The Golden State Warriors are finally looking like themselves again. After a rough seven game stretch where they went 2-5, the Warriors have won four in a row and they are starting to get their swagger back. Steph Curry and Klay Thompson have found their stroke and as soon as Kevin Durant comes back, this team will be back to full force.
This is what we expected from the Warriors, to steamroll the competition during the regular season as they prepare for the Western Conference playoff journey. These expectations are there because the Warriors have set the standard. They have arguably one of the best ownership/front office combos in the NBA and they have done a fantastic job of putting this team together.
It didn’t happen over night, they drafted extremely well and made the right free agent acquisitions. They also hired the right coach and it has paid off. They were one win away from back to back NBA titles and they should be chasing another Larry O’Brien trophy this coming June.
The SportsBusiness Journal did recognize the Warriors as Sports Team of the Year in 2014 and 2016 and this year they will be in the running for yet another award that recognizes the excellence of this team. Other teams hoping to win this honor are the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Cavaliers and the Miami Dolphins.
For more information, here is the official press release from the Warriors:
The Golden State Warriors have been nominated by the SportsBusiness Journal/Daily for “Sports Team of the Year” as part of the 10th annual Sports Business Awards. The Warriors received the Sports Team of the Year award in both 2016 and 2014. Warriors Owner & CEO Joe Lacob was also recognized as Sports Executive of the Year in 2016. Additional nominees in the Sports Team of the Year category this year include the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Dolphins and Toronto FC. Winners will be announced at a ceremony on Wednesday, May 24, 2017 at the New York Marriott Marquis in Times Square.
“We are extremely honored to be recognized again by the SportsBusiness Journal for the work our organization has done over the past year,” said Warriors President and Chief Operating Officer Rick Welts. “We are always striving to be one of the top franchises in sports and we are honored to receive this nomination.”
For video and sound from Warriors Owner & CEO Joe Lacob following last year’s win, please click here.
The Sports Business Awards consists of 17 categories with 87 nominees. The 2017 nominees and winners are being recognized for excellence and outstanding achievement in the business of sports for the period from March 1, 2016, to Feb. 28, 2017. Each of the nominees will be featured in a Sports Business Awards preview issue to be published May 22, 2017 in the Sports Business Journal/Daily.
An external panel of industry executives will judge the nominees. The committee for each category will include a mix of industry executives and staff members representing SportsBusiness Journal/Daily. These committees will evaluate the nominees and determine the winners by a private vote in 15 of the 17 categories. The other two categories, Sports Executive of the Year and Athletic Director of the Year, will be judged solely by the editorial staff of SportsBusiness Journal/Daily.
During the past year covered by this award cycle, the Warriors won a league-high six (6) awards at the 2017 NBA Sales & Marketing meetings in January, grew their Season Ticket Holder Priority Wait List to over 37,000 members, extended their current sellout streak to 222 consecutive home games at Oracle Arena, and advanced to the NBA Finals in 2016 for the second-straight season, in addition to breaking ground on Chase Center, the state-of-the-art sports and entertainment complex being built in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood.
For more information on the Golden State Warriors 2016-17 season, presented by Kaiser Permanente, visit warriors.com.