When I started this blog back in 2005, My Golden State Warriors were in the midst of a historic run of futility that lasted two full decades, save that one glorious month in 2007. During all that time they went to the playoffs just the once.

So in 2013, when we became a real NBA team again, I got a little giddy and started writing about the playoff games. I’ve continued that more or less to the present day, though I know these posts are not very popular, even with myself. It’s more of a compulsion; having invested so much mental energy in the doings of an ever-changing cast of large men, I feel like I need to get something out of it.

The Warriors last won the NBA title in 2022, which amazingly was only three years ago. (Just the last three months feels like an eternity.) Last year they suffered an ignominious exit at the hands of the Sacramento Kings, with beloved Klay Thompson going 0-for-10 in what turned out to be his last game as a Warrior.

That kind of felt like the end, and most of this season was a slog, with the Dubs playing uninspired ball, occasionally giving reason for hope, then falling back into mediocrity. Finally, after a long period of angst, ennui, and indecision, something actually happened: GM Mike Dunleavy pulled the trigger on a trade that brought in Jimmy Butler from Miami. Many of us, including myself, were skeptical about this move; it was a big gamble on an aging player who was serially disgruntled.

But it has worked. The Warriors finished the regular season strong, and survived an unnecessary trip to the Play-In Tournament, earning themselves a series against the #2 seed Houston Rockets.

Game 1 was Sunday night. I sat down expecting the worst; the Rockets are a young, athletic team who dominated the Warriors in their last meeting. I figured they would come out strong, and our veteran team would absorb the loss and make adjustments, then maybe get back into the series later.

It did not go down that way. Whether due to nerves, good defense, or just an off day, the Rockets could not hit a shot to save their lives and scored only 85 points in the game. My team managed 95, which was not great but good enough. Today, after many months of sour pessimism and dreary resignation, followed by a burst of excitement and then a sobering reassessment of same, Dub Nation is experiencing some irrational exuberance.

This will last about 24 more hours. After that we will have an attitude adjustment in the direction of either tempered optimism or rational exuberance.

In any case, at the moment it’s fun to be a Warriors fan again. I don’t take that lightly. The Baby-Faced Assassin is a beardy 37 now; the clock is ticking, and there’s no time to waste.