Golden State Warriors: An ode to the beloved Shaun Livingston

OAKLAND, CA - JUNE 17: Shaun Livingston #34 of the Golden State Warriors holds the NBA trophy on the plane as the team travels home from Cleveland after winning the 2015 NBA Finals on June 17, 2015 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2015 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - JUNE 17: Shaun Livingston #34 of the Golden State Warriors holds the NBA trophy on the plane as the team travels home from Cleveland after winning the 2015 NBA Finals on June 17, 2015 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2015 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
(Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

Livingston’s long list of accomplishments

Five straight Finals and three championship rings will always provide special moments across the board, and as a core piece of the squad, Livingston was no stranger to a highlight moment.

His “binoculars” celebrations after throwing crafty dimes became an iconic image of the 2015 championship run, along with his patented 3-point celebrations that became a staple of the bench mob ever since.

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Arguably his greatest moments came in the infamous 2016 Finals, with his playoff career-high 20 points catapulting a jaded Warriors team to a Game 1 victory. While there was a lack of joy in the final three games of the series for Warriors fans, Shaun’s emphatic posterizing of ex-Warrior Richard Jefferson remains a beautiful clip to re-watch.

The previously mentioned efficiency of Livingston was on full display in Game 2 of the 2018 Finals, hitting all five of his shots to stretch the Cleveland defense out beyond the focus of Steph, Klay and Durant.

His most recent Finals run also displayed his defensive abilities one last time with a thunderous block on later Finals MVP Kahwi Leonard.

Perhaps the image that will live long in the memory for Warriors fans is the supreme awareness of Livingston saving a steal from the lurking Kawhi, and finding Iguodala to ice a game-clinching 3 to close out a surprise Game 2 win in Toronto.

A muted celebration between two veterans recognizing the importance of each other’s actions is now viewed with an air of poignance, with the addition of hindsight that the pair will not last long with the franchise after this.