BOSTON, M.A- Stephen Curry leads the Golden State Warriors to their fourth championship in eight years with 34 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists in a 103-90 win against the Boston Celtics.
Boston opened the game with a 12-0 run to get an early 14-2 lead with 8:03 left in the first quarter. However, Golden State bounced back and Boston called a timeout despite a 22-18 lead with 2:09 left in the first.
Draymond Green made his first 3-pointer of the series, followed by a three from Steph Curry and Jordan Poole to end the first quarter.
The Warriors entered the second quarter with a 27-22 lead.
Golden State opened the second quarter with a 10-0 run to take a 37-22 lead with 10:13 left in the first half. Boston responded with a 7-0 run to cut their deficit to eight points.
The Warriors responded with a 15-2 lead to give them a 54-33 lead within the final three minutes of the half. Boston scored six points and the Warriors entered halftime with a 54-39 lead.
The Celtics had 12 turnovers in the first half.
Boston made a push with a 16-4 run, but they were down 76-66 to enter the fourth quarter. Golden State outscored Boston 27-24 in the fourth quarter to secure the win.
The Ultimate Championship Arc
The Warriors have now won their fourth championship in the last eight seasons after an incredible Game 6 win against the Boston Celtics.
The Big three: Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green have now won four titles as a trio. The last trio to do so was Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, and Tim Duncan under the San Antonio Spurs.
What’s most impressive was the different obstacles they had to face in order to get to this moment. The 2019 NBA Finals was a devastating loss.
Not only did they lose the championship that year, they lost arguably one of the greatest shooters of all-time to a torn ACL in game 6.
That was a huge setback for the seasons to come.
After that, in the beginning of the 2019-20 season, Curry suffered a broken left hand while playing against the Phoenix Suns. From there, Curry was out for the rest of the season and the Warriors had a 15-50 record.
What’s even worse was that Thompson tore his Achilles to make him miss the 2020-21 season. That’s two seasons without their all-star shooting guard.
The Warriors, behind Curry, was able to get into the play-in tournament that season as a 8th seed, only to lose to the Los Angeles Lakers and the Memphis Grizzlies to eliminate them from the playoffs.
To come from that, to not only make it to the NBA Finals, but winning the whole thing is truly incredible. If there was a reward for comeback team of the year, it would be the Warriors.
It has been nothing but hard work, determination, and dedication for this squad. Most importantly, they did it through “strength in numbers”.
“We were so far away from it,” Curry said. “A long road of work ahead and we was just trying to fill in the right pieces and the right guys. Nothing should ever be taken for granted because you will never know when you will end up back here and to get here and get it done means the world.”
Steph Curry Wins His First FMVP
It took eight years for the championship point guard to win a finals MVP and it is well deserved.
Curry averaged 31.2 points per game, while shooting 48.2% from the field, and 43.7% from deep. He joins the likes of LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobilli with his fourth championship ring.
But what was most at stake for Curry this postseason was that Finals MVP trophy and now he has accomplished it.
He technically could’ve had the award when he won his first championship, however, that honor went to his teammate Andre Iguodala.
It’s fitting that now Iguodala can celebrate with Curry as they are the only current Warriors with such an award. Curry can now smile as he continues to add to his legacy.
Maybe, going for another back-to-back championship run to claim his fifth championship ring and his second FMVP. Similar to the legacy of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.
Wiggins, The Unsung Hero
Andrew Wiggins has proved the doubters wrong by being one of the major contributors to the Warriors winning a championship.
For years, the number one draft pick has heard people call him a bust because he didn’t live up to expectations as a number one pick.
The Maple Jordan was forgotten and doubted for not making the Minnesota Timberwolves contenders in the Western Conference.
Then, on Feb 7, 2020, when he was traded to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for D’Angelo Russell, Jacob Evans lll, and Omari Spellman, he was still doubted to be a focal player to Golden State.
Not only did Wiggins exceed expectations, but he became the Warriors second best player when they needed him the most.
In the 2021-22 regular season, he averaged 17.2 points per game, while shooting 46.6% from the field, and 39.3% from three.
His production during the finals was noteworthy as he literally helped save Golden State’s season with his double-double performances from both games 4 & 5.
Not only that, he proved that he was solid defensively by being the primary defender of Jayson Tatum.
What’s Next For Boston
The Boston Celtics are just fine where they are as a team. They have the capability of making it back to the finals and possibly winning it all on their second try.
If they want to get back to the finals, they need to do a few things. For starters, they need to pick up a facilitator during the offseason.
Maybe a veteran point guard like Rajon Rondo, a player that can pass the ball well and keep the offense moving.
One of the biggest problems with Boston is their offense. At times they heavily relied on players to make tough contested jumpers, as well as rely on a lot of isolation offense.
When isolation offense works, it is a beauty for their squad but when it doesn’t, the Celtics become stagnant.
If Boston can get someone to create open shots, as well as continue moving the ball around for their offense, then they will most likely succeed and possibly win a championship next season.
