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Golden State Warriors · Franchise era 4 of 6

Run TMC: the Golden State Warriors story

Franchise era

1986–87—1993–94

Run TMC

Golden State Warriors

The story in one sentence

Don Nelson's teams turned speed, shooting and skill into cult-favorite basketball even without a deep playoff run.

01

Small, fast and spectacular

02

Chris Mullin, Tim Hardaway and Mitch Richmond gave the era its recognizable core.

03

Its ending created the conditions for the wilderness and we believe.

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Before 1986–87

    What came before

    Talent passed through the Bay, but unstable roster decisions produced one of the franchise's longest dormant stretches.

  2. 1987

    Western Conference Semifinals: Golden State Warriors vs Los Angeles Lakers

    Western ConferenceSemifinals
    1987
    GOLDEN STATEWARRIORS
    LOS ANGELESLAKERS
    COMPLETE SERIES

    Western Conference Semifinals · 5 games

    Golden State Warriors vs Los Angeles Lakers

    Open the complete series →

    Series finale · Game 5 · May 12, 1987Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers →Closest game · Game 4 · May 10, 1987Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors →

  3. 1989

    Western Conference Semifinals: Golden State Warriors vs Phoenix Suns

    Western ConferenceSemifinals
    1989
    GOLDEN STATEWARRIORS
    PHOENIXSUNS
    COMPLETE SERIES

    Western Conference Semifinals · 5 games

    Golden State Warriors vs Phoenix Suns

    Open the complete series →

    Series finale · Game 5 · May 16, 1989Golden State Warriors at Phoenix Suns →Closest game · Game 2 · May 9, 1989Golden State Warriors at Phoenix Suns →

  4. 1991

    Western Conference Semifinals: Golden State Warriors vs Los Angeles Lakers

    Western ConferenceSemifinals
    1991
    GOLDEN STATEWARRIORS
    LOS ANGELESLAKERS
    COMPLETE SERIES

    Western Conference Semifinals · 5 games

    Golden State Warriors vs Los Angeles Lakers

    Open the complete series →

    Series finale · Game 5 · May 14, 1991Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers →Closest game · Game 2 · May 8, 1991Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers →

  5. After 1993–94

    What came next

    Years of losing gave way to the 2007 eighth seed, whose energy and small-ball attack stunned top-seeded Dallas.

The core

Faces of the chapter

01Chris Mullin→02Tim Hardaway→03Mitch Richmond→
← Previous eraAfter the title1976–77—1985–86Next era →The wilderness and We Believe1994–95—2008–09