1975 Golden State Warriors

Golden State traded Nate Thurmond before the season and lost Cazzie Russell to free agency, leaving Barry as the clear leader. Al Attles coached a deep, share-the-minutes rotation that could use ten players in a game. The Warriors won the Pacific Division but profiled as ordinary on paper.

Barry did almost everything, leading the NBA in scoring, free-throw percentage, and steals while finishing sixth in assists. Wilkes gave them a smooth scorer at forward, Clifford Ray held the middle, and a young Phil Smith emerged in the backcourt.

The Warriors trailed the Bulls 3-2 in the conference finals before winning Game 6 in Chicago and Game 7 at home, 83-79. That set up the Finals against a Washington team that had won 60 games. Golden State swept it in four, with one-point wins in Games 2 and 4.

It was the franchise's first title since 1956, when it played in Philadelphia. The Warriors would not return to the Finals until 2015.

The league was smaller than it is today, but the 1975 playoffs still required beating the best teams in the division and then the other side of the bracket. Title paths from this era are shorter on paper than a modern run, yet the Finals still decided the champion.

The starting five was Rick Barry, Jamaal Wilkes, Butch Beard, Clifford Ray, and Phil Smith. Al Attles coached the group with Charles Johnson as the primary bench scorer.

The full roster ran deeper than the headline names. Role players who mattered included Jeff Mullins (veteran guard); Derrek Dickey (rookie forward who scored well in the Finals); George Johnson (shot-blocking reserve center).

By 1975 the NBA had expanded nationwide and the Finals were a national television event. The Golden State Warriors title run still required winning the East or West bracket, then taking the championship round.

The Golden State Warriors share a lineage with other banners from 1947, 1956, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2022. Compare those seasons on the franchise hub to see how the roster and style changed between title runs.

Looking back, the 1974-75 Golden State Warriors went 48-34 and swept the heavily favored Washington Bullets to win the title. Rick Barry, shooting his free throws underhand, led the league in scoring at 30.6 a game and took Finals MVP. Rookie forward Jamaal Wilkes won Rookie of the Year, and almost nobody outside the Bay Area saw the sweep coming.

For the full roster beyond the featured starters, see the table on this page. For other Golden State Warriors titles, use the franchise hub linked below.