WEBVTT - Episode 1 - Welcome to the Bay! 0:00:03.789 --> 0:00:06.709 Dubb Dynasty as a production of iHeartMedia and the NBA. 0:00:07.469 --> 0:00:08.149 And it's over. 0:00:08.749 --> 0:00:12.149 The championship is back in the Bay for the first. 0:00:11.789 --> 0:00:16.069 Time in forty years. There's the buzzer. There's a new 0:00:16.149 --> 0:00:20.189 dynasty in the NBA. The Golden State Warriors champions once again, 0:00:20.309 --> 0:00:22.789 back to back titles three and four years. 0:00:23.149 --> 0:00:27.309 The run is not done. The Golden State Warriors once 0:00:27.349 --> 0:00:29.869 again are NBA champions. 0:00:31.709 --> 0:00:36.549 Yep, those are the Golden State Warriors, celebrating championships like 0:00:36.589 --> 0:00:40.269 it's their birthright. You're probably wondering how they got in 0:00:40.309 --> 0:00:46.269 this situation, no belk fine, but if I told you 0:00:46.349 --> 0:00:49.909 it took forty years of frustration to reach those celebrations, 0:00:50.749 --> 0:00:54.349 that a basketball crazed region now drunk off success, was 0:00:54.389 --> 0:00:58.229 once a group of disillusioned diehards just hoping for any 0:00:58.349 --> 0:01:00.869 kind of consistency, and that it took some of the 0:01:00.949 --> 0:01:04.949 boldest decisions in the sports history to get you'd at 0:01:05.029 --> 0:01:08.988 least be somewhat intrigued. Tossing the fact that the person 0:01:09.068 --> 0:01:12.828 most responsible for this remarkable rewriting of a franchise's history 0:01:13.309 --> 0:01:17.029 is the ultimate underdog with the mesmerizing ability and this 0:01:17.109 --> 0:01:20.349 Warrior's run over the past decade is far more than 0:01:20.389 --> 0:01:23.628 a record scratch moment. It's one of the most entertaining, 0:01:24.149 --> 0:01:28.469 unexpected and extended runs we've ever seen. So maybe now 0:01:28.509 --> 0:01:30.988 you're wondering how they got here. To tell the story 0:01:31.029 --> 0:01:35.309 of these last ten transformative years, Let's go back much hurt, 0:01:36.029 --> 0:01:38.788 all the way to the last time Golden State was 0:01:38.828 --> 0:01:43.389 holding a Golden trophy. I'm Israel Gutierrez and this is 0:01:43.469 --> 0:01:44.308 Doug Dynasty. 0:01:52.989 --> 0:01:58.029 Oh, incredible story. 0:01:54.509 --> 0:02:01.469 It's the final damn ninety section five. 0:02:02.109 --> 0:02:07.749 Oh, it's a sport, the most highable lawyer series. 0:02:07.509 --> 0:02:10.149 I said, I don't believe what's happening when they came back. 0:02:10.229 --> 0:02:15.469 Well today, I believe that the Golden State Warriors better 0:02:15.589 --> 0:02:17.069 than any want to anticipate. 0:02:17.909 --> 0:02:21.629 That familiar voice is that of longtime sports broadcaster Brent 0:02:21.709 --> 0:02:25.268 Musburger calling an NBA finals. If that clip sounds like 0:02:25.309 --> 0:02:28.629 the nineteen seventies, it's because it was the heart of 0:02:28.629 --> 0:02:32.029 the decade May of nineteen seventy five to be exact. 0:02:36.228 --> 0:02:39.149 And if the story of the plucky underdog Golden State 0:02:39.189 --> 0:02:42.909 Warriors winning the NBA title behind finals MVP Rick Barry 0:02:42.909 --> 0:02:47.309 doesn't ring a bell even for avid basketball fans, it's understandable. 0:02:48.269 --> 0:02:52.029 The seventies were easily considered the worst decade for the NBA, 0:02:52.228 --> 0:02:54.708 nestled in between the Celtics carrying the league in the 0:02:54.788 --> 0:02:58.948 nineteen sixties and Magic Larry and Michael reviving the NBA 0:02:59.269 --> 0:03:03.228 in the nineteen eighties, and this particular final series was 0:03:03.269 --> 0:03:07.109 a great example of just how unserious the league was 0:03:07.149 --> 0:03:10.949 back then. The Washington Bullets had home court advantage, but 0:03:10.989 --> 0:03:13.429 were given an option to either start the series on 0:03:13.469 --> 0:03:16.828 the road or play an odd one two two one 0:03:16.989 --> 0:03:21.429 one format, which they chose, starting at home in Landover, Maryland, 0:03:21.788 --> 0:03:24.149 then switching to the Bay Area for the next two games. 0:03:25.069 --> 0:03:29.708 Why it's simple, really, The Warriors couldn't secure their usual 0:03:29.749 --> 0:03:34.189 home Oakland Arena because of a scheduling conflict with Sesame 0:03:34.269 --> 0:03:40.909 Street on ice. The Warriors eventually deferred to the Feathered 0:03:40.909 --> 0:03:45.429 Bird and instead moved on over to the Cow Palace 0:03:45.469 --> 0:03:49.069 in Daily City, near San Francisco for their home games 0:03:49.069 --> 0:03:52.988 in the championship series. Despite playing a pair of games 0:03:52.989 --> 0:03:57.269 in a bovine residence, the Warriors won all four finals contests, 0:03:57.709 --> 0:04:00.109 and did so with Barry as the only player on 0:04:00.149 --> 0:04:02.989 his team averaging more than thirty minutes a game. He 0:04:03.029 --> 0:04:05.509 played four three a game, and the only player on 0:04:05.549 --> 0:04:08.669 his team averaging more than twelve points, he put up 0:04:08.709 --> 0:04:11.148 twenty nine and a half per game, giving the Warriors 0:04:11.149 --> 0:04:15.509 their first NBA championship and the franchise's first title since 0:04:15.509 --> 0:04:19.669 it won something called the Basketball Association of America Championship 0:04:19.949 --> 0:04:23.509 in nineteen forty seven, while they were the Philadelphia Warriors. 0:04:25.229 --> 0:04:30.669 Underdogs all the way like Warriors. 0:04:32.469 --> 0:04:39.669 Championship in the forty years following that nineteen seventy five title, 0:04:40.229 --> 0:04:43.349 Bay Area basketball was basically about having a good time, 0:04:43.868 --> 0:04:47.589 but not for a very long time, no sustained excellence, 0:04:48.389 --> 0:04:52.029 very few extended playoff runs, and a reputation is the 0:04:52.069 --> 0:04:55.909 place where NBA careers go to stall out. Despite an 0:04:55.909 --> 0:04:59.269 eager fan base that desperately wanted to make Oakland's Arena 0:04:59.469 --> 0:05:03.188 the place to be on end given night. Set against 0:05:03.189 --> 0:05:06.829 thatreary backdrop, any sort of sustained success would have been 0:05:06.829 --> 0:05:10.469 extremely satisfying for fans that saw so many starts and 0:05:10.589 --> 0:05:13.949 stops without any real hardware or banners to show for it. 0:05:15.549 --> 0:05:20.029 That's why the current Warriors run. A rare, true active 0:05:20.149 --> 0:05:23.388 dynasty that has lasted more than a decade has created 0:05:23.428 --> 0:05:28.429 a real basketball nirvana, a state of perfect round ball happiness, 0:05:29.109 --> 0:05:32.109 a golden state if you will, and. 0:05:32.189 --> 0:05:35.029 That'll do it. It's over. The Golden State. Warriors returned 0:05:35.069 --> 0:05:37.428 to a familiar place. They're on top of the NBA 0:05:37.549 --> 0:05:42.109 world the fourth title of eight years. The Dubbs dynasty 0:05:42.669 --> 0:05:44.268 is still very much alive. 0:05:48.109 --> 0:05:51.789 Since the twenty fourteen to fifteen NBA season, the Warriors, 0:05:52.149 --> 0:05:55.149 nicknamed the Doves for those who prefer less syllables, have 0:05:55.269 --> 0:05:58.989 been the best franchise in the league, winning four championships 0:05:59.029 --> 0:06:02.469 and reaching six finals altogether. They've set the record for 0:06:02.549 --> 0:06:05.549 most wins in a reg season. They featured the only 0:06:05.669 --> 0:06:09.789 unanimous MVP in league history in the transformative Stephan Curry. 0:06:10.189 --> 0:06:13.988 They completed arguably the greatest playoff run in NBA history 0:06:14.029 --> 0:06:17.789 after adding Kevin Durant and entirely reinvented what it meant 0:06:17.829 --> 0:06:20.469 to be a jump shooting team behind the leadership of 0:06:20.509 --> 0:06:23.748 head coach Steve Kerr. They did it as the out 0:06:23.748 --> 0:06:28.309 of nowhere lovable underdogs, as the big bully favorites, and 0:06:28.389 --> 0:06:30.988 as the wily veterans who just knew how to win. 0:06:31.789 --> 0:06:34.428 And they did it while transitioning out of Oakland and 0:06:34.509 --> 0:06:38.149 into San Francisco becoming one of the glamour franchises in 0:06:38.189 --> 0:06:40.868 the league, with the crown jewel of a home arena 0:06:41.308 --> 0:06:46.669 and a growing international fan base. A dynasty like this, 0:06:47.389 --> 0:06:49.909 the dubbed dynasty that is still active in looking to 0:06:49.909 --> 0:06:53.188 add to the trophy case this season and beyond. It'll 0:06:53.189 --> 0:06:56.428 do that for a franchise, and even though this magical 0:06:56.509 --> 0:07:00.469 run isn't over, it's well worth revisiting this decade full 0:07:00.509 --> 0:07:04.868 of unforgettable moments that redefined the Warrior's frand chests, starting 0:07:04.868 --> 0:07:08.669 with the centerpiece of his wholetale Steph Curry, and how 0:07:08.709 --> 0:07:11.629 his joining the Warriors in two thousand and nine would 0:07:11.669 --> 0:07:13.389 change the NBA forever. 0:07:14.429 --> 0:07:17.029 With the seventh pick in the two thousand and nine 0:07:17.269 --> 0:07:22.749 NBA Draft, the Golden State Warriors select Stephen Curry from 0:07:22.829 --> 0:07:24.429 Davidson College. 0:07:25.549 --> 0:07:29.909 Before that, Warriors fans were a niche group. There were 0:07:29.909 --> 0:07:32.949 the hardcore hoops fans in the Bay and not that 0:07:33.149 --> 0:07:37.589 many else outside of it. My NBA origin story actually 0:07:37.629 --> 0:07:41.709 begins there as a pre dynasty Warriors fan. I've been 0:07:41.749 --> 0:07:44.429 based in South Florida my entire career, but as a 0:07:44.429 --> 0:07:48.309 thirteen year old I discovered the run TMC Warriors featuring 0:07:48.349 --> 0:07:51.469 the trio of Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond, and Chris Mullen 0:07:51.749 --> 0:07:54.869 during the nineteen ninety ninety one season, and I immediately 0:07:54.869 --> 0:07:57.789 fell in love. They were nicknamed after the rap group 0:07:57.869 --> 0:08:01.909 run Dms, and their fast paced style of play, coached 0:08:01.909 --> 0:08:05.309 by offensive minded Hall of Fame Donnie Nelson, had me 0:08:05.389 --> 0:08:08.029 eager to stay up past one am, often on the 0:08:08.029 --> 0:08:11.309 East Coast to catch their games on TNT, much to 0:08:11.389 --> 0:08:12.268 my mother's chagrin. 0:08:13.709 --> 0:08:14.989 Hard Way against Scott. 0:08:14.749 --> 0:08:18.549 They cleared the side it comes. 0:08:18.589 --> 0:08:26.309 The crossovery blows by Please twenty six were hard Away, 0:08:27.549 --> 0:08:31.149 It's tip, Golden State intercepts the pass and the Warners 0:08:31.309 --> 0:08:34.909 have won this game, the first Golden State playoff win 0:08:35.109 --> 0:08:38.029 at the Forum since nineteen sixty. 0:08:38.709 --> 0:08:41.269 That team was one of those handful of exciting but 0:08:41.509 --> 0:08:44.829 short lived teams dotting the Warriors history during that forty 0:08:44.909 --> 0:08:47.989 year gap between championships, and you'll hear a little more 0:08:47.989 --> 0:08:50.349 about all of them later in the pot. By the 0:08:50.389 --> 0:08:52.429 time the two thousand and eight two thousand and nine 0:08:52.509 --> 0:08:55.709 season ended nearly twenty nine years later, Golden State had 0:08:55.749 --> 0:08:59.789 produced a few more versions of exciting, often surprising teams, 0:09:00.309 --> 0:09:03.269 but was at the moment two years removed from any 0:09:03.469 --> 0:09:07.669 playoff appearances, although as a quick side note, it's absolutely 0:09:07.709 --> 0:09:09.709 wild the Warriors didn't make the two thousand and eight 0:09:09.749 --> 0:09:13.549 playoffs despite forty seven wins. Every single team in the 0:09:13.549 --> 0:09:16.749 Western Conference playoffs that season won at least fifty games, 0:09:17.149 --> 0:09:20.549 meanwhile only three in the East Wage. In the eight 0:09:20.549 --> 0:09:23.749 to nine season, the Warriors missed the playoffs more traditional, 0:09:24.109 --> 0:09:27.149 winning only twenty nine games and setting themselves up for 0:09:27.189 --> 0:09:33.229 an NBA draft that would unknowingly change so much about basketball. 0:09:33.269 --> 0:09:36.589 That may, the Warriors moved on from Chris Mullen as 0:09:36.589 --> 0:09:41.149 the executive vice president's basketball operations, Yes that's same Chris Mullen, 0:09:41.509 --> 0:09:44.109 and pivoted to a man named Larry Riley as their 0:09:44.149 --> 0:09:48.269 general manager. Despite the switch, Mullen had already done his 0:09:48.349 --> 0:09:51.269 homework on the two thousand and nine draft class, much 0:09:51.349 --> 0:09:54.669 like his successor would eventually share. Mullen and his staff 0:09:54.669 --> 0:09:58.029 had developed an affinity for a scrawny six foot two 0:09:58.229 --> 0:10:01.549 point guard with insane scoring ability from a small school 0:10:01.589 --> 0:10:07.069 called Davidson College in North Carolin. His official name Wardell 0:10:07.229 --> 0:10:11.589 Stephen Curry the second Yeah you'd go by step too. 0:10:12.869 --> 0:10:15.709 After the break the draft night drama that changed the 0:10:15.829 --> 0:10:36.309 NBA forever. Don Nelson was once again the Warriors head 0:10:36.349 --> 0:10:39.429 coach after leaving between nineteen ninety five and two thousand 0:10:39.429 --> 0:10:42.109 and five to coach the Nixon Mavericks, and he also 0:10:42.309 --> 0:10:44.109 liked the idea of a guard who could put it 0:10:44.149 --> 0:10:47.189 in the hole from anywhere on the floor. Regardless of 0:10:47.229 --> 0:10:50.349 what the NBA norms were at the time about the 0:10:50.349 --> 0:10:53.749 only certainty heading into this draft was that high flying 0:10:53.829 --> 0:10:56.789 power forward Blake Griffin out of Oklahoma would be the 0:10:56.869 --> 0:11:00.749 number one pick. After that, the only other certainty was 0:11:00.789 --> 0:11:05.469 that one future MVP, James Harden, would drafted pretty high. 0:11:05.509 --> 0:11:08.589 Even with Curry, a future two time MVP, there was 0:11:08.629 --> 0:11:11.669 no sure thing. And that's despite this fact his father 0:11:11.829 --> 0:11:14.429 was Dell Curry, a deadly shooter of his own who 0:11:14.429 --> 0:11:17.509 played for five teams over a sixteen year career and 0:11:17.549 --> 0:11:21.069 shot forty percent from three point range during it. But Mullen, 0:11:21.549 --> 0:11:24.469 an NBA Hall of Famer, had a strong feeling about 0:11:24.509 --> 0:11:28.269 the junior from Davidson, comparing him to another two time MVP. 0:11:29.109 --> 0:11:32.869 We had done all prep work before I left that position. 0:11:34.309 --> 0:11:38.949 One of the minority governors who's not hearing much, showed 0:11:38.949 --> 0:11:42.149 me the notes we had Blake number one. We had 0:11:42.189 --> 0:11:45.749 Steph two. So we had watched Steph extensively, and Nelly 0:11:45.949 --> 0:11:50.029 and I both felt and this was probably maybe a 0:11:50.029 --> 0:11:53.509 long shot. At that time, he would be Steve Nash. 0:11:53.749 --> 0:11:55.869 You know, that was you know for that was Steve Nash, 0:11:55.909 --> 0:11:59.389 two time MVP. That's not you know, underestimating a player. 0:12:00.149 --> 0:12:02.469 Obviously Steve has gone past that, but that's kind of 0:12:02.469 --> 0:12:06.389 what we saw Steph because he could play on the ball, 0:12:06.749 --> 0:12:09.429 he could play off the ball, he had a quick release. 0:12:09.629 --> 0:12:12.149 I remember going to watch him at the Garden. Davidson 0:12:12.189 --> 0:12:17.309 played West Virginia, which is a really physical defensive team. 0:12:17.669 --> 0:12:19.189 Usually when I go to those games, I try to 0:12:19.229 --> 0:12:21.629 watch the entire game and not focus on one player, 0:12:21.989 --> 0:12:24.349 but I found myself I couldn't take my eyes off 0:12:24.749 --> 0:12:27.469 because he was so active off the basketball, which is 0:12:27.549 --> 0:12:30.789 really for a young player different most of those players 0:12:30.829 --> 0:12:33.989 growing up. They do things with the ball right, dynamic 0:12:34.029 --> 0:12:36.869 ball handlers, and when they give it up, they stand. 0:12:37.469 --> 0:12:39.389 That's what caught my eye about him. I was like, Wow, 0:12:39.429 --> 0:12:40.589 this guy's got that field. 0:12:44.349 --> 0:12:47.109 But it wasn't up to Mullen to make this choice anymore. 0:12:47.389 --> 0:12:50.269 This would be a decision headed by former Warriors general 0:12:50.349 --> 0:12:53.949 manager Larry Riley, in Indiana native who'd spent his whole 0:12:53.949 --> 0:12:57.349 life in basketball, starting his career as an assistant coach 0:12:57.629 --> 0:13:00.549 at Southwest Missouri State in nineteen sixty nine. 0:13:00.949 --> 0:13:07.669 Yeah, how many times I saw him play, It wasn't 0:13:07.709 --> 0:13:11.589 a whole lot. There were criticisms about him that come 0:13:11.669 --> 0:13:17.509 about with people who analyze players. Scouts, Okay, he's a 0:13:17.589 --> 0:13:23.629 two guard, he's too small, he's weak, he's not a 0:13:23.629 --> 0:13:29.509 point guard. The defining moment for me with Steph Kurky 0:13:30.349 --> 0:13:36.269 was it was in December, about mid December. Davidson had 0:13:36.269 --> 0:13:41.229 scheduled the game with Purdue in Indianapolis, and that was 0:13:41.269 --> 0:13:45.149 before the hand checking stuff. You know, Purdue thought they 0:13:45.189 --> 0:13:47.869 were playing football, and I knew it would be a 0:13:47.909 --> 0:13:50.749 tough thing, and I knew they'd beat him up, and 0:13:50.789 --> 0:13:53.629 I wanted to see how he handled the physical play 0:13:53.709 --> 0:13:57.789 because that was a question with scouts. Never mind was asking, well, 0:13:57.829 --> 0:14:00.549 he's pretty friendly. He looked like he was fourteen years old. 0:14:01.229 --> 0:14:05.229 And the second thing was I got a break at 0:14:05.229 --> 0:14:08.589 that game for one reason or another, and that may 0:14:08.589 --> 0:14:11.269 have been injured to the point guard. That he played 0:14:11.309 --> 0:14:17.389 the point in that game a good win, and that 0:14:17.509 --> 0:14:22.509 game defined to me that Steph Curry was a guy 0:14:22.549 --> 0:14:26.429 who could play in the NBA. And frankly, that was 0:14:26.469 --> 0:14:29.789 the last game that I saw him play live because 0:14:29.909 --> 0:14:33.869 we had all the video and so I was satisfied 0:14:34.469 --> 0:14:38.469 in middle or late December because in that game, he 0:14:38.589 --> 0:14:41.869 showed the point guard's feels. He made a long pass, 0:14:41.909 --> 0:14:44.949 he made the short pass, and he took the beating 0:14:45.509 --> 0:14:48.509 that went along with it. Now they lost the game. 0:14:48.669 --> 0:14:50.109 Yeah, I was going to say, can I give you 0:14:50.149 --> 0:14:52.189 his stat line too? Do you remember that I. 0:14:52.109 --> 0:14:54.869 Think he was I think he was only six for 0:14:55.829 --> 0:14:58.669 six for eighteen. It raised in my mind that he 0:14:58.749 --> 0:15:00.629 only made about a thirty of its shots. 0:15:01.029 --> 0:15:03.389 It was worse than that. He was five of twenty six. 0:15:04.229 --> 0:15:06.749 He was two for twelve from three and he had 0:15:06.829 --> 0:15:10.469 six turnovers. But he had six assists in three steals 0:15:10.509 --> 0:15:11.549 and eight rebounds. 0:15:11.789 --> 0:15:14.709 Well see, and that's what I'm talking about. He produced 0:15:14.749 --> 0:15:19.029 on the other levels. I wasn't worried about the shot. 0:15:21.269 --> 0:15:24.469 No one was. Curry's shot is what made him such 0:15:24.509 --> 0:15:27.749 an intriguing must watch talent, to the point that Lebron 0:15:27.829 --> 0:15:30.429 James famously stopped by to watch one of his NCAA 0:15:30.509 --> 0:15:34.149 tournament games in person. It was that drawing tower and 0:15:34.189 --> 0:15:37.629 his big game performances that made Steph a certain lottery 0:15:37.669 --> 0:15:40.229 pick in the draft, meaning he'd go in the top fourteen. 0:15:40.989 --> 0:15:43.269 How high did the rest of the lottery have Curry rated? 0:15:43.789 --> 0:15:46.869 Would he ever reach the Warriors at number seven, especially 0:15:46.949 --> 0:15:49.269 with the Minnesota Timberwolves team in need of a point 0:15:49.269 --> 0:15:52.509 guard choosing twice directly before the Warriors. 0:15:52.869 --> 0:15:55.949 I didn't think he'd be available when we were picking. 0:15:56.189 --> 0:15:59.509 In fact, I thought he was going to be gone, 0:15:59.549 --> 0:16:04.269 to the extent that we explored trade possibilities for that pick, 0:16:04.629 --> 0:16:08.189 and those explorations were based on the fact that Seth 0:16:08.269 --> 0:16:11.229 current may not be there. Now Steph was going to 0:16:11.269 --> 0:16:14.029 be there. Okay, we know we're going to draft you. 0:16:14.789 --> 0:16:18.869 My concern was he's gone, and I have to take 0:16:18.949 --> 0:16:21.989 the next guy, Frank White, who I didn't like. 0:16:22.589 --> 0:16:26.749 That next guy was Jordan Jordan Hill, that is who 0:16:26.749 --> 0:16:29.589 the Knicks drafted immediately after Curry at number eight and 0:16:29.709 --> 0:16:33.429 averaged double figures scoring once in his eight year career. 0:16:33.949 --> 0:16:36.109 Not sure what kind of podcast would have been birthed 0:16:36.109 --> 0:16:38.589 if Hill had been the Warriors pick, but thanks to 0:16:38.629 --> 0:16:41.789 the Minnesota draft evaluators at the time, we'll never find 0:16:41.829 --> 0:16:44.989 that out. That's because the Wolves drafted two point guards 0:16:44.989 --> 0:16:48.549 with the fifth and six picks, Spanish phenom Ricky Rubio 0:16:49.149 --> 0:16:53.389 and Syracuse sophomore Johnny Flint. Riley had received a hot 0:16:53.429 --> 0:16:56.309 tip that the Wolves would do just that after acquiring 0:16:56.349 --> 0:16:59.389 the fifth pick from Washington via trade, but it still 0:16:59.469 --> 0:17:00.309 left him nervous. 0:17:00.549 --> 0:17:05.469 I got a call the day before from a source 0:17:05.509 --> 0:17:10.069 that told me, Okay, Minnesota's going to do this. Well, 0:17:10.469 --> 0:17:13.629 I hardly slept that I could. I just I could 0:17:13.669 --> 0:17:17.029 not believe that it was really going to happen. But 0:17:17.789 --> 0:17:21.469 from time to time you get sources that you really 0:17:21.509 --> 0:17:25.549 believe it. This was one that I said, this guy's 0:17:25.709 --> 0:17:29.309 probably right, It's probably going to happen, and I just 0:17:30.429 --> 0:17:34.509 I was we couldn't wait until they started picking, and 0:17:34.589 --> 0:17:36.109 they actually did. 0:17:37.389 --> 0:17:40.389 With the fifth pick in the two thousand and nine 0:17:40.549 --> 0:17:48.309 NBA Draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves select Ricky Rubio of El Masno, 0:17:48.749 --> 0:17:53.829 Spain and Juventu. With the sixth pick in the NBA Draft, 0:17:54.469 --> 0:17:59.189 the Minnesota Timberwolves select Johnny Flynn from Syracuse University. 0:18:01.909 --> 0:18:03.829 That left the door open for the Warrior years to 0:18:03.869 --> 0:18:07.469 choose Kerk, but as it turns out, it wasn't just 0:18:07.549 --> 0:18:10.429 the Timberwolves that Riley and the Warriors should have concerned 0:18:10.429 --> 0:18:14.709 themselves with. There was a certain general manager out in Phoenix, 0:18:15.229 --> 0:18:17.549 a shooter in his own right, who'd had his eye 0:18:17.589 --> 0:18:20.388 with Curry as well. Steve Kerr had been the general 0:18:20.429 --> 0:18:22.909 manager of the Suns for two seasons at that point. 0:18:23.589 --> 0:18:26.829 He traded for Shaquille O'Neil, acquiring him from Miami his 0:18:26.909 --> 0:18:30.389 first season on the job. But Kerr had such faith 0:18:30.429 --> 0:18:33.589 in Curry he was willing to trade Phoenix's leading scorer 0:18:33.629 --> 0:18:35.989 at the time for a chance to draft the Sun 0:18:36.029 --> 0:18:39.749 of Dell. He too saw step as a Steve nashclone 0:18:39.989 --> 0:18:41.829 and wanted him in the Valley of the Sun. 0:18:42.149 --> 0:18:45.389 I thought we had a deal, a draft, a deal 0:18:45.549 --> 0:18:49.989 to end up, you know, getting him to Phoenix. But 0:18:50.589 --> 0:18:55.509 it fell through, and it involved in Amars Stademar, because 0:18:56.109 --> 0:19:00.149 I think Amari was you know, still playing at a 0:19:00.189 --> 0:19:04.189 high level, and so the Warriors were very in him. 0:19:04.749 --> 0:19:08.309 And I don't remember the exact details of the deal, 0:19:08.389 --> 0:19:11.669 but we looked at Steph as the next Steve Dash 0:19:11.709 --> 0:19:15.469 and you know, we had been watching Steve for all 0:19:15.509 --> 0:19:19.469 those years and felt like Steph shared so many of 0:19:19.509 --> 0:19:23.029 the same qualities and could be so captivating for our fans, 0:19:23.069 --> 0:19:27.908 and just the skill level was just incredible. So I 0:19:27.909 --> 0:19:31.309 think the small stature didn't really bother us since we 0:19:31.349 --> 0:19:34.188 had watched Steve dominate the league, you know, from a 0:19:34.229 --> 0:19:37.709 similar place. So yeah, we were really interested and we 0:19:38.109 --> 0:19:38.629 tried hard. 0:19:39.629 --> 0:19:42.469 Hang tight, Steve, You'll eventually get your chance to have 0:19:42.549 --> 0:19:46.349 Steph on your roster. There was one last hurdle of 0:19:46.349 --> 0:19:49.589 sorts for the Warriors to clear before Larry Riley could 0:19:49.629 --> 0:19:53.429 officially pull the trigger on drafting Steph. Del Curry's entire 0:19:53.509 --> 0:19:57.429 existence playing in the NBA was within that Warrior's title draft, 0:19:57.909 --> 0:20:00.389 and he didn't want his son and all his potential 0:20:00.749 --> 0:20:03.789 to end up in that wasteland that was Base Area 0:20:03.829 --> 0:20:07.908 Professional Hoops. Dell and STEP's agent at the time, Jeff Austin, 0:20:08.389 --> 0:20:12.349 informed Riley he prefer the Warriors not to draft Steph. 0:20:12.829 --> 0:20:15.749 Steph didn't weigh much, maybe one hundred and eighty pounds 0:20:15.869 --> 0:20:18.349 entering the league, but he would attempt to throw that 0:20:18.389 --> 0:20:18.948 way around. 0:20:19.589 --> 0:20:22.629 They made it obvious that they did not want him 0:20:22.669 --> 0:20:25.789 to come to Golden State. If I was a father, 0:20:27.229 --> 0:20:31.189 I wouldn't wanted it either. This is a bad team. 0:20:33.149 --> 0:20:34.388 What are we doing here? 0:20:34.429 --> 0:20:34.708 You know? 0:20:35.429 --> 0:20:39.709 And so I never blamed. And in addition to that, 0:20:40.069 --> 0:20:46.029 they did not allow Steph to visit the Golden State 0:20:46.109 --> 0:20:51.949 Warriors pre draft, and I did tell Jeff Austin, if 0:20:51.989 --> 0:20:56.549 Steph's available, we will pick in spite of that, and 0:20:56.669 --> 0:20:56.949 we did. 0:20:57.229 --> 0:20:59.829 With the seventh pick in the two thousand and nine 0:21:00.069 --> 0:21:05.549 NBA Draft, the Golden State Warriors select Stephen Curry from 0:21:05.629 --> 0:21:09.749 Davidson College. 0:21:11.149 --> 0:21:14.109 That booing you heard was the sound of prescient Knicks 0:21:14.149 --> 0:21:17.229 fans in the garden that night, already upset they wouldn't 0:21:17.269 --> 0:21:19.629 get their chance to draft Curry with the next pick. 0:21:20.429 --> 0:21:25.669 Once that happened, there were never any issues. The Curry family, 0:21:25.989 --> 0:21:32.349 Nel Curry and Sonia came. When we introduced Steph, Jeff 0:21:32.389 --> 0:21:37.829 Austin came, there was never any issue, and I remember 0:21:37.869 --> 0:21:41.669 introducing him and he still looked hocking with fourteen year 0:21:41.669 --> 0:21:42.109 old kid. 0:21:42.749 --> 0:21:45.949 It took a full regular season not for Curry to 0:21:45.949 --> 0:21:48.829 look any older. He was still the clean shaven, scrawny, 0:21:49.109 --> 0:21:51.269 baby faced point guard by the time the regular season 0:21:51.309 --> 0:21:54.669 reached its final game. It took a full regular season 0:21:54.709 --> 0:21:58.309 for the man who drafted Steph to officially realize he'd 0:21:58.349 --> 0:21:59.469 made the correct decision. 0:21:59.869 --> 0:22:01.948 I don't recall a lot of than said that. There 0:22:01.989 --> 0:22:05.429 are things that people asked me about that I don't 0:22:05.509 --> 0:22:10.189 remember that. But there was a point in his rookie 0:22:10.269 --> 0:22:17.349 year we were playing in Portland Park and Steph just 0:22:17.549 --> 0:22:19.388 put on a tournamendous shot. 0:22:19.589 --> 0:22:22.429 You know, Curry's like Steve Nash high basketball IQ. 0:22:22.949 --> 0:22:25.629 So he's going to be an all start for years 0:22:25.669 --> 0:22:25.989 to come. 0:22:28.189 --> 0:22:31.029 Curry step back of a pedagraph. 0:22:31.069 --> 0:22:35.428 He's got another one three point lead again for the Lawyers, 0:22:35.469 --> 0:22:36.148 and now we're down there. 0:22:36.149 --> 0:22:39.109 We're a minute forty five left, new career high for 0:22:39.229 --> 0:22:40.629 Steph Curry. 0:22:41.509 --> 0:22:44.189 Steph finished his first season with a final game stat 0:22:44.189 --> 0:22:49.749 line up forty two points, eight assists, nine rebounds, two steals, 0:22:50.069 --> 0:22:52.829 one block shot, and a win in what was a 0:22:52.869 --> 0:22:56.189 meaningless game to the standings or playoff implications. 0:22:56.349 --> 0:22:59.989 I recall setting in Portland watching him play that game, 0:23:00.669 --> 0:23:04.428 and after that game say, okay, we have got our 0:23:04.509 --> 0:23:06.668 point guard for the next sten years. 0:23:06.989 --> 0:23:10.749 Riley underestimated just how long Curry would run the court 0:23:10.789 --> 0:23:14.349 in the Bay. We're currently at sixteen years and counting. 0:23:15.229 --> 0:23:18.109 But before that incredible run could even start, there were 0:23:18.149 --> 0:23:21.229 a couple of upgrades necessary to create the foundation of 0:23:21.229 --> 0:23:25.629 this stable dynasty. One was the ownership group running the team. 0:23:25.989 --> 0:23:28.229 The other was a right ankle Curry was running on 0:23:29.509 --> 0:23:34.549 when Steph first joined the league. Neither was stable. Chris 0:23:34.589 --> 0:23:37.549 Cohan was the Warrior's owner and was often the target 0:23:37.549 --> 0:23:40.949 of the ire of Golden State fans, even though most 0:23:40.949 --> 0:23:44.829 of the decisions considered problematic under his watch weren't exactly 0:23:44.909 --> 0:23:47.429 all his alone. I mean, can you really blame a 0:23:47.469 --> 0:23:51.109 team's owner for not drafting Kobe Bryant. But there was 0:23:51.309 --> 0:23:53.908 enough failure in those sixteen years that Cohan faced the 0:23:53.909 --> 0:23:57.109 brunt of the criticism. When Joe Lagub, a minority owner 0:23:57.149 --> 0:23:59.829 of the Boston Celtics at the time, and Peter Gouber, 0:24:00.269 --> 0:24:03.189 Mandalay Entertainment CEO, bought the team from Cohen and the 0:24:03.229 --> 0:24:06.629 summ of twenty ten, they viewed the franchise not as 0:24:06.629 --> 0:24:10.189 one experiencing a decades long championship drought, but one that 0:24:10.229 --> 0:24:13.029 had limitless potential if treated properly. 0:24:13.429 --> 0:24:17.749 An opening night out of our ownership, I was introduced. 0:24:17.789 --> 0:24:21.069 Lads shut off, head show, Lake up, and Peter. 0:24:21.189 --> 0:24:25.589 Cuber getting ready to take the mic. Nineteen thousand people there. 0:24:25.749 --> 0:24:27.029 I didn't really know what I was going to say 0:24:27.069 --> 0:24:29.949 it didn't plant it in advance, and I saw the 0:24:29.949 --> 0:24:32.149 banner up there and I just pointed, if you look 0:24:32.269 --> 0:24:36.589 up there, that is a very lonely flat. 0:24:38.469 --> 0:24:40.069 We want another one. 0:24:40.909 --> 0:24:42.829 I told everybody what I thought was from a heart, 0:24:42.829 --> 0:24:44.269 which is, these are the greatest fans in the world, 0:24:44.309 --> 0:24:45.149 and you deserve more. 0:24:46.349 --> 0:24:49.429 My new pairgrap color is blue and yellow, and my 0:24:49.669 --> 0:24:56.349 favorite letter is W. Lots of w's go get Amorials. 0:24:58.629 --> 0:25:01.429