PD Editorial: NBA Champion Warriors: Greater than the sum of its parts

So what could a 19th century woman who was left deaf and blind in her youth and the newly crowned 2017 NBA champions possibly have in common? How about this: An understanding and appreciation for what can be accomplished through fidelity to a single purpose - and teamwork.

“Alone we can do so little,” author and lecturer Helen Keller once wrote. “Together we can do so much.”

Bay Area sports fans have witnessed the manifestation of this simple truth before. We’ve see it on the playing field with such legendary teams as the Oakland A’s and Raiders of the 1970s, the San Francisco 49ers of the 1980s and the San Francisco Giants of 2010, 2012 and 2014.

But never was it more evident than in the fast-paced grace, grit and selflessness of the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors, a band of players - veterans, rookies and all-stars in their prime - who did the impossible in rising to and exceeding the mammoth expectations of their fans, the sports world and themselves in winning their second NBA championship in three years on Monday.

As loyal Dub fans know, this has been a team of many mantras and slogans, but none better than its signature rallying cry, “strength in numbers.” Yes, this is a club that has put up some pretty gaudy numbers in winning an NBA record 254 games (regular season and playoffs) over the past three seasons, winning a record 73 regular-season games last year and making history this year in going 16-1 in the postseason. But it’s the number 13 that has mattered most, the number of players on the Warriors roster. Its importance was made clear throughout the five-game NBA Finals, a clash between a team from Cleveland with two NBA titans, LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, who played as individuals and were unstoppable and a team from Oakland that played as a unit and was unbeatable.

Of course, the Warriors have more than its share of All-Stars and potential hall-of-famers in Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and finals MVP Kevin Durant. But its dependence on its full complement of athletes has been its hallmark, including during key moments in the decisive game five Monday when bench players such as Shaun Livingston, David West and particularly Andre Iguodala, who finished with 20 points, came through with critical baskets and defensive stops at a time when the game and possibly even the title were slipping away.

That set the stage for the standouts such as Curry and Durant to finish it off. And so they did.

And in the joy that came amid raining confetti, Durant made clear once again what prompted him to make his move to the Warriors nearly a year ago. “This is a great group of guys, a great community …” he said. “I’m so happy to be a part of it.”

As is certain to be demonstrated on Thursday when Oakland hosts the Warriors victory parade starting at 10 a.m., it’s a reciprocated joy among fans. It’s a team culture that likely appeals to anyone who is tired of the partisanship and divisiveness of our age and just enjoys watching a group of individuals demonstrate the kind of collective focus and magnanimity that it takes to become greater than the sum of its parts. And makes them so fun to watch.

Congratulations to the Golden State Warriors on a remarkable season.