Golden State literally walked the league in the mid-2010s. However, a former member of the house recently confessed that the Dubs had had a little help from the refereeing corps! And for once, the examples put forward are quite edifying.
Impossible to miss the Warriors dynasty, between 2014 and 2019. With five Finals in a row and three titles at stake, the Californians literally walked on the Western Conference and more generally on the NBA, during this period of five years. We can notably mention the season with 73 wins for 9 defeats in 2015-16, breaking the all-time record of the Bulls of Michael Jordan, or the two MVPs granted to the local star Stephen Curry.
Armed with an iron defense, a licked collective basketball and an avalanche of three-point shots, the Bay players were simply unstoppable. Especially since in addition to their intrinsic qualities, they had the right to help… referees. This astonishing and shocking statement comes to us from none other than Andrew Bogut, pivot holder of the franchise during the first coronation in 2015. Guest of a podcast, the former player indeed confessed that he had been guilty of a lot of big mistakes… but that the men in stripes let him!
Andrew Bogut lucid on preferential treatment for the Warriors
One thing that was crazy about this run was the shit I used to do in the field all the time. I knew if I was at Milwaukee I’d be ruled out for six fouls in the first quarter, but playing at Golden State, when they started becoming this underdog team that was building, I knew that a once Steph or Klay were hot, the refs would be in on it.
I could literally smack someone as Klay had just scored three in a row, the crowd was on their feet as he sunk in his 4th straight field goal and I could punch someone in the face after a screen, knock them out and they weren’t whistling. Klay was hitting his fourth 3, and even the referees were saying “Wow” and ignoring my foul, it was crazy.
Then I was traded to Dallas to set up these same screens and I started to pick up 3 fouls in the first quarter. It was just crazy, because those were the same mistakes I used to make at the Warriors.
Remember that if he was a respected defender, the Australian was also considered a dirty player because of his very mobile screens. He did, however, have the advantage of playing for the Dubs during this time, which allowed him to slip through the cracks.
Like the superstars, the teams also sometimes have the right to a little help from the officials, who can be more flowing on certain whistles. GS did not base their success solely on this, however, and so there is no questioning the success of Steve Kerr’s men, who did indeed roll in the league at that time. However, they certainly did not refuse this little bonus!
The best are often entitled to preferential treatment, and the Warriors were no exception to the rule. Above all, Andrew Bogut can congratulate himself on having been in the right place at the right time… as he explains, he would not have been so lucky elsewhere.
