Fresh off their second championship in three consecutive trips to the NBA Finals, the Golden State Warriors are leaving their mark in not just the NBA, but throughout the sports world.
Mark Medina of the Mercury News reported on Monday that the Warriors have been named Best Model Franchise in Professional Sports based on a reader survey done by SportsBusiness Journal, beating out the San Antonio Spurs and New England Patriots.
SportsBusiness Journal/Daily named the Golden State Warriors Best Model Franchise in Pro Sports in a reader survey. They finished ahead of 2nd-place tie between the San Antonio Spurs & New England Patriots.
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) November 27, 2017
With the success the Warriors have enjoyed over recent years, it’s hard not to agree.
Since losing in the Western Conference semifinals in 2013, the Warriors have reached the playoffs each of the last five seasons.
After two unsuccessful playoff runs, the Warriors reached the championship in 2015, 30 years after winning their last title. That began their stretch of three consecutive appearances in the NBA Finals, during which the Warriors sandwiched two NBA titles around a record-breaking 73-win season in 2016.
Like the Warriors, the Spurs are in the midst of an impressive playoff appearance streak, having reached the postseason every year since 1998. Similarly, the Patriots won two Super Bowls during their streak of eight consecutive postseason appearances, the most recent of which involved the greatest Super Bowl comeback in NFL history last season.