50 years later, Warriors remember ’75 Finals and ‘Biggest Upset’

Sure, that was an exaggeration, Rick Barry referring to the Warriors' surprise win in the 1975 NBA finals as the “biggest upset in the history of major sports in America.” 

But maybe not that much of an exaggeration.

Does it matter?  History will not change. Nor will the memories. The biggest upset or the least important? What does matter is that the championship will always belong to the Warriors.

Not that Barry and some teammates didn’t feel slighted. No White House visit. No Sports Illustrated cover.

Recognition may have been missing, but appreciation is not.

Friday night seven members of that team—Barry, Jamal Wilkes, George Johnson, Butch Baird, Charles Dudley, Cliff Ray and from the other side of the country, Jeff Mullins—were honored during a game by the current Warriors. 

“The biggest disappointment,” said Barry, “was not getting the recognition we deserved—who we were and are.”

The Warriors emphasized togetherness, perhaps more so than other teams. In fact, that word is engraved on the Championship ring each player received.

It was the belief of the late head coach, Al Attles, that everyone on the roster should play, which kept the athletes happy as well as well-conditioned. They accepted whatever role was assigned, Mullins and Beard performing as subs after starting for other teams. 

That the Warriors even made it to the finals was stunning to some basketball experts. Golden State had a mediocre 48-34 record during the regular season. They beat Seattle in the Western Conference semifinals and made it past the Chicago Bulls in the conference finals (in seven games). That was when Bulls coach Dick Motta offered his famous quote, “It isn’t over ‘til the fat lady sings.” That series was rough and tumble, Chicago grabbing and shoving the Warriors at every opportunity. But somehow the Warriors survived.

Washington was a startlingly heavy favorite in the Finals. Which, because of arena conflicts, changed what would have been the normal playoff schedule. The series did open in Washington, but then moved to San Francisco’s Cow Palace for games two and three.  When the Warriors unexpectedly won the first game—“destiny,” said Beard, as he ran off the court. Washington was in a bind. Before the finals, there was a story in Baltimore that the Warriors were the worst team ever to reach the finals.

They may have been, but they still won, the result Barry called “The biggest upset in US history of sports.”  

Attles got tossed by the officials early in game 4, trying to protect Barry from getting ejected for fighting. Joe Roberts took over for Attles.

Sadly, Attles, Roberts, and three Warrior players—Derek Dickey, Steve Bracey, and then rookie Phil Smith—are deceased.