25 things to know about the Golden State Warriors’ epic run of NBA Finals appearances

Not to diminish what those great Celtics teams of the 1960s did, but when they reached the NBA Finals in 10 consecutive years, they had to win just one round to get to the championship. They won nine titles in those 10 seasons and had Hall of Famers all over the roster, but there’s no harm in perspective.

The Warriors are in their fifth consecutive Finals. Only a blown 3-1 lead in 2016 prevents this year from being a chance to win their fifth straight championship. Free-agency winds are going to blow briskly this summer, so it’s impossible to know what sort of roster Golden State will have next season. So, for now, a humble appreciation for what they’ve done thus far: built a dynasty and changed the way the game is played.

Splash.

1. Game 1 of the Finals will be the 100th postseason game for the Warriors in the last five years. They are 75-24 overall (.758) and 15-7 in Finals games (.682).

2. Where the core was drafted: Steph Curry (No. 7, 2009), Klay Thompson (No. 11, 2011), Draymond Green (No. 35, 2012). Andre Iguodala was acquired in a trade during the summer of 2013, and Kevin Durant signed as a free agent in 2016.

3. The number of full days off for the Warriors between the conference finals and the start of the Finals the last five years: 2019 (9 days off), 2018 (2 days off), 2017 (8 days off), 2016 (2 days off), 2015 (7 days off). They beat the Cavaliers in the previous four Game 1s by 10, 22, 15 and 8 points.

4. The longest layoff before a Finals was in 1982 when the Lakers had 11 full idle days between games. They were in a deep hole midway through the third quarter in Game 1, but rallied to beat the Sixers at the Spectrum. Afterward, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar turned up the heat a little more. "This puts the pressure on them,” the Lakers center said. “They came out with a 15-point lead and we got ahead of 'em. They’ve got to think about that.” L.A. won the series in six.

5. “The NBA Finals have an experience with it — it’s such an emotional roller-coaster,” Thompson said. “It’s nice to get away from the game a little bit before it starts, because emotions run high and it takes a lot out of you.”

6. Former Sixer Willie Green is in his third season as a Warriors assistant coach.

7. The Warriors trailed in the Western Conference Finals by 17 points in Game 2 against Portland, 18 in Game 3, and 17 again in Game 4. They came back to win each time. Games 3 and 4 were in Portland.

8. Durant (2017, 2018), Iguodala (2015) and Rick Barry (1975) are Warriors players who’ve been named Finals MVPs since the award was first handed out in 1969.

9. Curry and Thompson have played in 22 Finals games, the same number as Julius Erving. Doc was 10-12 with one title. The Splash Brothers are 15-7 and chasing their fourth ring.

10. Curry has made at least one three-pointer in all 106 postseason games in his career. It’s an NBA record for most consecutive playoff games with at least one three.

11. Golden State has won at least one road game in each of the 19 series they’ve played during this run.

12. Curry saw a remarkable streak of 81 consecutive made free throws in the fourth quarter/overtime of playoff games end in Golden State’s last game. It stretched back to the 2015 Finals, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. In his career, Curry is 134-for-149 on free throws in the fourth/overtime in his postseason career (89.9 percent). He’s 352-for-390 in the first three quarters (90.3 percent). How’s that for consistency?

13. Reserve forward Jonas Jerebko could become the first Swedish-born player to win an NBA title. He played his first six seasons in Detroit and became tight with several fellow Swedes (such as Nicklas Lidstrom and Henrik Zetterberg) who were playing for the Red Wings.

14. The Warriors are 45-8 at home in the playoffs over the last five years. This will be the last season at Oracle Arena, their home since 1997. They are moving out of Oakland and will be playing in San Francisco for the first time since 1971.

15. Golden State is 14-8 against the spread in all Finals games over the last four years, 3-1 in Game 1s. They’re 7-8-1 against the number this postseason, and the over has hit in 10 of their 16 contests.

16. Draymond Green’s eight postseason triple-doubles are tied with Oscar Robertson for eighth most all-time. He’ll tie Wilt Chamberlain with his next one. Magic Johnson (30) is the all-time leader.

17. If Green records a triple-double in the Finals, he’ll join Magic Johnson (1984) and LeBron James (2018) as the only players to have at least one in all four series in a single postseason.

18. Green was born the day Philly legend Hank Gathers died, March 4, 1990. They’re somewhat different players (Hank was a scorer who died before he reached the NBA; Draymond is one of the best defenders in the league), but they’re both listed at 6-7 and strong as an ox.

>>FROM THE ARCHIVES: Remembering Hank Gathers, 25 years later

19. Durant (strained right calf) and DeMarcus Cousins (torn left quad) will not be ready for the start of this series. Their status will be updated Wednesday.

20. Durant and Thompson are unrestricted free agents, so this could be the encore at the end of a riveting concert. They’ll also have to make a decision on key reserve Kevon Looney, who is averaging more than 20 minutes per game this postseason.

21. Warriors coach Steve Kerr is going for his ninth championship ring. He won five as a player (three with Chicago, two with San Antonio) and has added three as the Warriors’ coach. Phil Jackson won two as a player and 11 as a coach. Bill Russell won 11 as a player, and his last two titles came when he was a Celtics player and the team’s coach. Pretty sure that’ll never happen again.

22. Andre Iguodala’s book, The Sixth Man, is due out June 25. It was co-written by Bay Area author Carvell Wallace.

23. In six seasons with the Sixers and Denver, Iguodala played 41 playoff games. He’s played in 98 with the Warriors. He was 15-26 with his first two teams, and is 72-26 with the Warriors. Hence, the book.

24. Golden State is 30-1 in games Curry plays but Durant does not.

25. Kerr was asked to sum up the accomplishment of becoming just the second team ever to reach the Finals in at least five consecutive seasons.

“I hope it doesn’t go unnoticed or underrated. You know, five straight Finals hasn’t been done since the ’60s, since Bill Russell’s Celtics. Hasn’t been done for a reason: It’s really, really difficult,” he said after the Warriors beat the Blazers.

“I just can’t say enough about the competitive desire about the group of players that we have here and the culture that they have built together. You know, playing together regardless of injury. Being without Kevin [Durant] these last five games has put us in a really tough spot, and our guys stepped up in a big way.”