The Golden State Warriors are back in the NBA Finals for the sixth time in eight years. The last team to pull off that feat was Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls.

The Warriors dynasty is definitely not over, and one of their main guys is making sure everyone knows it.

“After being counted out, dynasty being over, and all those things. To get back [in the NBA Finals] is fantastic. It’s a testament on hard work and dedication. This one feels great,” Warriors forward Draymond Green told the media after Golden State eliminated the Dallas Mavericks in five games in the 2022 Western Conference finals.

“I’ve always said all along, no one has proven they can beat us yet when we’re whole,” Green continued. “That is still the case.”

The Warriors have arguably the best trio in the NBA in 2022 conference finals MVP Steph Curry, comeback player of the year Klay Thompson, and first-team all-defensive player Green. The triumvirate has been powering Golden State’s machine for a decade, winning three NBA championships in a five-year span. The Golden Trio have an opportunity to add to their Hall of Fame credentials by winning a fourth title and adding the Boston Celtics to their hit list.

The Dubs being back in the Finals stage is one of the best stories of the NBA’s diamond anniversary season. Most basketball pundits thought the Dubs’ dynasty was done in 2019. Kevin Durant left for Brooklyn and Thompson was dealt with two devastating injuries. The last time the Warriors’ Big 3 were in the NBA Finals together, Thompson had to be helped off the floor after suffering an ACL tear. Thompson’s comeback was derailed the following year after he tore his Achilles’ tendon during the offseason. It took almost three NBA calendar years before Curry, Green, and Thompson were finally reunited on the court, but once they were whole again the Warriors became the Warriors again. Just like Bruce Wayne became the Dark Knight again after climbing out of the pit.

Golden State finished with a 53-29 regular-season record and earned a No. 3 seed in the West. Even though the Warriors didn’t finish ahead of Phoenix or Memphis, they were clearly championship contenders and used the regular season as a warm-up act for a big playoff push.

“I can’t say coming into this season that we’ll be in the NBA Finals, but we always believe with us three we have a chance,” Green said.

Green and the rest of the Warriors understood the bigger picture. They know what it takes to win a championship, and their mindset has always been that they’re still one of the best teams, if not the best, as long as they avoid the pitfalls of an 82-game grind.

“Most teams in the NBA just aren’t that good,” Green said. “You can win games in the regular season, that means nothing. We understand that. We don’t chase wins during the regular season, we chase improvement during the regular season.”

The Warriors posted a 42-17 record prior to the All-Star break, but faded down the stretch and went 11-12 without Green and Curry. Green suffered a lower back injury in January, while Curry sprained his ankle in March that forced him to miss the last month of the regular season.

Green told Yahoo Sports’ Vincent Goodwill that the last two years have been “miserable.” Despite being cast aside like an aging rock band, Green and the Warriors never wavered and stuck with the plan. The plan was to lean on Curry’s offense and Green’s defense while Thompson worked his way back into the rotation, and prepare Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole for bigger roles.

The constant figure in the Warriors’ rehabilitation was Curry. The NBA’s all-time leader in 3-pointers — who has put together back-to-back MVP-worthy seasons — said the team never lost faith despite a mountain of injuries and an overhauled roster, understanding the difficulty of the climb to the top after falling off it.

“I think internally we are all extremely proud of what it took to get back here. Yeah, it’s definitely sweet based on what we went through,” Curry said.

Curry believes the Dubs started climbing out of their two-year dark hole late in the 2021 season, winning 15 of 20 games and making the play-in game. Even though the Warriors lost both play-in games, the foundation was established for the next season.

Thompson returned to the lineup in January after two arduous rehab seasons from ACL and Achilles surgeries. In 32 games this season, Thompson averaged 20.4 points per game and shot 42% from the field. Those numbers are just a shade under what he averaged (21.5 PPG and 46.7% FG) in 2018-19 when he played 78 games.

Thompson is still not completely back to All-Star level, but the old Klay is starting to return as we get deeper into the 2022 playoffs. He punctuated the Warriors’ domination of the Mavericks in the conference finals with 32 points in the series-clinching Game 5, including eight 3-pointers. After the game, Thompson was just grateful to be back on the big stage after missing two full seasons.

“I’ve dreamt about this every day,” Thompson said about being back in the NBA Finals.

“I got really in touch with music [during rehab],” he added. “It would help me through a lot of those sessions. Just the appreciation of moving my body again. I thought about those days I couldn’t run or jump, how lucky we are to do what we do.”

Green, Curry, Thompson and Andre Iguodala are in rarified air in NBA lore. Advancing to six NBA Finals in eight years has only been done by legendary teams. Bill Russell’s Boston Celtics teams won eight straight titles from 1959-66. Jerry West’s L.A. Lakers teams made seven appearances in The Finals in nine years. Magic Johnson’s Lakers in the 1980s reached The Finals eight times during the decade. Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls teams won six championships in eight seasons in the 1990s.

As Curry previously stated, this year’s trip to The Finals is sweet because of it it took to get to this point. Only four players remain from their first championship roster in 2015. Key pieces on their title teams like Shaun Livingston, Leandro Barbosa, Harrison Barnes, and Andrew Bogut are no longer around. And Kevin Durant’s heart is no longer in San Francisco. It’s in Brooklyn.

The faces may have changed but the core players and the standard they set for themselves remain the same. And a fourth championship for the remaining members of Golden State’s “Death Lineup” will surely put them on a different stratosphere in the NBA pecking order.

“We’re happy to be [in the NBA Finals], but it would help our legacy a lot if we completed the mission and won the whole thing,” Thompson said.

Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Kevin Durant are poised to repeat as NBA champs. (AP)

The 2017-18 NBA season can’t arrive soon enough, especially after a super-busy offseason that saw Kyrie Irving traded to Boston, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony joining forces with Russell Westbrook in Oklahoma City, and Chris Paul teaming up with James Harden in Houston.

All the wheeling and dealing and activity by many teams are meant to accomplish one goal: beat the Golden State Warriors.

Check that. Try to keep up with the Warriors.

The Dubs are coming off a 67-win season and a second NBA title in three seasons. Golden State has compiled a mind-boggling 207-39 record in that span, including a record 16-1 run during the 2017 playoffs.

The Warriors barely did anything this summer, and why would they. They return every significant player from their championship run, and they get head coach Steve Kerr back for a full season (hopefully). Barring a major injury, the Dubs should be the clear favorite in the Western Conference and sweep their way to a  fourth consecutive trip to the NBA Finals. About the only drama left is, can anyone win a playoff game against the Warriors? It’s the Warriors’ world and everyone else is playing for second.

OneManFastBreak.net projects which eight teams will make the Western Conference playoffs:

WESTERN CONFERENCE

1-GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS: The fearsome foursome of Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green are poised for another historic season. Based on the team’s preseason trip to China, Curry and Thompson look to be in midseason form. In a league that has become 3-point happy, Curry, who signed a five-year, $201 million contract in July, remains the undisputed king of the 3-ball. And his backcourt mate, Klay, is not too far behind. NBA defenses have yet to figure out how to stop the Splash Brothers, who combined for 592 threes last season. Steph (29) and Klay (27) are in the prime of their careers, and neither one appears to be slowing down. Draymond is poised to win a second Defensive Player of the Year award and KD, well, the season can’t start soon enough for one of basketball’s biggest stars. Durant had an interesting offseason to say the least. Maybe he was bored. Maybe he needs extra motivation. Whatever the case may be, Durant is ready for another MVP season and shut down all the haters. Prediction: 69-13

2-HOUSTON ROCKETS: The Rockets made the deal with the L.A. Clippers to acquire point guard Chris Paul to try to leapfrog over the San Antonio Spurs and close the gap with the Warriors. The trade may be enough to overtake the Spurs, but it didn’t quite close the gap with the Warriors. In that case, the team went 1-for-2. CP3 is a definite upgrade over Patrick Beverley, and he can keep the chains moving when James Harden takes a breather. When the two are on the court together, Mike D’Antoni will split the court in half. CP3 will run pick-and-rolls on the right side of the court, while Harden will run pick-and-rolls on the left side of the court. Prediction: 59-23

3-SAN ANTONIO SPURS: The Spurs won 61 games in the first year of the post-Tim Duncan era. Kawhi Leonard is now firmly entrenched as the leader of the team, while soon-to-be Hall-of-Famers Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are winding down their careers. Finding replacements for Parker and Ginobili are on top of Gregg Popovich’s to-do list. As the Spurs continue to transition to Kawhi’s team, LaMarcus Aldridge must become more of a factor if San Antonio wants to stay relevant in the West. The addition of Rudy Gay should help the Spurs’ small ball offense, while super sub Patty Mills will keep the seat warm until Parker returns from his leg injury. The Spurs remain a powerhouse in the West, but the Rockets and Thunder are catching up. Prediction: 58-24

4-OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER: With the additions of Paul George and Carmelo Anthony, reining league MVP Russell Westbrook now has two studs on the wings. There is no reason for Russ to wing it on his own. George gives OKC a tremendous two-way player who can take pressure off Westbrook running the offense and guarding the other team’s best guard. Melo looks refreshed and could be an important player in late-game situations, where OKC struggled mightily last season when teams loaded up on Westbrook. OKC should be significantly better defensively with George and Andre Roberson defending the wings and Steven Adams guarding the paint. If OKC can knock down enough 3-point shots (another phase of the game it struggled last season) it should challenge the Spurs and Rockets for the second-best record in the West. Prediction: 57-25

5-LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS: Now that CP3 is gone, the Clippers look to Blake Griffin to lead the franchise. Griffin was awarded with a five-year, $173 million contract to be the face of the team, and this season will be a litmus test of his leadership skills. Behind Griffin and center DeAndre Jordan, L.A. should overpower teams with its big frontline. The Clips are one of the few teams in the league who have not embraced small ball. Their power game should be good enough to reach the playoffs, but far from challenging for a title.  Prediction: 48-34

6-UTAH JAZZ: The Jazz had one dreadful offseason. On top of losing leading scorer Gordon Hayward to free agency, the Jazz could potentially lose up-and-comer Dante Exum for the season because of a shoulder injury. Head coach Quin Snyder will have his work cut out for him as he tries to patch together a lineup to navigate through a very difficult conference schedule. Snyder will lean on his top-rated defense led by 7-1 center Rudy Gobert. The Stifle Tower had a league-best 4.1 blocks per game and anchored a defense that gave up just 96 points a game. Newly acquired point guard Ricky Rubio is an upgrade from George Hill, and watch out for rookie shooting guard Donovan Mitchell. Prediction: 45-37

7-PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS: The Blazers have one of the best backcourt tandems in the league. But it’s a gift and a curse. Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum as so good they mask the Blazers’ weaknesses. If the Blazers are going to make a playoff push they need another player to step forward to help Lillard and McCollum. That player could be 23-year-old, 6-11 center Jusuf Nurkic. When the big man from Bosnia is healthy, he looks like a young Arvydas Sabonis. When he’s hurt, he looks like a young Sam Bowie. The Blazers are hoping the young Sabonis shows up. Prediction 43-39

8-MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES: Defensive guru Tom Thibodeau won just 31 games in his first season in Minnesota. He knew he needed to bring in more defensive-minded players to run his ultra-aggressive style. Mission accomplished. Thibs brought in his former pupils from Chicago, Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson, to bring a little bit of nasty to Minnesota. Butler joins Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins in a starting lineup that’s about as good as any in the West (except the Warriors, of course). A better defensive approach should be enough to push the Wolves to their first playoff appearance in 13 years. Prediction: 42-40

Last three teams out: Denver Nuggets, L.A. Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies.

Steph Curry and the Warriors are lapping — and laughing at — the field. (AP)

Let’s cut to the chase. The Golden State Warriors are going to win the 2016-17 NBA title. About the only drama left in this year’s postseason is whether or not these Super Warriors will drop a game on their way to their second championship in three years.

Sorry, LeBron. Your reign as King of The Land is over. Time to hand over the crown to the boys from Bay.

The Warriors flashed their greatness in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals against the San Antonio Spurs. After a long layoff and missing their head coach, Steve Kerr, the Warriors got out of the games slow. They were sloppy. They were rusty. And they fell behind by 25 points. Yet, they won thanks to 40 points from Steph Curry and 34 from Kevin Durant. After being held to 42 points in the first half, the Warriors exploded like a ballistic missile in the second half and finished with 113 points. A truly remarkable turnaround that should scare and discourage the remaining playoff teams. The Warriors played their C game and still won, remaining perfect in the postseason. They clearly have their sights set on the 2001 L.A. Lakers’ 15-1 playoff record.

“They [the Spurs] came out and challenged us heavy, put a nice little run together,” Curry said after the game. “It took us a minute to figure it out to get up to that game speed after this little break.”

Notice Curry kept saying “little.” The Spurs made a “nice little run” to take advantage of the Dubs, who were coming off their “little break.” San Antonio, despite a near-perfect half, never had a chance. Curry and Co. are a confident bunch. And they should be. Once they found their groove it was lights out.

With a healthy Kawhi Leonard, the Spurs have “little” chance to win beat the Dubs. With Kawhi hobbled by a bum ankle, the Spurs have no shot.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise, though. The Warriors should have started getting fitted with their championship rings last summer when Kevin Durant decided to leave his Thunder buddy, Russell Westbrook, and join the team that won a record 73 games. It’s like Batman joining the Avengers. You’re talking about an MVP in KD joining a squad that already boasts a two-time MVP in Curry. Both at the height of their powers. Then you add two more studs in Klay Thompson and Draymond Green — both arguably among the top 15 players in the NBA — and you basically have the greatest collection of talent in the basketball universe. It is almost unfair. A competitive advantage no team has enjoyed throughout history.

With Curry and Thompson, the Warriors have the two best shooters in basketball history. Add Durant — a multiple scoring champ — to the mix and you have an unguardable unit. You won’t find a better offensive unit. Oh, by the way. The Warriors are also armed with two elite defenders in Draymond and Andre Iguodala. Yikes!

Game. Set. Match.

If LeBron James can win two games against these Dubs, he should get a statue at every NBA arena. These Warriors are insanely good. When the final confetti drops at Oracle Arena after the Dubs are crowned NBA champs, we’ll be comparing them to the all-time great teams. These Warriors are no longer just chasing down a championship. They’re chasing down history.

Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving injured his left knee in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. (GETTY IMAGES)

The mood in Cleveland has gone from bad to worse in 24 hours after news broke that All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving is done for the rest of the NBA Finals after an MRI exam revealed a fracture in his left kneecap. The injury normally requires a three- to four-month recovery time, so don’t expect to see Irving in a Cavs uniform until October.

The Cavaliers are coming off a gut-wrenching overtime defeat to the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of The Finals, despite 44 points from LeBron James. It just proves that one man cannot win a game, yet alone win a championship — even if that MAN is the best basketball player on the planet.

You have to feel for LeBron. He’s never really had a completely healthy Robin to his Batman.

James took a Cleveland team to the NBA Finals in 2007 that had a roster filled with a bunch of journeymen. When LeBron took his talents to South Beach, he won two titles but could have had more if Dwyane Wade stayed upright. Wade was completely healthy in just one of the four championship runs in Miami, forcing LeBron to do most of the heavily lifting. Now, LeBron’s new star sidekick, Kyrie Irving, is done for the playoffs.

Cleveland sports fans must be reliving “The Drive” and “The Decision” all over again.

These last two days have to be the worst two-day stretch for the Cavaliers this season. It started with the overtime period in Game 1 at Oracle Arena in Oakland when the Cavs took one on the chin when Kyrie went down.

With under three minutes to play in OT and the Cavs down by four, Irving drove to his right and as he tried to shake off Klay Thompson his left knee buckled. Seconds after Kyrie went down, Harrison Barnes buried a 3-point shot from the corner to give the Warriors a seven-point cushion at the 2:02 mark.

Irving tried to walk the pain off but it became unbearable and he was forced to leave the game. Prior to getting hurt, Irving was having a sensational game, with 23 points on 10 of 22 shots in 43 minutes.

The Cavaliers went scoreless in OT until LeBron scored an uncontested layup just before the final buzzer went off. They went 1-for-10 and was outscored 10-2. But the toughest part of OT was the sight of watching their second-best player limp off the court. Kyrie left the arena in crutches.

“I’m in a little bit of pain,” Irving told reporters after the game. “I tried to decelerate, trying to go by Klay. I don’t know what I felt but obviously it didn’t feel right. This was a little bit different than what I had been experiencing [in the Chicago series]. It was a quick pinch. I could still feel what was going on in my knee. This time I was a little bit different than the other time.”

Irving has been bothered by knee and foot problems since the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, and his body has deteriorated with each round.

“Obviously you can tell from the tone of my voice I’m a little worried. It’s a natural reaction,” Irving said. “The body works in mysterious ways.”

Right now, Irving’s body must be telling him, “enough!”

What made this latest injury extra painful was the fact that Cleveland was in great position to steal Game 1 in a place where only three teams have won all season. Irving said he felt “amazing” coming into The Finals, and even though he wasn’t 100 percent he was impacting the game on both ends. With one bad move, he went from being the old Kyrie to Uncle Drew.

“It’s a little disappointing and frustrating,” Irving said. “This is just a setback that I gotta take it with a grain of salt.”