Stephen Curry, celebrating with Draymond Green, anchored a Warriors dynasty that made five straight trips to the NBA Finals, winning three, and added another ring three years after that.
Eric Gay/Associated Press
The Golden State Warriors are providing considerable evidence that dynasties die hard, and that’s a shame. Because they don’t come back to life.
It is written in The Great Book of Hoops that the Warriors of 2015-2022 rank with history’s greatest teams. Some of those earned the distinction in a single season, notably the 1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers and the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers, but authentic dynasties have been rare.
Here’s that short list, and the mechanics of their demise.
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San Antonio Spurs, five titles between 1999 and 2014: This was largely a Tim Duncan production, beginning in his rookie year and ending at age 37. Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili were huge components of this long-running masterpiece, terminated strictly by time.
Chicago Bulls, 1991-98: That was all Michael Jordan, who took a season and part of another off but went 6-for-6 in the Finals. Clownish GM Jerry Krause couldn’t wait to shake things up and save money, claiming, “Players and coaches alone don’t win championships, organizations do,” but coach Phil Jackson knew better. He set up that final season as a “Last Dance,” knowing the end was near.
(The Detroit Pistons, Jordan’s primary foil over the years, had a five-year run with two titles and at least a conference finals reached. Not quite a dynasty.)
Lakers, 1997-2004: The eight years Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant played together. Three straight titles (2000-02), always in the playoffs, and reached the Finals in their last go-round. They were unstoppable at their best; it’s just a shame those two guys squabbled their way through much of it. They routinely crushed the Eastern Conference and could have won many more.
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The Lakers and Celtics of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, 1980-88: Call it a dynastic rivalry, the greatest and most competitive the league has ever seen (followed closely by Bill Russell/Wilt Chamberlain). The two teams combined for eight of the nine NBA titles in this era. Along the way, the 1985-86 Celtics lodged a powerful case for the greatest team ever. Several of Magic’s teams fell into that category, notably the 65-win champions in 1987 with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy.
Boston Celtics: 1957-69: With some of history’s greatest players in his path, notably Chamberlain, Bob Pettit, Oscar Robertson, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor, Bill Russell steered these teams to 11 titles in 13 years, the ultimate NBA dynasty. Like the current Warriors, they simply got too old to persevere, but somehow, with Russell at 34 and Sam Jones 35 (Tom Sanders only looked 40), they got past the Chamberlain-Jerry West Lakers to win that final ring.
Minneapolis Lakers, 1949-54: George Mikan was the league’s first great center, and he towered above the rest with five titles in those six years. Mikan retired right then, indisputably on top. He came back a year later, for just 37 games, but it was over. Russell was about to enter the picture.
What’s left of the Golden State dynasty is essentially the same team that won just 37 games last season, and that’s depressing. I haven’t heard a single person — media, insiders, fans — claim that another title is in store.
As relics go, however, the Warriors promise to be grand theater.
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Around the country, folks of all ages will pay for a glimpse of Stephen Curry as long as he wears a uniform, — and he won’t ever let them down. Draymond Green relishes being the hero and the villain, all at once. Jimmy Butler has a charismatic way about him, still capable of taking command in a crisis.
On the strength of high character alone, this team will take down San Antonio and Oklahoma City at least once during the regular season. There will be many crushing defeats, as well. The injury report will not sing. In any case, the Warriors ask that you have fun with this season. Let the dynasty rest in peace.
There goes greatness
San Francisco Giants second baseman Luis Arraez jokes with players in the San Diego Padres dugout as he stands on first base after getting hit by a pitch during the fourth inning of a game Thursday, July 30, 2026, in San Diego.
Gregory Bull/Associated Press
• If feels like a long, sad goodbye for Luis Arraez, the Giants’ finest pure hitter since Barry Bonds and Will Clark and, as of this writing, almost a lock to be traded. Maybe his departure will be brushed aside in the near future, when the Giants’ promising young infield prospects arrive, but for the moment, his absence will be a severe blow to the fan experience.
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From the department of absurd statistics, consider a Statcast Bat Tracking report that claimed Arraez has the slowest “bat speed in baseball.” Seriously. That’s nothing short of insanity, because Arraez has the quickest bat in either league — and your eyes confirm that every night.
Aside from the genius of his art, Arraez is a shining light of joy and inspiration to his teammates, and a surprisingly respectable asset at second base. “Our pleasure,” Mike Krukow said on the air this week, “to watch him work.”
• Good to hear Azzi Fudd challenge Curry to a 3-point shooting contest after winning the event at the WNBA All-Star weekend. “Steph, if you’re listening, I’ve been asking for a rematch since high school,” she announced, “so maybe this is our time to start figuring out a time and a place.”
That should be great fun — and I’ll take Azzi, by the way. But don’t stop at a two-person affair. Add Caitlin Clark, whose outside shot changed the women’s game, and Sabrina Ionescu, who staged the greatest performance ever seen at such an event (including Larry Bird) with a record 37 out of a possible 40 points in 2023.
How could it happen? Find a way.
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• We’ll probably see a lot of Patrick Bailey as the Guardians make a run for the postseason. Austin Hedges remains the team’s No. 1 catcher and was hitting .282 heading into the weekend, but Bailey has climbed to .222 for Cleveland (after hitting .146 with the Giants) and matches Hedges’ home-run total with four. Bailey has been quite an adventure on the bases, once getting embarrassingly tagged out at home by refusing to slide, but also scoring an improbable run with a wild leap over the catcher’s reach.
• A Los Angeles Times columnist said it best when the Dodgers made their regrettably tone-deaf visit to the White House recently: “shaking hands with the President who rained terror on Los Angeles with the midsummer ICE raids that changed the lives of thousands,” wrote Bll Plaschke. “Many impacted were the Dodgers fans who filled the stadium every night with arguably the largest immigrant fan base in sports. Some even were wearing Dodgers caps and jerseys when they were swept up and hauled away. Why in the hell do the Dodgers insist on embracing the person trying to tear this city apart?”
• As of Friday, 20 of the major leagues’ 30 teams had a shot at the postseason, standing either at .500 plus or within seven games of a division lead. Let’s hear the owners dismiss this burst of parity as they clamor for a salary cap and threaten a shutdown that would not only kill this thriving sport for a spell, but break the hearts of people (particularly the elderly) who live for those nightly broadcasts into their living rooms each night. What, they want 30 out of 30? How about everyone finishes at .500 — wow, what fun!
Bruce Jenkins writes the 3-Dot Lounge for the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: jenksurf@gmail.com; Twitter: @Bruce_Jenkins1