As we get ready for the start of the New Year, we take a few minutes to reflect on 2015, and oh what a year it was in Dub Nation. What was your favorite Warriors moment of 2015? The Dubs’ digital team shares some of their favs below …
Brian Witt Digital Marketing Coordinator: In a season in which the Warriors won their first Championship in 40 years, it’s not the guys lifting up the trophy at the end of it all that is burned forever into my memory. No, the capsule of last season that I’ll remember for the rest of my life is Klay Thompson’s 37-point quarter against the Kings on January 23. We’re used to seeing members of this team do absolutely incredible things on a fairly frequent basis, and we’re incredibly lucky for that. But when Klay got going, it was unlike anything I’d ever seen, and am unlikely to ever see again. With each successive shot that went in, you could feel the energy in Oracle rise to a point that my table, computer and hands were literally shaking. There was simply no choice but to be a little bit selfish and just take in the other-wordly display that was occurring in front of our very eyes. Records are made to be broken, and most will. But you can put Klay’s quarter up there with Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hit streak and UCLA men’s basketball 88-game win streak (Go Bruins!)…those ones are never coming down.
Doug Macklin Lead Engineer, Digital Experience: People will probably read about this quarter in the future and envision a full twelve minute barrage of Klay Thompson 3-pointers and driving layups, but in reality he somehow managed to rack up that ridiculous total in far fewer minutes. The final 18 points came in the final 3:03 of the quarter, and he never missed a shot throughout. It was an absolutely insane environment at Oracle Arena, and afterwards I went straight home and rewatched the whole quarter six or seven times.
Brian Witt Digital Marketing Coordinator: We all know and love that Steph can take and make some ridiculous shots. And even when that’s expected to a certain degree, he still manages to surpass those expectations with a seemingly endless supply of how-in-the-world-did-he-just-do-that moments. My favorite occurred on March 8 against the Clippers: Gets the ball at the top of the arc with 13 seconds remaining on the shot clock, dribbles over, under and through four Clippers defenders, steps back, takes the shot and hits nothing but twine. Steve Kerr had the only kind of reaction there was to be had. “No, no, no, no, no…..yes!” Just throw your hands up and smile.
Paige Fischer Digital Marketing Assistant: I remember covering Game 3 of the Warriors-Pelicans series, and, I’ll admit, I was a little worried when we fell behind during the game. But the worry suddenly disappeared (as it often does with this team) as we fought our way back and were somehow within three points of tying the Pelicans with mere seconds remaining. At that moment, everyone knew what the Warriors’ plan would, and had to, be: get the ball to Steph. And with barely enough time to comprehend what was happening, Curry miraculously shot that ball up and in, sending every social media channel into overdrive. To me, that moment signified what the Playoffs are all about: sharing the energy, excitement, and heart-attack-like feeling that comes with all-around great basketball. And it doesn’t get much better than that.
Julie Phayer Social Media Coordinator: One moment that instantly sticks out for me is the day Stephen Curry was officially named the NBA MVP. From a digital standpoint, we wanted to give the fans as much access and behind-the-scenes content as possible so I tagged along with Steph as he prepared for his big press conference. My goal was to make #DubNation feel like they were there with Steph, from the elevator ride to last second hugs with the family. You could tell by his demeanor that Steph was soaking it all in and not taking anything about this day for granted. All of his teammates, the coaching staff, everyone from the front office, his family... everyone was there to celebrate a huge personal accomplishment as well as a milestone achievement for the franchise. Being able to witness all the little moments of the day and share them with the fans are memories that will last forever.
Daniel Brusilovsky Digital Initiatives Lead: I think we as fans focus so much on the basketball side of things, to have moments like Riley Curry taking over Steph’s press conferences was exactly what we needed to remind us that this is bigger than just basketball. Our jobs as the digital voices of the Warriors enable us to tell stories beyond the 48 minutes of the game, and moments like this remind us all how special our jobs are to tell these stories with the best fans in the NBA.
Paige Fischer Digital Marketing Assistant: It’s safe to assume one of #DubNation’s favorite moments of 2015 was winning the NBA Championship, and I have to agree. While winning the Championship was amazing and surreal in itself, one of my favorite moments was sending out the initial Championship announcement posts on our social media channels when we won. As the final seconds of Game 6 ran out, I started welling up with tears of happiness while I began to type and post “The wait is over – Your Golden State #Warriors are #NBA CHAMPIONS!!!”. I loved watching as Warriors fans all over the world united by liking, sharing and commenting with their happiness. To me, that was one of the best celebrations during the Championship.
Julie Phayer Social Media Coordinator: I've been a Warriors fan since I could pick up a ball and honestly, I never thought I would live to see the Dubs win a title. So, to be on the court and in the locker room after the team won the Championship in Cleveland and witness everything from Steph dancing around with the Larry O'Brien Trophy while the team showers everyone in champagne to Shaun Livingston openly reflecting on his difficult journey to getting a ring to Leandro Barbosa yelling "We ARE Championship!", those are memories that I'll hold onto for the rest of my life.
Andy Fahey Senior Manager, Digital Experience: A Bay Area lifer with early basketball memories of Manute Bol chucking overhead 3-pointers, I did my best to take it all in when I found myself as a lucky fly on the wall in a champagne-soaked locker room in Cleveland on June 16. One of several memories that I’ll hold onto from that special experience was Andre Iguodala temporarily escaping the championship celebration to deal with the burning sensation of champagne in his eyes. Here he was – a physical specimen of a man and an NBA Champion who had just been named NBA Finals MVP – needing to take a second to deal with this minor disturbance. It was a remarkably human moment during a seemingly larger-than-life experience.
Daniel Brusilovsky Digital Initiatives Lead: One of the coolest moments of my life was being on #WarriorsGround on June 16th when the Warriors won their first championship in 40 years. A packed Oracle Arena watching the game from Cleveland, celebrating just like in Cleveland, it was beyond special. Many years from now when people ask me about June 16th, I’ll always know where I was the buzzer when off and we were officially crowned NBA Champions.
Laurence Scott Warriors TV Host and Commentator: This says it all. One of my favorite days ever.
Jeremy Thum Senior Director, Digital Experience: For me, being able to share the magic of opening night with our global fan base was the ‘moment' of the year. A lot of offseason planning comes to fruition at the beginning of a new season and this was unlike any other. The anticipation of the ring ceremony, the banner unveiling, and watching our Champion Warriors retake the floor after several months was incredible. Then, Stephen Curry scores 24 points in the first quarter?! Are you kidding? Through all social channels we tried so hard to share as many moments of Opening Night with Dub Nation and the level of fan engagement was unbelievable.
Andy Fahey Senior Manager, Digital Experience: No matter how old you are, an emphatic dunk will always solicit a strong response from you. And this one from Harrison Barnes might be my favorite one yet. It was the second game of the season against the same Rockets squad the Dubs had faced five months earlier in the Western Conference Finals, and Barnes threw one down on one of the league’s top paint protectors from the last decade. As great as that dunk was, Andre Iguodala’s reaction to it may have been better.
Laurence Scott Warriors TV Host and Commentator: On the team's recent trip to Charlotte, it was great to be in Stephen Curry's hometown for a few days and talk with many people about the MVP. One of my favorite conversations was with Davidson head coach Bob McKillop. I've had the opportunity to interview him several times over the past few years and each time he shares something memorable.