Warriors S65 Preseason Presser: The Last Dance

[greepleairport]

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Has any team in PBSL history won a 3-peat looking like underdogs their first two championship years? This would make a 3-peat in Golden State different than the 3-peat in Detroit several seasons ago, where Detroit fostered a super team leading as favorites for so many seasons that multiple articles were written regarding ways to tear them down, if not simply slow their roll.

Glory has yet to return to Detroit since then, but not due to lack of effort from a savvy vet GM like Quailman, keeping Detroit out of a state of total disaster that would have lasted for decades without him.

Will we ever be this good again? I don’t know. Probably not. We didn’t expect to be as good as we have proven we are these last two seasons. Yet here we are, gunning for a 3-peat, something only one other GM in PBSL history has done successfully.

And after 2 seasons of winning it all as the underdog, we are the odds on favorite to reign and defend our championship.

My PBSL dreams have already come true twice over. Now we have the opportunity to get this squad etched into PBSL history as one of the greatest to ever do it. Holy cow.

Whereas our first championship in S63 felt like a result of circumstance as much as anything (injuries here, absentee GMs there), our championship last season made us undeniably the best team, rolling through an absurd onslaught of opponents: #3 Pistons (with a healthy Schiff), then the Omega #1 seed Bulls…

and then the team that had been crowned a dynasty since inception (and thus possibly cursing them, eek), the #1 team favored to win it all, the completely healthy LA Lakers, managed by one of the league’s best GMs, the commish himself, MexicanMamba.

As thrilled as I was on the night of June 8th, 2054, I couldn’t help but feel bittersweet for Mamba’s loss. Mamba’s done everything right for more than the 6 seasons he took his squad to the finals, and one day his championship record will inevitably reflect that. I never expected to beat Mamba’s Lakers until we handed them a sizable loss in Game 2 in LA. Hope was kindled in our locker room that night. Markus felt it. So did Alphonse, and Fabian too. The underdogs had the opportunity to do it all again, and no one - not even ourselves - thought it would be possible.

The finals were an absolute war. We lost Warley smack in the middle and had to regroup and reevaluate. Then the final horn rang in Game 7 and our team had just entered rarefied PBSL air as repeat champs. We had nothing to lose, and perhaps that’s exactly why we won.



Everything is different now. Markus drives a Bentley…and a Ferrari. At the same time. Fabian (and I <3 ) just bought our 5th house - in the absurd real estate market that is the Bay Area! Alphonse started drinking Fabian’s juice. Andreas Gillam is the best underpaid player in the league. Warley’s back making that Doctor Andrews money, more than double Gillam. Jean Coss lost a step; Scruggs is gone. Albert Myers is back and greener than grass. Sidney Crawford is still smoking hot, even if we let her go midseason. Again.

And Kai Jones is here.

We have a lot to be excited about in Golden State in 2054, but we don’t have better teams to hide behind. Everyone is gunning for the Warriors now, and it will be such a test that, win or lose, we will not be bringing the band back together next season. All good things must come to an end.

Call me Jerry Krause. Or Jerry Reinsdorf. Call me Ishmael - I don’t give a frye. I know when my time has come and when my time has gone, and I intend not to overstay my welcome.

Everything we built in the Bay the last two years was expected to culminate this year, possibly extending for one more season afterward, but winning championships can certainly take its toll. (Kai Jones knows - he was never the same after he left Detroit, but it’s hard not to crawl back for one more when the opportunity knocks.) We’re battle tested and battle tired. We have fight left but not fight forever. We expected to grow into a championship team and didn’t realize we were fighting as one already. We have money left in the coffers but … just like the team we built, we never planned to go broke.

So here we are, ready to run it back, do it all again, one more time, but then it’s time. Time to say goodbye to the greatest team I may ever have.




Questions?

[AngryBanana]

Chet Youbetcha, Dimmadome News: Word from the owners meetings is that Hub’s agent, Poor Richard, is commuting large scale collisions to get players like Fabian to GS. Any comments?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[greepleairport]

What?

I dunno about this poor Richard character but if he thinks he can get anywhere near my Fabian’s Hub he’s gonna have to speak with my 9mm

Hub’s going nowhere other than GS unless Hub hires a divorce attorney

[garbageman]

Sham Smith, Bulls.com: Congrats on earning yourself a 2nd ring in a row. Now that you've won twice, how does winning your second title compare with winning your first?

[Eazy P]

What team do you think will make a 3 peat run challenging for your team this year?

[greepleairport]

Sham Smith, Bulls.com: Congrats on earning yourself a 2nd ring in a row. Now that you've won twice, how does winning your second title compare with winning your first?

It's a much, much bigger deal to me. Like I said, I feel like luck played a much larger role in my first title run. I faced a super tough Nets in the finals, but ultimately, I think we were a bad match up for them. My toughest competition would have been the Lakers who went down to injury, and the Nuggets if they had been actively putting in DCs and adjusting their game plan.

So this past year was huge. All my opponents were super tough, playing at full strength, and we won fair and square. Sometimes I still can't believe it. The Schiff / Dirks combo in our first title year could have knocked us out of the playoffs, had we met the Magic, because they bested us most of the regular season that year...

So, when I was up against Schiff / Lomax, and Doug at the helm, I was pretty terrified of that matchup. Against the Bulls, I felt there were exploitable matchups with versatile guys like Hub and Morelock on my side, playable at multiple positions, and I took that same strat to the beefy Lakers - who, again, wrecked me in the regular season in the few matchups we had.

Perhaps Mamba's only mistake was highlighting the fact that Hub did not play well against Alleman in the regular season. He was right. I took that insight all the way to getting another ring, and really just beat all the best teams in the league last year. Hats off to the competition because you all had me concerned at one point or another, or straight up doubting that I could pull it off.

[greepleairport]

What team do you think will make a 3 peat run challenging for your team this year?

Great question. I think the Suns could be my biggest problem, and we're in the same division. The Bulls are a perennial problem. I'm looking at some new (old) blood in the Buddy Pedraza division, too. The Pelicans and Rockets made some really interesting and strong moves this offseason, and I love to see it. I'll be keeping my eye on the Twolves and Pacers as well. The JNR is playing hungry, and the power of Herbert Jones cannot be denied. I'll definitely pay attention to Xue Huo / Herb Jones matchups this year, too...

[K-100]

Congratulations on winning your 2nd title! Where do you rank yourself in the GM rankings nowadays? And where would you rank yourself on the all-time list?

[greepleairport]

Winning twice catapults me up some rankings. A few GMs have won two. Fewer GMs have won two in a row. I don’t have a clear idea of who has won how many, though. I know garbageman and Eazy P have won several, as well as Ryan who won a bunch as the nuggets GM. Wig seems to be the true legendary GM of PBSL. So, two in a row puts me in the conversation but certainly not equal to these folks. I’ve always compared myself to Mamba having come into the league at the same time, and even though I have two rings I still think Mamba is the savvier GM. If I pull off a third, though, third in a row… I’m instantly in the conversation for top 5, but with only one build to have won any championships, I think you could also strongly argue that I’m not too 5. It would instantly be a top 2 legendary run, top two legendary team. But there have also been teams that could have done a third, maybe, who just decided for the love of the game to break it down before that could happen.

Honestly I’m just beyond proud of my recent accomplishments, and after my Delmar build I wasn’t sure I’d ever win. So regardless of ranking, I’m beside myself with joy at what I’ve been able to accomplish thus far.

[cashcab]

Congrats on winning your 2nd ring, crazy you won game 7 on the road. Who would you consider your Steph, Clay and Draymond of your team?

Sent from my moto g pure using Tapatalk

[greepleairport]

Well, my big three is definitely Morelock, Hub and Ridenhour, but none of these dudes are like Steph Klay and Draymond. My guys are very different from them but they are equally good

[IamQuailman]

I;m not going to lie, you utterly dominating us in the playoffs was one of the reasons for starting the dismantling of the current squad. Whose heart and spirit will you crush this season on your way to a possible 3-peat?

[greepleairport]

I;m not going to lie, you utterly dominating us in the playoffs was one of the reasons for starting the dismantling of the current squad. Whose heart and spirit will you crush this season on your way to a possible 3-peat?

Ha! I’ll take that as a compliment.

My goal is to take it from anyone coming to take what I’ve earned which is a legitimate shot at a 3 peat. I’ve been in the league a long time now and it’s not often that the leagues best GMs - yourself included - decide to bow out of competition. For those still willing to compete, I’m going to throw the kitchen sink at you. If I fall, get plagued by injury, or flat out lose to an unsuspecting competitor, so be it. But right now I’m all in on the 3 peat.

I’m not playing it safe now. I easily could have paid my tax bill, but instead I continued juicing up my squad and left my bank with 10 points staring at a 120pt bill. If I don’t play my cards right I could lose Hub and Markus in the offseason. But that’s just the risk I was willing to take to get this 3 peat when I realized how many points I had. I’m living for the now, and I’m not sorry if anyone gets bulldozed. My reign will come to an end no matter what next offseason.

[LazyTitanSmash]

What are the odds that your current team will be the team in the finals? I not talking about your core but rather your peripheral blue/green players.

[Mike Lowry]

First of all,

CONGRATULATIONS!

Again


But I call shenanigans. Are you trying to say, that if this team does the not so unthinkable, and wins it all again, completes a 3-peat, - that you won't go all in for 4?
Who are you?
And what have you done with Greeple!??

[greepleairport]

What are the odds that your current team will be the team in the finals? I not talking about your core but rather your peripheral blue/green players.

I will definitely be cutting at least a couple of guys, but probably the yellows. I really liked Chris Lansing's production this first sim, so he's probably staying. I may look for serious salary saving moves moving forward though... nothing crazy though, the core stays, but some of the peripheral / bench players perhaps

[greepleairport]

First of all,

CONGRATULATIONS!

Again


But I call shenanigans. Are you trying to say, that if this team does the not so unthinkable, and wins it all again, completes a 3-peat, - that you won't go all in for 4?
Who are you?
And what have you done with Greeple!??

Lol, Greeple is still here. It's just, winning two was a possible goal this season and next. I've done that already. A 4th ring in a row is just... not necessary? I don't think? Thing is, let's say I stay out of the tax penalty next season. I will retain Hub and Ridenhour, but if I don't get good deals on my talent, then it's possible I could be forced into going for a 4th title with a lack of alternatives. Not a bad problem to have. But I've had an absolute blast winning two, would cement my legacy with three, and then figuring out how to do it all over again with a new team would be more fun than running this build into the ground and probably risking injury anyway.