Getting Hooked on the Warriors Hype
So, honestly, I wasn’t really paying that much attention to basketball back in 2016. But man, everywhere I looked, people were buzzing about this team, the Golden State Warriors. Sports channels, my buddies at the gym, even random folks at the coffee shop – all talking about Steph Curry dropping bombs from crazy distances and this dude Klay Thompson catching fire. It got me curious, you know? What were these guys doing different? Why was everyone losing their minds? I figured, let’s actually dig into that legendary 2016 lineup and see what made ’em tick.
Dusting Off the Old Game Tapes
First thing I did? I went hunting online for some full games from that season. Forget the highlights – I wanted the whole flow. Spent a whole weekend just watching. Started noticing stuff right away.
- Steph and Klay weren’t just shooting threes. They were pulling up almost from the parking lot! Way farther out than anyone else dared. Defenders looked totally lost.
- Draymond Green, that guy? He looked like he was everywhere at once. Guarding big dudes one second, grabbing a rebound, then sprinting down the court to set up Curry.
- And the way they moved! Wasn’t just one guy with the ball. Everyone was cutting, setting screens off each other constantly. It looked like pure chaos for the other team.
Started scribbling down notes like crazy. This wasn’t just good shooting; something bigger was happening.
The Small Ball “Death Lineup” Lightbulb Moment
Kept digging, trying to find the “how”. Stumbled across this term everyone kept using: the “Death Lineup”. That was the key right there. Normally, you stick a big guy near the hoop, right? Not these guys. When they really wanted to wreck you, they sent out Steph, Klay, Iguodala, Barnes, and guess who? Draymond at Center!
- Five players who could all handle the ball. No lumbering big guy holding things up. This was wild to me.
- Five players who could SHOOT. Not just shoot okay, but shoot lights out, pulling defenders way out to the three-point line. Opened up the whole court.
It hit me: they flipped the whole script. Instead of playing tall near the basket, they stretched the floor horizontally like crazy with their shooting range, creating driving lanes like nobody’s business. Speed and skill over size. Totally changed what positions even meant.
Trying to Copy (and Failing) in My Scrimmage
Got super hyped watching this. Next time I played pickup ball at the local gym with some regulars, I tried pushing the idea: “Guys, let’s go small! Push the pace! Shoot quick threes!”
Total disaster.
Without shooters like Steph and Klay? Shooting off the dribble under pressure? Not a chance for us weekend warriors. Defense? We had none of Draymond’s smarts or Iguodala’s hustle. We tried forcing up bad shots, got run out of the gym on rebounds. The other team just pounded us inside with their one decent big man. It was embarrassingly bad, but dang, it made me respect what the Warriors pulled off even more. The talent level needed to actually make this work consistently is insane.
The Bigger Picture I Walked Away With
So what did figuring out that 2016 lineup teach me? It wasn’t just about one team winning a bunch of games. That “Death Lineup” philosophy with Draymond at the five forced every other team in the league to scramble.
- Three-pointers became king. Everyone started hunting for them because the Warriors proved it could win you a ring.
- Every player, even the bigs, suddenly needed skill. Passing, shooting range – just being big wasn’t enough anymore.
- The game sped up dramatically. Possessions, ball movement, transition… everything got faster trying to copy or counter the Dubs.
Basically, they broke basketball’s old rules. That 2016 lineup wasn’t just about great players; it was about a totally new blueprint that changed the way the entire sport is played, even down to my disastrous gym scrimmages. Took guts to play that small, but man, did it pay off and change everything.
