<P> During the off - season, Golden State signed former league MVP and four - time scoring champion Kevin Durant to replace Harrison Barnes, who had averaged just five points and made only 5 of 32 shots during the last three losses in the Finals . With Durant leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Warriors' opponents in the 2016 Western Conference Finals, the move was seen as a disruption in the competitive balance of the NBA, and the Warriors instantly became title favorites . The move gave the Death Lineup four players who have averaged at least five assists in a season . San Francisco Bay Area journalist Tim Kawakami coined the nickname "Hamptons Five" for the new group, which included the four players who traveled with team officials to The Hamptons to recruit Durant . The Warriors won the 2017 NBA Finals 4--1, and Durant was unanimously voted the Finals MVP . Kerr had used the Death Lineup for just 16 minutes in the series until deploying it for 17 in the Game 5 clincher . Iguodala scored 20 points in 38 minutes after averaging less than 30 minutes in the first four games of the series . Kerr used him in the small - ball lineup in favor of big men Zaza Pachulia (10 minutes) and JaVale McGee (0). </P> <P> Injuries limited Golden States' use of the Death Lineup in 2017--18 . Opponents had also adapted by rarely leaving their centers in the game against the Warriors' small lineup . Through 49 games, the unit had a - 1.2 plus - minus rating . However, it was still considered the team's most potent lineup . In the final 17 games of the regular season, the Warriors were 7--10 with Curry missing all but one game after an ankle and later a knee injury . Durant, Thompson, Green, and Iguodala each missed four to eight games as well . In Game 4 of the conference semifinals in the 2018 playoffs, Kerr started the Hamptons Five with Durant for the first time ever, and they posted a plus - minus of + 26 in 18 minutes to lead a 118--92 win over the New Orleans Pelicans, giving Golden State a 3--1 lead in the series . After eliminating the Pelicans in five games, the Warriors continued with the starting lineup in the conference finals to build a 2--1 series lead against the Houston Rockets . Golden State won the series 4--3, but Iguodola missed the last four games with a bruised leg . The Warriors entered the NBA Finals for the fourth straight time versus their longterm rivals, the Cleveland Cavaliers . They swept the Cavaliers in four games, leading to their third championship in four years . </P>

Why do they call it the death lineup