National Basketball Association
Golden State Warriors
Western Conference/Pacific Division
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History of the Warriors
The 2008/09 season for the Golden State Warriors will be their 46th. Entering the league in the 1962/63 season, the Warriors had arguably one of the greatest players in the game on their roster, Wilt Chamberlain but failed to reach the playoffs finishing the season 31-49. The next year the team drafted another Hall of Fame player, Nate Thurmond and together with Wilt, the team made the playoffs only to be turned back by the eventual champions, the Boston Celtics (en route to their 6th title).
In the 1964/65 season, the team traded Wilt to his hometown of Philadelphia and finished the year a woeful 17-63 but earned the right to draft yet another Hall of Fame Player, Rick Berry for the 1966/67 season n which Berry won Rookie of the Year.
It would not be until the 1974/75 season that a championship would finally come the Warriors way. Coached by Al Attles and led by Clifford Ray, Keith Wilkes and Rick Berry, the team defeated the Washington Bullets in 4 straight games. The team would return to the Finals in the 75/76 season only to be turned away by the Phoenix Suns who would lose to the Boston Celtics who won their 13th Title.
The Warriors have made 16 playoff appearances, won 4 Division Championships (1964, 1967, 1975 and 1976), have gone to the Conference finals six times (1964, 1967, 1968, 1973, 1975, and 1976), the NBA Finals 3 times (1964, 1967, 1975) and were Champions once in 1975.
They have had 8 Hall of Fame Players on their rosters to include Rick Berry (1965-1967, 1972-1978), Wilt Chamberlain (1962-1965) Tom Gola (1962/62), Alex Hannum – Coach (1963-1966), Jerry Lucas (1969-1971), Robert Parish (1976-1980) Bill Sharman (1966-1968) and Nate Thurmond (1963-1974).
The Warriors have also retired 6 Jerseys: #13 Wilt Chamberlain, #14 Tom Meschery, #16 Al Attles, #17 Chris Mullin, #24 Rick Berry and #42 Nate Thurmond.
Team Awards include 2 Coach of the Year Awards (1964-Alex Hannum and 1992-Don Nelson), 2 Most Improved Player Awards (2003-Gilbert Arenas and 2007-Monta Ellis), 4 NBA Rookie of the Year Awards (1966-Rick Berry, 1975-Keith Wilkes, 1989-Mitch Richmond and 1994- Chris Webber.
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Oracle Arena
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NBA Basketball
Eastern Conference
| Atlantic Division | Central Division | Southeast Division |
|---|---|---|
| Boston Celtics | Chicago Bulls | Atlanta Hawks |
| New Jersey Nets | Cleveland Cavaliers | Charlotte Bobcats |
| New York Knicks | Detroit Pistons | Miami Heat |
| Philadelphia 76ers | Indiana Pacers | Orlando Magic |
| Toronto Raptors | Milwaukee Bucks | Washington Wizards |
