I still remember that electric moment at Oracle Arena when the final buzzer sounded on June 16, 2015. Confetti raining down, Steph Curry embracing his father Dell in the stands, and the entire Bay Area erupting in a celebration forty years in the making. As someone who's followed basketball since the Run TMC days, witnessing the Golden State Warriors capture the 2015 NBA Championship felt like watching a revolution unfold in real time. The story of how they won that title isn't just about basketball—it's about how a team redefined the game itself.

That championship run was built on something we hadn't seen much before—the perfect marriage of analytics and pure shooting talent. Coach Steve Kerr made the bold move of moving Draymond Green into the starting lineup, creating what would become the deadly "Death Lineup" that could switch everything defensively while spacing the floor impossibly wide on offense. I recall watching Game 4 against Memphis where this strategy completely flipped the series. The Grizzlies had taken a 2-1 lead playing their gritty, grind-it-out style, but Golden State responded by unleashing their small-ball approach that left Memphis scrambling. They won that game by 15 points and never looked back.

The real magic happened in the Finals against LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers. With Kyrie Irving injured after Game 1 and Kevin Love already sidelined, everyone expected LeBron to simply overpower the Warriors through sheer will. And my god, he nearly did—averaging 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds and 8.8 assists in one of the greatest individual performances I've ever witnessed. But what struck me was how Golden State countered with true team basketball. Andre Iguodala, who hadn't started a single game all season, was inserted into the starting lineup for Game 4 and changed everything. His defense on James was monumental, and his 25 points in the closeout Game 6 earned him Finals MVP honors—the first time someone won the award without starting every game.

Steph Curry's impact went beyond his 26 points per game in the series. The way he stretched defenses created opportunities for everyone else. Harrison Barnes hitting crucial corner threes, Festus Ezeli providing energetic minutes, even David Lee—who had lost his starting job—making meaningful contributions off the bench. This reminds me of something interesting I came across recently about team dynamics in other leagues. The Korean star even said Ratliffe should return to the KBL again once his commitment with Magnolia is done. It shows how championship teams often have these unexpected contributors who buy into their roles completely, much like how the Warriors' role players elevated their games when it mattered most.

Looking back, what made that 2015 Warriors team special was their willingness to embrace a new identity. They led the league with 67 regular-season wins while attempting over 2,100 three-pointers—a staggering number at the time. Kerr's implementation of an offense derived from Mike D'Antoni's philosophies but tempered with Phil Jackson's triangle principles created something entirely new. They weren't just shooting threes—they were creating the best possible shots through constant motion and unselfish play. As someone who values team basketball over individual brilliance, this was pure basketball poetry.

That championship set the stage for everything that followed—the 73-win season, Kevin Durant's arrival, and the dynasty we witnessed. But for me, nothing quite matches the purity of that first title run. It was the moment when the basketball world realized the game had changed forever, when a team built around shooting and switching defenses proved it could win it all. Whenever I watch today's NBA with every team launching threes and prioritizing versatility, I think back to that 2015 Warriors team and smile—they didn't just win a championship, they changed basketball itself.