How the Golden State Warriors have defied history again

For a brief moment, it felt like we might see the Golden State Warriors fall from grace.

NBA Free agency began with a bang. Before the official signing period even started, news broke that Kevin Durant would be leaving the Golden State Warriors to join the Brooklyn Nets. This decision from Durant sent ripples through the rest of the league and was a devastating blow to the Warriors.

Since the 2015 season, the Dubs have been on top of the NBA mountain. Winning three championships in five consecutive trips to the Finals, the Warriors were basketball royalty. Though they had seemingly been set up for a decade of success, the last few months have been catastrophic for the Warriors.

It began with DeMarcus Cousins who re-injured himself during round one of the NBA Playoffs. The laboring big man had already dealt with an Achilles injury earlier in his career and would be a shell of himself from here on out. Of course, things only got worse for the Dubs who then watched Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Kevon Looney all suffer devastating injuries as well.

Consequently, the Warriors were forced to play against a deep Toronto Raptors team in the Finals. With only Stephen Curry and Draymond Green to carry the load, the Warriors were defeated in six games. This loss left the entire team feeling deflated, knowing that next season would be no easier with Durant and Thompson needing to recover from injury.

Then, as previously mentioned, Durant’s decision to leave the team altogether was the finishing blow. A fatality move to abruptly end the Warriors dynasty.Much like many other great NBA teams, the Warriors would watch as their championship runs got cut short due to injuries and one major free agency decision.

Though it was a shocking revelation, it shouldn’t have been unforeseen. Nearly every legendary basketball squad has had their reign come to a drastic decline. The Chicago Bulls went from six time champions to a 13-win team after the 1998 season. The Miami Heat fell off the top ropes when LeBron James left the franchise and we all know what happened with the Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant Lakers.

This is simply how basketball works. The Warriors had broken the natural balance for half of a decade and now it was time for them to return back to reality. However, the Dubs once again proved that this dynasty is far different from anything we have ever seen before.

In the same day that Durant announced his decision, the Warriors managed to pull off a sign-and-trade to bring D’Angelo Russell, to the Bay. D-Lo averaged 21.1 points and 7.0 assists last season en route to reaching his first All-Star game at 21 years old. The importance of this move cannot go understated as the Dubs now have another star player to help them this year.

There is no telling how far D-Lo can elevate his game for the Warriors, but one thing is for certain and that is he has extended the length of this dynasty. Death was knocking on the Dubs front door, but the franchise has now bought themselves a little more time in the spotlight.