Don Nelson’s Unfinished Business: A Warriors Return Like No Other
The world of basketball was left in shock. Don Nelson, the legendary coach of the Golden State Warriors, the mastermind behind the innovative small-ball tactics that would later shape the modern NBA, was returning. At 84 years old, after more than a decade away from the sidelines, the Hall of Fame coach was set to reclaim his throne.
A Mysterious Call in Maui
It all began with a phone call. Nelson was lounging on his ranch in Maui, sipping his usual glass of wine, the Hawaiian sunset painting the sky in hues of orange and gold. He had long since left basketball behind, embracing the quiet life of a farmer, tending to his coffee plants, and playing poker with his old coaching buddies. But when his phone rang with an unfamiliar number, he hesitated for a moment before answering.
“Coach, it’s Joe Lacob,” came the voice on the other end.
Nelson chuckled. “Joe, it’s been years. What can I do for you?”
There was a pause before Lacob spoke. “We need you, Nellie.”
Nelson sat up straight. “We? As in the Warriors?”
“Yes,” Lacob confirmed. “Steve Kerr is stepping away for personal reasons. We need someone who knows this game inside and out, someone who understands the soul of this franchise. We need you to guide us for the rest of the season.”
The words hit Nelson like a fast break. The Warriors. His Warriors. The team he had poured his heart into for years. The team he had once transformed from an afterthought into a revolutionary force. Could he really step back into the fray?
“You sure about this?” Nelson asked. “I’m not exactly a spring chicken anymore.”
“We’re sure,” Lacob said. “And more importantly, Steph and Draymond are on board. They want you back.”
The Warriors’ Desperate Hour
Behind the scenes, the Warriors were in turmoil. Kerr’s sudden leave had left a leadership vacuum, and while assistant coach Kenny Atkinson was capable, there was something missing. The team was struggling with injuries, inconsistency, and an aging core. The dynasty that had once seemed invincible was now teetering.
Steph Curry, the heart and soul of the franchise, was the one who had personally lobbied for Nelson’s return. “I need you, Coach,” he had told him over a FaceTime call. “This team needs your fire. We need your creativity.”
Nelson couldn’t say no.
The Return of a Maverick
His return was nothing short of cinematic. When Nelson stepped onto the Warriors’ practice court for the first time in over a decade, the room fell silent. The players, many of whom had only seen him in highlight reels and Hall of Fame speeches, looked on in awe.
Draymond Green was the first to break the silence. “Oh man, this is about to be legendary.”
Nelson smirked. “Damn right it is.”
From the moment he took over, everything changed. The Warriors abandoned their rigid playbook and embraced chaos—organized chaos, as Nelson liked to call it. He introduced a lineup featuring Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond, and Jonathan Kuminga as a center. He pushed the tempo to breakneck speeds, telling his players, “Run them into the ground before they run you into it.”
The first game of the “Nelson 2.0” era was electric. The Warriors faced off against the Denver Nuggets, a team that had bullied them earlier in the season. This time, though, the Warriors ran circles around them. Jokic, Denver’s MVP, looked exhausted by the third quarter, struggling to keep up with the relentless movement. The Warriors won 134-118, and the crowd at Chase Center gave Nelson a standing ovation.
Old Tricks, New Players
In the weeks that followed, Nelson worked his magic in ways only he could. He turned Kuminga into a defensive wrecking ball, letting him guard positions one through five. He encouraged Moses Moody to shoot threes with reckless abandon. He even dusted off an old play from his 1980s Milwaukee Bucks playbook for Curry—one that saw him come off triple screens for open looks.
Perhaps the most shocking moment came during a road game against the Lakers. Nelson, wearing his trademark Hawaiian shirt under his Warriors blazer, called for something no one expected.
“We’re running the Don Lineup,” he said with a grin.
The Don Lineup? The players were confused until they saw what he meant. On the court stood Curry, Klay, Jordan Poole, Kuminga, and… Chris Paul. A five-guard lineup. The ultimate small-ball experiment.
The result? A 23-4 run in six minutes.
The Warriors were back, and so was Don Nelson.
The League Takes Notice
As the regular season wound down, the Warriors surged up the standings. What had once looked like a lost season now had the feel of destiny. ESPN, TNT, and every major sports outlet couldn’t get enough of the story.
“Don Nelson is coaching like it’s 1991,” Charles Barkley said on Inside the NBA. “And somehow, it’s working.”
Even Gregg Popovich, Nelson’s old coaching rival, had to tip his hat. “The guy’s a genius. He’s always been ahead of his time.”
The players, too, had fully embraced their old-school leader. Draymond Green started referring to him as “The Godfather of Small Ball.” Curry described him as “the most fun coach I’ve ever played for.”
And Nelson? He was loving every second of it.
“This game keeps you young,” he told reporters. “Or at least, it keeps you crazy enough to think you are.”
A Playoff Run for the Ages
By the time the playoffs arrived, the Warriors had fully transformed into a juggernaut. They dismantled the Clippers in the first round, outlasted the Suns in the second, and faced a grueling seven-game series against the Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals.
Game 7 was a masterpiece. With the score tied at 98-98 and 10 seconds left, Nelson called for a play no one expected. He put Draymond at point guard, Curry off-ball, and let Kuminga attack the rim. The result? A perfectly timed alley-oop that sent the Warriors to the NBA Finals.
The Finals were a dream matchup—Warriors vs. Celtics. The old-school purists vs. the three-point revolutionaries. And at the center of it all was Don Nelson, the man who had once been fired by the Celtics, now looking to take them down.
It went six games. In Game 6, with the Warriors up by three and 30 seconds left, Nelson called for an iso play that had won him hundreds of games before. Curry took his defender one-on-one, stepped back, and nailed a three that sealed the championship.
The confetti rained down. The crowd erupted. And in the center of it all, Don Nelson stood with a cigar in one hand and a championship trophy in the other.
The Final Bow
In the post-game press conference, Nelson was asked if he would return for another season.
He laughed. “Hell no. I got a ranch to get back to.”
He had done what he set out to do—one last ride, one last championship, one last unforgettable chapter in Warriors history.
And just like that, Don Nelson walked off into the sunset, a legend forever.
