The Bulls did it twice, with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen leading the way. The Lakers accomplished it once, behind Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. In the 42 seasons since the NBA-ABA merger, those are the only franchises to win three consecutive NBA Finals.
When the Warriors come together for training camp on Sept. 25, their goal is to become the third.
Here is a look at those players with guaranteed roster spots.
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SEVENTH IN A SERIES
Player: Andre Iguodala
Position: Small forward
Height/weight: 6-6, 215
College: Arizona
Age: 34
Salary: $16M (Year 2 of a three-year pact worth $48 million)
NBA 2K Player Rating: 77
2017-18 in review: Though his defense is solid, Iguodala finds ways to elevate it at significant times. Likewise, his jump shot was dreadful before arriving in March and hanging around through the postseason. An important contribution that surfaced last season was his influence on younger players, specifically Kevon Looney and Quinn Cook, whose solid play was partly the result of Iguodala’s subtle tutelage. Even while missing 18 games, he again made an impact on both ends that defies individual statistics.
Key stats: 64 games (seven starts), averaging 6.0 points (63.2 percent FT, 28.2 percent 3s), 3.3 assists, 3.1 rebounds,
Golden State Warriors
Season highs: Points (14, twice), assists (10), rebounds (eight, three times) minutes (37).
2018-19 outlook: The nagging injuries keep coming, indicating that Iguodala has eased into the twilight phase of his career. The Warriors are beyond worrying about what he does in the regular season, so he’ll be on a maintenance program even if he stays healthy. The priority is that he’s ready to play 18-25 minutes per game in the postseason. Quiet as it’s kept, Iguodala’s absence for the final three games of the Western Conference Finals was a huge loss and nearly cost the Warriors the series.