Between last year’s playoff push, acquiring a new set of both offensive and defensive weapons, an endless array of 3-pointers, a year full of unfortunate injuries, another playoff run, and an end to Mark Jackson’s time with Dub Nation, it has definitely been a year that fluctuated between game winning shots and heartbreaking moments for the Golden State Warriors.

Speaking for a majority of Dub Nation, the Golden State Warriors looked like they would be within the top 5 seeds in the Western Conference. As believable as that idea was, it is also a matter of the West being more competitive than it has in the NBA’s previous years.

NBA Superstars and bench players came alive this year for the Dubs. Although David Lee did not reclaim his spot in the Western Conference All-Star team, our leader, Stephen Curry pulled off that feat, along with overriding his season averages from last year by pulling off 24 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 8.5 APG.

Curry’s Splash Brother, Klay Thompson, also stepped his game up this year. From being strictly a sharp shooter from long range, he moved his game toward the key, surprising fans with the fact that he now has an inside game. Klay moved his game to 18.4 PPG, 3.1 RPG, and 2.2 APG.

Statistically speaking, Draymond Green is not the player to be threatened from, but all the hustle plays, hard screens, timely points and rebounds was nothing but beneficial for the Warriors. He shows leadership, determination, and that same positive attitude that our previous backup point guard, Jarret Jack, showed us last year. But of course with all the improvement this year, a few Warriors found themselves with numbers that were close to unsatisfactory.

With his performance from last season, Harrison Barnes suffered from confidence issues, since former superstar Andre Igoudala claimed the starting small forward position. Barnes did not perform as well as he did last year, and Igoudala’s offensive performance seems to be deteriorating as his final years in the NBA are running by.

Despite the negatives, the Warriors finally pushed above 50 wins this season, along with acquiring achievements such as back-to-back All-Star appearances, back-to-back playoff appearances, and a more united team under, who is now the team’s former Head Coach, Mark Jackson.

I can’t say that I’m disappointed with the Warriors performance this year. A couple game winners, a nine game winning streak on the road, and a phenomenal playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers showed Dub Nation that the Warriors are a team to be reckoned with.

Now the NBA is aware of who the Golden State Warriors are, and I’m sure with the constant improvement over the past three years, the Warriors are headed toward the expectations that the Dub Nation held for them this year, for next year and the years to come. To be contenders.