The Golden State Warriors took the NBA by storm pretty much out of the blue. They were a promising team, for sure, but no one had them in their 'championship contender' tier once they hired Steve Kerr to replace Mark Jackson.
The Dubs kept winning and breaking records and went from underdogs to villains in the blink of an eye. They won three NBA championships in four straight trips to the NBA Finals, becoming the team everybody loved to hate.
That's why the 2022 title meant so much for the Dynasty. They had missed the playoffs the past two seasons and wanted to prove that they were still the same dominant team that ruled the league for half a decade.
NBA News: Draymond Green Explains What Made The 2022 Title The Best
"The first one was disbelief," Draymond Green explained in an interview with Bleacher Report's Taylor Rooks. "I'll never forget maybe ten games into the season, we all looking at each other like, 'hey, we can win a championship.' The 2017 one was like, with KD coming here, you know we cannot lose."
"First we were the good guys then we were the super villains 2018," Green added. "I think that one was kind of like the icing on the cake for all of it. Like, let's go do it again. The fourth one was like the biggest f**k you I have no better way of explaining it. That was 'F**k you' to everybody."
That's one blunt way to put it, but it doesn't make it any less true. People were ready to count the Dubs out once and for all, stating that they couldn't win without KD, Steph wasn't a leader, and Draymond and Klay were old. So, it must've been quite sweet.
But as Tom Brady said, the favorite title is always the next one. And the Warriors will have plenty of work to do if they intend to keep their status as defending champions, as they haven't exactly been at their best this season.
