Losing hurts. Losing in the playoffs hurts more. Unfortunately, sometimes those losses seem to stick in your mind forever.
Lately our Golden State Warriors have more than their share of memorable wins in the playoffs.
But, they have had just as many memorable playoff losses to recount, as well.
As our Dubs embark on a new era of winning and hopefully a few championships to boot, it doesn’t hurt to be reminded of their bitter past.
It just makes any future success feel all that more sweeter.
With that in hand, a look at the 5 most painful Warrior playoff losses.
#5: MAY 12, 1991, GAME 4 – LOS ANGELES LAKERS 123 @ GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS 107
The 1990-91 season saw the upstart #7 seeded RUN-TMC led Warriors begin the playoffs with a stunning upset of the heavily favored #2 San Antonio Spurs in 4 games.
Next up was the hated Lakers.
Following a close loss in game one, Chris Mullin out dueled Magic Johnson at the Forum in game 2 to earn a crucial split and send the series back to Oakland tied at 1.
After a back and forth loss in game 3 at the Coliseum Arena, the Warriors had a golden chance to even the series in front of the Bay Area faithful.
It wasn’t meant to be.
On a national Sunday affair (with Lakers fanatic Jack Nicholson as well as myself in attendance), Magic and company poured it on with a 35 point fourth quarter to break open a close game and end the series for all intensive purposes.
#4: MAY 9, 2007, GAME 1 – GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS 117 @ UTAH JAZZ 127 (OT)
Just after their “We Believe” stunning upset of the #1 seeded Dallas Mavericks in 2007, the Warriors stormed into the Energy Solutions Arena determined to continue their magical run.
After falling just short in game 1, the Warriors had the heavily favored Jazz on the ropes with a five point lead in the final minute.
Needing to hit just a few free throws to ice the crucial game on the road, the Warriors began falling apart in front of the raucous Utah crowd.
Following Derek Fisher’s heartbreaking 3-pointer to tie the game in the final seconds, the Jazz would pull away in overtime and eventually close the series out in 5 games.
#3: APRIL 30, 1992, GAME 4 – GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS 116 @ SEATTLE SUPERSONICS 119
The 3rd seeded 55-win Warriors stormed into the 1991-92 playoffs following their second best regular season in team history, ready to make a serious run at a title.
The young Sonics fueled by Shawn Kemp & Gary Payton had a completely different idea.
After letting Seattle steal game one in Oakland and splitting the next two games, the Warriors had their backs to the wall in a “do or die” game up in the Emerald City.
Even with the duo of Tim Hardaway and Billy Owens putting up a combined 48 points, the game still came down to the final minutes of the fourth quarter.
Seattle would painstakingly pull away at the end, punctuated by one of the all-time remembered dunks from Kemp over a helpless Alton Lister.
#2: APRIL 14, 1967, GAME 1 – SAN FRANCISCO WARRIORS 135 @ PHILADELPHIA 76ERS 141 (OT)
After playoff series victories over the St. Louis Hawks (later Atlanta) and the hated Lakers, the Rick Barry led Warriors reached their first NBA championship series by the Bay.
Unfortunately, they had the misfortune of meeting the 68 win-76ers from the East.
Wilt Chamberlain and his teammates had just dismantled the powerful Boston Celtics in 5 games.
Thus, no one expected a Warrior team with 24 less wins than the Sixers that season to even be competitive in the series, much less win it…which they wouldn’t.
Pushing Philly to OT in the first game only to lose, however, is what gets this to number 2 on the list.
#1: MAY 16, 1976, GAME 7 – PHOENIX SUNS 94 @ GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS 86
Its the game most die-hard Warrior fans want to forget.
Fresh off its one and only championship the year before and winner of a franchise and league best 59 wins, the Warriors were only one home victory away from a second consecutive championship trip.
After blowing a 3-2 series lead but still holding a 6 point lead at half-time of game 7, Rick Barry and his teammates failed to generate any offense and were run off the court by Paul Westphal and the Suns.
Phoenix would go on to play in one of the most memorable championships against Boston.
Warriors fans, however, would remember this game as the game that Barry refused to shoot the ball because he didn’t get along with his teammates.
The pain of this loss and the rumors surrounding it still exist today.
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