Tale Of Two Eras: 2014-15 Warriors Versus 1975-76 Warriors
It has been 39 years since the Warriors made it to the Western Conference Finals in the NBA playoffs and a lot has changed since 1976.
Led by coach Al Attles and Hall of Fame player Rick Barry, Golden State was the defending NBA champion for the 1975-76 season, having swept the Washington Bullets in four games the previous season. The Warriors faced and eventually lost to the Phoenix Suns in the conference finals, losing Game 7 at the Coliseum Arena.
When those Warriors took the court Gerald Ford was the President, Jerry Brown was the Governor of Calfornia, and a gallon of gas would set you back less than $.60.
The three-point shot had not yet been used in the NBA, it was introduced during the 1979-80 Season. Had Steph Curry's MVP season come in 1975-76, then he would have scored 286 fewer points.
In 1976, none of the current Warriors were alive, while coach Steve Kerr was 10 years old and majority owner Joe Lacob was just 19 years old.
Since 1976, there have been 39 NBA regular seasons with 3,198 games played per team. There have been seven different Presidents of the United States and five California Governors, with Jerry Brown serving twice.
Since 1976, Bay Area teams not named the Warriors have done pretty well for themselves racking up 13 league championships including five for the 49ers, three for the Giants, two for the Raiders (three if you count the 1985 Los Angeles Raiders), two for the Earthquakes and one for the A's.
Despite the 39-year span, this year's Warriors have lit up the NBA with Steph Curry as MVP and their best regular season in franchise history. Fingers crossed that they take home the championship like they did 1974-75 season.