There’s a plethora of movies that I saw as a kid in the late-80s and early-90s that have been fragmented forever into my dreams although I can barely remember the plot. If I’m having friends over and playing a hotly contested game of Uno, I’ll often throw on one of those old classics on the TV for that nostalgic background noise from flicks of days past that used to dominate Blockbuster rentals.
One such movie is Ron Howard’s Backdraft, which premiered in 1991 and centers around a concept that blew my mind back then. Behind a closed door, a fire is starving for oxygen, quiet and smoldering. It inches throughout the room, eating everything it touches. Firefighters have to come and touch the doorknob to test if it’s hot; a sure sign that flames await them behind the door. If they’re not careful, they’ll hurriedly open the door, and the sudden rush of oxygen to the flames creates an explosion that could wipe out an entire fireteam. BACKDRAFT!
Why am I talking about this old movie? Because it’s reminding me of these Golden State Warriors. They spent the first week of this season ice cold, losing to the Lakers, Grizzlies, and Suns and sending Dub Nation spiraling into an existential crisis. The conversation around the team had that creepingly familiar “end-of-an-era” vibe to it.
But the team is finding itself on the fly, beating the Nuggets, Timberwolves, Lakers, Clippers, and Suns consecutively. That brings them to 5-3 on the season. Two of the three teams that beat them during that 0-3 start have already gotten paid back, with Memphis coming up soon on the calendar.
This streak is coinciding with Steph Curry’s timeless greatness and an amazing stretch of basketball from the rookie Yaxel Lendeborg. This 24-year old is simultaneously looking like the Rookie of the Year and an All-Star without even a month of professional basketball under his belt. Together, they are definitely providing a spark for this franchise.
Now, to ensure you know I’m not a delusional person (or a Houston Rockets fan), I know that a hot streak in November promises you nothing about April. But it changes how a group believes in itself in the meantime. And that belief, ladies and gentlemen, is the oxygen.
Uh oh, spark + oxygen?? BACKDRAFT!
That’s 5 wins in a row folks! The Warriors’ last five-game winning streak ran from March 28 to April 4, 2025, which means the entire 2025-26 season came and went without one. That’s 19 months without winning five straight! I took a look at Land of Basketball to track how many times during the Stephen Curry era the Warriors have had a five game winning streak.
2009-10 / 2010-11 / 2011-12: None
2012-13 (1)
5 games: Dec. 5–12, 2012
2013-14 (2)
10 games: Dec. 21, 2013–Jan. 7, 2014
5 games: Mar. 4–11, 2014
2014-15 (6)
5 games: Oct. 29–Nov. 8
16 games: Nov. 13–Dec. 14
8 games: Dec. 27–Jan. 14
5 games: Jan. 17–25
5 games: Mar. 4–11
12 games: Mar. 14–Apr. 4
2015-16 (7)
24 games: Oct. 27–Dec. 11
5 games: Dec. 16–28
7 games: Dec. 31–Jan. 11
11 games: Jan. 18–Feb. 10
7 games: Feb. 20–Mar. 3
7 games: Mar. 7–18
6 games: Mar. 21–30
2016-17 (5)
12 games: Nov. 7–28
7 games: Dec. 11–23
7 games: Jan. 8–22
5 games: Jan. 25–Feb. 2
14 games: Mar. 14–Apr. 8
2017-18 (4)
7 games: Oct. 30–Nov. 13
11 games: Nov. 29–Dec. 22
5 games: Dec. 30–Jan. 8
7 games: Feb. 22–Mar. 8
2018-19 (4)
8 games: Oct. 22–Nov. 5
11 games: Jan. 5–28
5 games: Feb. 2–12
6 games: Mar. 31–Apr. 9
2019-20: None
2020-21 (1)
6 games: May 6–16, 2021
2021-22 (4)
7 games: Oct. 30–Nov. 12
7 games: Nov. 16–28
9 games: Jan. 21–Feb. 7
5 games: Apr. 2–10
2022-23 (2)
5 games: Dec. 25, 2022–Jan. 2, 2023
5 games: Feb. 24–Mar. 3
2023-24 (4)
5 games: Oct. 27–Nov. 3
5 games: Dec. 16–23
5 games: Feb. 5–12
6 games: Mar. 26–Apr. 4
2024-25 (4)
5 games: Oct. 29–Nov. 6
5 games: Feb. 13–27
7 games: Mar. 3–15
5 games: Mar. 28–Apr. 4
2025-26: None
2026-27
5 games and counting: Oct. 26–Nov. 2
Ten days ago they were 0-3 and nobody wanted to hear about them, and since then they’ve paid back two of the teams that embarrassed them, come back from 25 down against the Lakers, and won a one-possession game against Phoenix on Monday night. Against the Lakers, Chase got to roar. Against Phoenix, it had to hold its breath. Either way, they got to walk out of the building into the crisp, fall San Francisco air proud of their team for pulling off wins.
The Heat walk into Chase Center on Thursday night; I’d warn our old friend Klay Thompson to be careful touching that doorknob. It’s getting hot in here.