Warriors are in golden state again
Curry gets his hands on ‘bad boy’ MVP trophy with special win
The Golden State Warriors are NBA champions again, topping the Boston Celtics 103-90 yesterday for their fourth title in the last eight seasons.
Stephen Curry scored 34 points and was named the NBA Finals MVP as the Warriors claimed the franchise’s seventh championship overall. And this one completed a journey like none other, after a run of five consecutive finals, then a plummet to the bottom of the NBA, and now a return to greatness just two seasons after having the league’s worst record.
“We found a way to just get it done,” Curry said after the Warriors accepted the championship trophy and celebrated on court.
With tears in his eyes and hoarse with emotion, Curry struggled to speak as he explained what allowed the Warriors to capture their latest crown.
“It’s part of a championship pedigree, our experience,” he said. “We built this for 10-11 years. That means a lot when you get to this stage.”
For Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala, it’s a fourth championship. The first three rings came in 2015,
2017 and 2018, when Golden State made five trips in a row to the finals.
“They’re all unique, they’re all special,” coach Steve Kerr said of the multiple titles. “This one might have been the most unlikely. It takes a group effort to get it done and we had a great group.”
Injuries, including ones that sidelined Thompson for 2½ years, and roster changes changed everything. But this season, with Thompson returning around the midway point, the Warriors were finally back.
Back on top, too. Champions, again, denying the storied Celtics what would have been their record
18th championship, one that would have allowed Boston to break a tie with the Los Angeles Lakers for the most in league history.
This tale for the Warriors ended much differently than their most recent finals appearance against Toronto in 2019, one that saw Kevin Durant tear his Achilles tendon in Game 5 and then Thompson tear his ACL in what became the Raptors’ title-clincher in Game 6.
The aftermath of that loss was exacerbated by Durant’s decision to leave that off-season in free agency to join the Brooklyn Nets and
It’s part of a championship pedigree, our experience. We built this for 10-11 years. That means a lot when you get to this stage. Golden State Warriors star and MVP Stephen Curry
Thompson’s own Achilles injury while rehabilitating his knee injury.
“It all paid off,” Thompson said. “It was dog days, a lot of tears shed. You knew it was a possibility, but to see it in real time — it’s crazy.”
It thrust a Golden State team into a rebuild that became a reload. The Warriors used their two-year hiatus from the NBA’s biggest stages to retool their roster — adding a past No 1 draft pick in Andrew Wiggins, who excelled in his first finals, along with another rising star in Jordan Poole.
“This one hits different for sure knowing what the last three years meant, what it’s been like,” Curry said. “Injuries, the changing of the guard, rosters, the young guys. Now we’ve got four championships: Me, Dray, Klay and Andre.
“Finally got that bad boy,” Curry added, referring to the MVP trophy. “It’s special. Everybody mattered in that process.”
Yes, it all clicked.
For Kerr, it’s a ninth championship overall after winning five as a player.
He’s the sixth coach to capture four titles, joining Phil Jackson, Red Auerbach, John Kundla, Gregg Popovich and Pat Riley.
Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 34 points but Jayson Tatum finished with just 13, shooting just 6 of 18 from the field. Boston also committed 22 turnovers, dropping to 1-8 this postseason when committing 16 or more.
It was just the fifth defeat in 22 titleseries appearances for Boston, who turned their season around to have a chance at this crown.
Boston were 25-25 after 50 games, then went on a tear to get to the finals and nearly claim what would have been just the franchise’s second championship since 1986.
Boston trailed by as many as 22 points but battled back and cut the deficit to eight. A Jaylen Brown threepointer made it 86-78 with 5m 33s to play but the Warriors never relinquished the lead.
“Just couldn’t withstand their runs,” Celtics centre Robert Williams said. “Messing up. They played harder and won.”
Curry sent Boston fans streaming towards the exits with his sixth three of the night to give the Warriors a commanding 96-81 lead — then clasped his hands against his face as he ran back down the court, signalling an end to Boston’s hopes of extending the series.
“We’ve had many great players,” Kerr said, “but Steph ultimately is why this run happens.”