Daniel Hardee

1 week ago | goldenstateofmind.com | Daniel Hardee

Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images Every June, the basketball world loses its collective mind. One team hoists the Larry O’Brien Trophy, and suddenly we’re drowning in dynasty declarations before the confetti has even been swept from the court. This year’s premature victim? The Oklahoma City Thunder, who haven’t even played their first Finals game since 2012, yet ESPN’s Zach Kram already has them mirror-imaging the 2015 Warriors dynasty.

1 week ago | goldenstateofmind.com | Daniel Hardee

Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images I know there’s been a ton of pieces on the passing on Klay Thompson’s dog Rocco. I feel like I need to personally pay respects as I’ve been graced by the love from Rocco myself. There’s something profoundly heartbreaking about watching a warrior say goodbye to his most faithful companion.

1 week ago | goldenstateofmind.com | Daniel Hardee

Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images Looking back at Golden State’s early November nights, it’s wild how quickly everything shifted. One moment you’re watching De’Anthony Melton drill five threes against the Thunder, grabbing 10 rebounds like some kind of defensive savant, and thinking “damn, Kerr might have actually cracked the code.” The next? Season over, ACL torn, and suddenly Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody have the weight of the season on their shoulders. The cruel irony?

1 week ago | goldenstateofmind.com | Daniel Hardee

Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images Times have really changed, eh? When the Golden State Warriors were last in the conference finals, they were dispatching Luka Doncic’s Dallas Mavericks out of the playoffs. The Dubs went on to win the NBA championship, the fourth of the Splash Bros era. Meanwhile, a lot of GSW fans were amazed at how Golden State’s defensive effort had the Mavericks’ top stars in a headlock, despite them coming into the series heralded as scoring machines.

1 week ago | goldenstateofmind.com | Daniel Hardee

Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images Watching Tyrese Haliburton navigate Game 5’s struggles, as someone who wants to live his entire life without New York winning a title because I grew up always seeing them as the bad guys like an 80s film villain, I can’t help but root for him to figure this out. But every possession now comes under a microscope that few players ever experience – and fewer still learn to master. And standing directly in his path?