Hours before the Golden State Warriors raised their third NBA Championship banner in four years, coach Steve Kerr was thinking about something that happened well before he became the coach.
“It’s funny. I find myself now thinking about the famous Joe Lacob Night when he said ‘we’re going to hang another one.’ Everybody laughed. I laughed. I was at home like ‘come on. The Warriors?'”
Even Steve Kerr laughed that night in 2010 when Joe Lacob said the #Warriors would hang another banner. Well, looks like Joe got the last laugh. pic.twitter.com/vpaOfN4taS
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) October 17, 2018
When Lacob became the owner, the Warriors had won only a single championship since moving from Philadelphia.
Lacob looked at the 1974-75 banner and said, “I’ve got to tell you, if, at the end of the day, there isn’t another banner hanging up there, then we’ve failed,” per Rusty Simmons of SF Gate.
Shortly after buying the team, owner Joe Lacob looked at the banner recognizing the team’s 1974-75 championship. At that point, it was Golden State’s only title since moving from Philadelphia.
Kerr could hardly be blamed for his skepticism. After winning in 1975, the Warriors lost in the Western Conference Finals in 1976 and during the conference semifinals in 1977. From that point until the 2012-2013 season Golden State made the playoffs only six times and qualified in consecutive years only once.
The Warriors have made the playoffs in each of the last six seasons, made four straight NBA Finals, winning three of them, including each of the last two.
Things have certainly changed.