SI cover: The Warriors' gold rush is just beginning
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After the Golden State Warriors celebrated their first NBA championship in 40 years, dispatching LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in six games, there is a feeling around the franchise that this is just the beginning.
Now that the victory parties and parade are done, Golden State's next order of business is to make sure there are more championships in the future.
For NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry, that means getting back in the gym and improving whatever flaws he thinks he has. Remember, this is the same player that set the NBA single-season and postseason record for most three-pointers made.
SI's 10 best stories from Golden State Warriors' 2015 championship season
"This feels like the start of something,” Curry said. "I now understand why the greats have the mentality they do. The feeling is intoxicating."
But the 27-year old Curry warns that the Western Conference, as well as the rest of the NBA, will be gunning for them next season.
"I have to be more consistent," Curry contends. "We're going to get everybody's best shot, so if I don't improve, it will show."
But trainer Rob McClanaghan says there is more to Curry than meets the eye.
"He's a shotmaker. He's not just out there shooting threes," he says. "It's five dribbles, behind-the-back and through-the-legs, then a step-back three or a floater with the left or the right hand. That's more than a shooter. That's someone who does it all."
• GRAPHIC: How the Warriors were built
Part of the Warriors defending their title is bringing back the core who helped the team win 83 games last season, third-most in NBA history.
Curry, fellow Splash brother Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, Finals MVP Andre Iguodala, Andrew Bogut, are all locked up through at least next season.
General manager Bob Myers said earlier this year that he is willing to go over the league's luxury tax threshold to re-sign restricted free agent forward Draymond Green.
As the Bay Area celebrates the end of the team's four-decade championship drought, the charmed off-season of the Warriors will end in October with the hopes of another title celebration next June in Oakland.
For more on the Warriors, check out Lee Jenkins’s story in this week’s Sports Illustrated (subscribe here).
Also in this issue: features on U.S. Open champion Jordan Spieth, top hockey prospect Connor McDavid, the surprising Houston Astros and a special report on how the millennial generation is impacting sports.
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