Death Lineup

Origins and first championship

In 2014–15, the Warriors won 67 regular-season games behind NBA MVP Stephen Curry. Their starting lineup with 7-foot center Andrew Bogut played 813 minutes together and outscored opponents by 19.6 points per 100 possessions. After falling behind 2–1 in the 2015 NBA Finals, coach Steve Kerr inserted Andre Iguodala into the starting lineup in place of Bogut, moving Draymond Green from power forward to center. The adjustment surrendered size and strength for speed and playmaking.

The change was first suggested by Kerr's special assistant Nick U'Ren, who had been watching video of the 2014 NBA Finals when the San Antonio Spurs turned the series by switching to a small-ball lineup with Boris Diaw at center. The five-man unit of Iguodala, Curry, Klay Thompson, Green, and Harrison Barnes had played 102 minutes together during the regular season and 62 minutes through the first 18 playoff games. Although the tallest player was only 6 feet tall, the unit was strong defensively, with all players able to switch on defense.

The Warriors won 103–82 in Game 4 and captured the series 4–2. In the last three games, the new starting unit outscored Cleveland 107–87 in 49 minutes together. Iguodala was named Finals MVP, the first player to win the award without starting every game in the series.

73-win record

The Death Lineup name originated months after its Finals deployment, coined by Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News. The 2015–16 Warriors continued starting a traditional lineup with Bogut at center and won an NBA-record 73 games behind Curry's league-leading 30.1 points per game and record 402 three-pointers. The Death Lineup was generally reserved to finish the first half and end of games, appearing in 37 games and outscoring opponents by 166 points in 172 minutes. Despite their regular-season success, the Warriors lost the 2016 NBA Finals after leading 3–1.

Hamptons Five

In the off-season, Golden State signed former league MVP Kevin Durant to replace Harrison Barnes, who had averaged five points and made 5 of 32 shots in the last three losses of the 2016 Finals. The move gave the Death Lineup four players who had averaged at least five assists in a season. Durant added a shot-blocking element to the switching defense. San Francisco Bay Area journalist Tim Kawakami coined the nickname 'Hamptons Five' for the group, referencing the four players who traveled to The Hamptons to recruit Durant.

Durant was impressed that all four players showed up and respected his play. Curry assured Durant he was focused on winning, not being the face of the franchise. The Warriors won the 2017 NBA Finals 4–1, and Durant was unanimously voted Finals MVP. Kerr used the Death Lineup for 16 minutes in the series until deploying it for 17 in Game 5, with Iguodala scoring 20 points in 38 minutes.

Fifth consecutive Finals

In 2018–19, the Warriors acquired DeMarcus Cousins, recovering from a ruptured left Achilles, giving Golden State a top-flight true center for the first time under Kerr. The Hamptons Five played 178 minutes in 38 games, while Kerr also used a lineup of Cousins, Durant, Curry, Thompson, and Green for 268 minutes in 21 games. In Game 1 of the opening playoff round, Kerr used the Hamptons Five early to quell a Clippers rally, calling it 'the best five-man unit in the league.

Cousins finished with a -17 plus-minus. In Game 2, each member scored at least 15 points, a first for a Warriors starting unit under Kerr. Houston countered by playing P. J. Tucker at center with four guards. In Game 5, Durant suffered a strained right calf and left with 2:05 remaining in the third quarter; Curry led the Warriors to a win after scoring 16 of his 25 points after Durant exited. The Warriors captured the series in Game 6.