Other than that, it’s been a little dull in Oakland.

The Dubs are in the midst of the best start anyone can remember, and for the first time in a long while, the successes feel real. Even sustainable. Somehow, over the past year or so, the most mismanaged, inexplicably fan-supported franchise in the NBA went from embarrassment to example.

In 10 important moments during 2012, the Warriors laid the groundwork for the most impressive franchise overhaul we’ve ever seen.

If you missed it, here’s Part 1, featuring moments 10-6. Now, on to the top five.

No. 5: The Coin Toss

Sometimes, everything really does come down to chance. None of the Warriors’ draft successes would have been possible if the team hadn’t won a coin toss against the Toronto Raptors to retain its No. 7 spot in the draft lottery. The coin didn’t guarantee the No. 7 pick, but it did give the Dubs a 72.4 percent chance of keeping their selection.

Of course, had the Warriors not spent the second half of the season aggressively tanking, the coin flip wouldn’t have ever happened, so in a backward way, the Dubs made their own luck here.

No. 4: Warriors Land Jarrett Jack

At first, the Warriors were only supposed to get some dude named Edin Bavcic for Dorell Wright, but at the last minute, the New Orleans Hornets got involved. The salary-conscious Hornets tossed Jarrett Jack into what became a three-team deal, which ended up paying huge dividends for the Dubs.

Jack has been one of the Warriors’ most critical players this season. His presence in the lineup allows Stephen Curry to play off the ball for long stretches and he provides the veteran toughness and savvy that most good teams have at the point guard spot.

In the locker room, he’s adopted Draymond Green and provides a great role model (as if the choir-boy Warriors needed one) for all of the young players.

Acquiring Jack may not have been splashy, but it has easily been the second-most important personnel move the Warriors have made in 2012.

No. 3: The Curry Extension

Good franchises avoid overpaying, and the Warriors did that when they inked Stephen Curry to a four-year, $44 million deal on the eve of the season-opener.

Throughout the offseason, there was a sense that Curry and the Warriors would reach an agreement. The only question was the terms. Curry could very easily have commanded a max deal, but lingering concerns over the health of his surgically repaired ankle allowed the Warriors to save a few million bucks on their franchise cornerstone.

Now that Curry is showing clear signs of being worth max dollars, the Warriors look particularly smart for buying low when they had the chance.

No. 2: The Heat Defeat

Anytime you knock off the defending NBA champs, it’s a good win. But if you do it during a season-long road trip by drawing up a fantastic play that yields a backdoor layup for a second-round pick, even better.

Dec 12, 2012; Miami FL, USA; Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry (30) celebrates their 97-95 win over the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

When the Warriors defeated the Heat on Dec. 12, it felt like validation. The much-discussed trades, the tanking, the talk of culture change all became part of a suddenly crystalized picture when Draymond Green quickly dropped in a layup with 0.9 seconds remaining in Miami.

The Heat hadn’t taken the night off. The Warriors hadn’t shot 80 percent from three. This was a win that was earned—against a great opponent that wasn’t sleepwalking.

Easily the most important regular-season victory in years, the Warriors’ triumph over the Heat ranks as the second-biggest moment of 2012.

No. 1: The Trade

The most important moment of 2012 was when the Warriors dealt Monta Ellis and Ekpe Udoh to the Milwaukee Bucks for Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson. The significance of the trade cannot be understated.

Mar 16, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Milwaukee Bucks point guard Monta Ellis (11) during a stoppage in play against the Golden State Warriors during the second quarter at Oracle Arena. Milwaukee defeated Golden State 120-98. Mandatory Credit: Jason O. Watson-USA TODAY Sports

Without it, there wouldn’t have been any tanking.

Without it, the saved lottery pick is long gone.

Without it, there’s no Harrison Barnes.

Without it, there’s no Festus Ezeli (the Dubs moved Jackson for Richard Jefferson and the pick they used to draft the Vanderbilt center).

Without it, Jarrett Jack isn’t a Warrior (Ellis’ departure created a need for another ball-handler).

Without it, the Warriors don’t suddenly start defending this year.

But with it, the Warriors dumped the franchise-killing Ellis, sent a message to the league that they understood the importance of defense and rebounding and shifted the course of the organization in an entirely positive direction.

Now that’s a big moment.

June 28, 2012; Newark, NJ, USA; Harrison Barnes (North Carolina), right, is introduced as the number seven overall pick to the Golden State Warriors by NBA commissioner David Stern during the 2012 NBA Draft at the Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

It’s been a pretty strange year for your Golden State Warriors. Over the last 12 months, the Dubs have emerged from a lockout with a new coach, made playoff guarantees, traded a beloved “star”, imported an Australian, tanked a season, gained a new identity and knocked off the NBA champs.

Other than that, it’s been a little dull in Oakland.

The Dubs are in the midst of the best start anyone can remember, and for the first time in a long while, the successes feel real. Even sustainable. Somehow, over the past year or so, the most mismanaged, inexplicably fan-supported franchise in the NBA went from embarrassment to example. In 10 important moments during 2012, the Warriors laid the groundwork for the most impressive franchise overhaul we’ve ever seen.

No. 10: The Mark Jackson Scandal

Early in the summer 0f 2012, news broke that Warriors coach Mark Jackson had been extorted by an ex-stripper and her felonious pal. The unsavory duo had information on Jackson, consisting of audio recordings and photographs that proved the Dubs’ coach hadn’t exactly been conducting himself like the pious man of faith he claimed to be. Keep in mind, at this juncture, the only things Jackson had done as the Warriors coach included making a foolish and ill-fated playoff guarantee and looking generally lost on the sideline.

This could have totally crushed whatever remaining credibility Jackson had.

Instead, Warriors ownership stood behind him and he somehow didn’t lose the trust of the locker room. How he managed to retain the support of his players in the midst of all this is baffling.

This moment carries special importance because it’s the one that could have derailed the train before it left the station. If Jackson’s lost integrity had cost him the team (which it probably should have), who knows where the Warriors would have ended up.

No. 9: The Bogut Revelation

Somehow, the Warriors managed to avoid a complete PR disaster when the public learned that the organization had been lying about the severity of Andrew Bogut’s ankle surgery for months. In hindsight, it’s truly amazing that there wasn’t more outrage (especially from season ticket holders who made heavy investments on the promise that Bogut would be playing) when the Warriors center revealed that he’d been hiding the fact that he’d actually had microfracture surgery on his ankle.

GM Bob Myers was falsely apologetic, and it seemed clear that he was falling on the sword for Joe Lacob, who mandated the plan in hopes of avoiding more disapproval for the trade that sent Monta Ellis away.

If the Warriors hadn’t gotten off to a solid start, this whole scenario would have played out in a very different way. Now, after just a few weeks, it’s been swept quietly under the rug. Apparently, winning games really does make everything OK.

No. 8: The Crucifixion of Joe Lacob

In a move that only emphasized how shortsighted and illogical many Warrior fans truly are, Joe Lacob was mercilessly booed during the jersey retirement ceremony for Chris Mullin. The assembled, braying masses at Oracle destroyed what should have been a beautiful occasion for one of the franchise’s most beloved figures by vocalizing their idiotic frustration over the organization’s decision to dump Monta Ellis.

Point the first: Monta Ellis is a bad NBA player. You cannot win with him and he’s going to fall off of a cliff when his athleticism leaves.

Point the second: The Warriors were going nowhere and gave up an overrated player for a shot at an elite defensive center. Smart teams make that trade 100 times out of 100.

Point the third: If you’re going to boo Lacob, don’t do it at the expense of Chris Mullin.

Point the fourth / Question the first: How do the 19,000 morons who booed that night feel about Lacob and the Warriors now?

Anyway, this was a critical moment because it showed that ownership clearly knew what it was doing. It also revealed how generally ignorant much of the Warriors’ fan base really is, but most intelligent Dubs’ loyalists already knew that.

No. 7: Warriors Sign Carl Landry

You know what the Warriors have lacked for years? A rugged scorer who does his work in isolation on the block.

You know what Carl Landry is? A rugged scorer who does his work in isolation on the block.

Golden State GM Bob Myers addressed one of the franchise’s most pressing needs at a bargain basement price when he inked Landry for $8 million over two years last summer. The move clearly filled a hole on the roster, but it also emphasized the changing environment in Golden State.

Landry came to the Warriors because he liked the franchise. How’s that for proof that things were starting to change in Oakland?

No. 6: Dubs Dominate Draft

From a volume perspective, the Warriors’ draft performance might have been the most important moment of 2012. In one fell swoop, the Dubs added two starters and a key rotation player in Harrison Barnes, Festus Ezeli and Draymond Green.

Though the rookie wall has slowed Barnes a bit, he certainly provided the year’s most impressive highlight. Going forward, he looks like a rotation player, at worst.

Ezeli has a chance to be a good backup center for a long time, especially if he can find an alchemist to turn his stone hands into some softer material.

Green looks like a real glue guy, with a chance to stick in the league on the strength of his smarts and hustle. He’s limited from a skills standpoint, but any team would be happy to have him.

Overall, the Warriors killed the draft, which makes it the highest entry in Part 1 of our list.