1) The Tank Job of 2012
If I had to cite a singular time or event that spawned my Warriors hatred, this is it. The infamous Golden State Tank Job of 2012. One of the more shameful examples of a long-hated practice in NBA circles.
39 games into the 2011-12 season, the once-woeful Warriors were beginning to look like a team on the rise. With two 20-point scorers in David Lee (in his prime) and Monta Ellis leading the way and promising youngsters Steph Curry and Klay Thompson in toe, Golden State had won four of five games and improved to 18-21 on the year.
All the while, they owed the Jazz a pick in the upcoming draft, one that was Top-7 protected. So despite the progress they were making on the floor, the Warriors decided to close up shop for the season — more than a month before it actually ended — in an effort to keep that pick.
First they shut down Curry for the remainder of the season for…reasons. Then they decided to sit Lee, their leading scorer, with a mysterious hip injury. In the wake of these moves, then-coach Mark Jackson began starting guys like Jeremy Tyler and Charles Jenkins, each of whom found themselves out of the league in short order.
The result was a 5-22 record down the stretch to keep themselves at the bottom of the standings. In doing so, they put themselves in position to keep their pick from Utah and use it to select Harrison Barnes, while also picking up Draymond Green in the second round.
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The rest, as they say, is history. After the Dubs stomped on the integrity of the game, Green and Barnes helped them win an NBA championship. Barnes, who may just have fallen to the Jazz at No. 8 if not for the tank, is now a borderline All-Star with the Dallas Mavericks while Green is one of the league’s elite defenders.
Way to be, Warriors!
Have more reasons why Jazz fans should root against the Warriors? Hit me with ’em below! Let’s get this hate fest going.