Key members of the 2006-07 'We Believe' Warriors met with the media ahead of Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals.
On the night before the 10 year anniversary of the 2006-07 Golden State Warriors first round triumph over the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks, numerous members of that ‘We Believe' squad reunited at Oracle Arena for a celebration of one of the most exciting and adored teams in franchise history. Prior to Game 1 of the Warriors-Jazz Western Conference Semifinal series, Stephen Jackson, Monta Ellis and Jason Richardson met with the media to discuss a variety of topics, including their memories of the We Believe run, their bond as teammates, and their everlasting connection to the fans of Golden State. Here are some of the highlights of that discussion:
On their most memorable moments of the We Believe run:
Monta Ellis: "The memories of that run that we had at the end to even make it. Getting that 8th seed and then getting to the playoffs and knocking off Dallas. It definitely was an experience for me. Being with these guys, it was one heck of a time…Brings back memories every time I come here."
Steven Jackson: "The best memory was definitely winning in the playoffs, of course. But we have bigger memories than that. Just the whole year, being with each other, growing with each other, becoming family."
Jason Richardson: "I think it was amazing what we did...It's just an amazing feeling that people recognize us for what we did, even though we didn't do a lot. But it was special because we did it together and it was a short period of time."
On what made that particular group of players a potent combination:
S.J.: "We were just a bunch of guys that had something to prove, in different ways…We believed in each other and we wanted each other to prove people wrong. And it just worked out."
J.R.: "On the road, we used to have dinners together. We were always around each other. And that's a big part of that chemistry on the floor that a lot of people don't see. But when you get guys that get along off the court, it makes playing with each other easy on the court."
M.E.: "It's like family. We was family here. Everybody played their part that year of us winning. And like [Jackson] said, we took that and we ran with it. I don't know if everybody remembers this, but Don Nelson counted us out, like games before that. And I think that's the reason why the We Believe started and we got that spark. We rode that wave and rode it all the way to the end. 10 years [later], we're here."
On their connection to the Warriors organization:
S.J.: "Not many organizations make you feel like family. I won a championship with the Spurs, but I don't feel like family like I do when I walk in this building. So, that's why we love coming back here."
On Matt Barnes' second go-around with the Dubs:
S.J.: "We all felt like we were coming back...Just for him to come back and have a chance to win a championship – that's what we wanted to do. We wanted to win a championship but we just ran into a wall against Utah. The fact that he came back, it feels like we all came back with him."
On the fans:
J.R.: "I was just tired of losing. My competitive nature always wanted to win games. And even when we were losing, we were still averaging 13…14 thousand fans. And they were cheering us on. And that's probably the reason why I think I played so hard here. Because those fans deserved better than what we were putting on the court."
J.R.: "I think once we got a group of guys that wanted to be here, it made it special. I think the fans felt it. And I think that was the start of something special for this whole organization."
J.R.: "That Game 3 crowd, it was just 13 years of frustration going on, and they finally got a chance to let it out."
S.J.: "They don't believe now [laughing] – they're past that. They're way past believing. They're going for #2, so I'm just happy that something we started they were able to make it be champions, and I'm just proud to be that."
Watch Full Press Conference