1989–90 Golden State Warriors season

The 1989–90 Golden State Warriors season was the 44th season for the Golden State Warriors in the National Basketball Association, and their 27th season in the San Francisco Bay Area.^[1] The Warriors had the 14th overall pick in the 1989 NBA draft, and selected point guard Tim Hardaway from the University of Texas-El Paso;^[2][3] Hardaway teamed with All-Star forward Chris Mullin, and second-year star Mitch Richmond to form the threesome later known as Run TMC.

With the addition of Hardaway, the Warriors struggled losing 14 of their first 18 games of the regular season, but then posted two six-game winning streaks afterwards, winning 12 of their next 15 games, and holding a 23–24 record at the All-Star break.^[4] At mid-season, the team traded Winston Garland to the Los Angeles Clippers.^[5][6][7] However, the Warriors fell below .500 in winning percentage by posting a six-game losing streak in February, and later on losing six of their final eight games of the season, finishing in fifth place in the Pacific Division with a 37–45 record, and missing the NBA playoffs.^[8]

Mullin averaged 25.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game, and was named to the All-NBA Third Team, while Richmond averaged 22.1 points and 1.3 steals per game, and Terry Teagle provided the team with 16.1 points per game. In addition, Hardaway contributed 14.7 points, 8.7 assists and 2.1 steals per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, while rookie shooting guard Sarunas Marciulionis contributed 12.1 points per game off the bench, Rod Higgins provided with 11.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, Tom Tolbert averaged 8.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, and Manute Bol contributed 1.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.2 blocks per game, but struggled only shooting .331 in field-goal percentage.^[9]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Miami Arena in Miami, Florida, Mullin was selected for the 1990 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Western Conference All-Star team.^[10][11][12] One notable highlight of the regular season occurred on January 21, 1990, in a road game against the Boston Celtics at the Boston Garden, in which the Warriors defeated the Celtics, 120–115. Mullin, Richmond and Hardaway all surpassed 20 points in the same game together for the first time; Mullin scored 30 points along with 7 assists, while Richmond scored 26 points, and Hardaway posted a double-double of 25 points and 10 assists.^[13][14]

The Warriors finished 13th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 616,025 at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena during the regular season.^[9][15] The team also led the NBA in scoring, averaging 116.3 points per game during the regular season.^[16] Following the season, Teagle was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers,^[17][18][19] and Bol was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers.^[20][21][22]

For the season, the Warriors redesigned their home and road uniforms; the team removed their logo of the state of California with a star on the Bay Area in a circle from the front of their jerseys, and added their primary logo on the left leg of their shorts.^[23][24] The new uniforms would remain in use until 1997.