by Amaury Pi Gonzalez

Yes, I remember that championship season, and yes I covered those Golden State Warriors under coach Al Attles. After they won it all, a big celebratory rally was held at Union Square in San Francisco. I was walking a couple of blocks away from Union Square, with my big Superscope tape recorder to get some audio for the station I was working for KOFY 1050AM, then a Spanish format radio station. In those days I was also working for Dean Witter, a stock brokerage firm in the financial district. As I walked towards Union Square, I ran into Bill King, Voice of the Warriors, who was wearing short pants, purple socks and Jesus sandals. He was also going to be at the rally with the owner Franklin Meuli, Coach Al Attles and all the players. It was a happy and pleasant day in The City.

These where your 1975 NBA Champion Golden State Warriors. They ended the regular season with a 48-34 record and defeated the Seattle Supersonics on the Western Division Conference Semifinals; then went on to beat the Chicago Bulls in the Western Conference Finals, and finally they shocked the NBA by sweeping the Washington Bullets in four games during the NBA Finals.

Rick Barry was the Most Valuable Player 29.5 points per game. Jamaal Wilkes aka Silk, Phil Smith, from the University of San Francisco (whose father was a cable car operator in San Francisco) Derek Dickey, Jeff Mullins, Charles Johnson, Butch Beard, the intimidating Clifford Ray, George Johnson with a great Afro hairstyle, Charles Dudley, Bill Bridges and Steve Bracey.

This bunch beat the heavily favorite Washington team that under coach K.C Jones finished with a 60-22 record. Wes Unseld, Kevin Porter, Phil Chenier, Mike Riordan, Clem Haskins, Nick Weahterspoon, Truck Robinson, Dick Gibbs, Tom Koselko and Dennis DuVal.

In 1975, the President of the United States was Gerald R. Ford and the Vietnam War came to an end. A gallon of gasoline in the United States was .44 cents, the average price of a new automobile was $4,250, average cost of a new home was $39,300, average income per year was $14,100, average monthly rent was $200, the Cincinnati Reds won the World Series, “The Big Red Machine”, in the American League, the Oakland A’s won the Western Division with 98-64, while in the National League the San Francisco Giants finished in third place in the West with a 80-81 record.

Where were you in 1975? Where you yet to be born? Or where you in the Bay Area when the Warriors won their first NBA title.

It is good to remember.

Good luck to the 2014-15 Golden State Warriors, in their quest for their second world title.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the TV Spanish voice for the Angels and Radio Spanish voice for the A’s and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com