

Okay, after forty years, even Moses found his way out of the desert. The fan base of the Golden State Warriors has waited patiently for almost forty years to celebrate an NBA championship. That NBA championship trophy was last hoisted in 1975, led by a Rick Barry Warrior team that beat the Washington Bullets in four games. The euphoria lasted a long time because Warrior fans are some of the most loyal fans in any sport, in any town.

The organization had a rough go at it for stretches with only a few small glimpses of sunshine now and then. They squandered many of the draft picks on players that either never developed or were traded away. During the heyday of the Lakers, Celtics, Knicks, Pistons, Bulls, and Rockets, the Warriors usually toiled at the bottom of league standings. The fans came out to Oakland through these dark winters, sometimes in San Jose and San Francisco.

There were two glimmers of hope during this span when Coach Don Nelson came to town and brought with him a fun offensive style and some grit. Unfortunately, the team somehow disintegrated with personality clashes and trades. Don Nelson went away only to return in 2006 and again assembled some good players to tease the fans with winning ways. Within two years, the team blew up with the same personnel issues and contract disputes, and fans were short-changed.

In 2010, a new ownership group came in with a ray of hope, and the fans stayed loyal. They began drafting a core of players that are now playing their third year in a row of playoff basketball. The crowds in Oakland are even louder and trying to will the Warriors to a championship.

After decades of blunder and unfulfilled promise, the Golden State Warriors have reached the mountaintop. The fan base is going wild in the San Francisco Bay Area. Their team has erased all of those forgetful moments of despair and hopefully don't have to wait another forty years for a repeat.