First-time champion players relish sweet victory: ‘Man, it feels good’
BOSTON — A champagnedrenched Andrew Wiggins proudly held up his Canadian flag for the cameras before taking a seat at the podium to try to articulate just how incredible it is to finally be an NBA champion.
“Man, it feels good, it feels amazing,” a smiling Wiggins said after the Warriors 10390 win over the Celtics to take the NBA Finals series in six games. “You put in so much work, so much time, to make it here, and the end result is becoming a champion. So, there’s nothing like it. So now I’m going to celebrate like crazy.”
Wiggins had long been categorized as an underperforming former top pick. But Wiggins finally proved the skeptics wrong after finding a perfect situation with the Warriors, where he’s thrived as a role player.
So how does it feel to prove those doubters wrong once and for all?
“Man, it’s a feeling I can’t describe,” he said. “Every day, that stuff is motivating. It put fire in my eyes and I just wanted to prove everyone wrong. Now I’m a world champion. Everyone is going to have something to say regardless, but now when they have something to say, they have to say I’m a world champion, too.”
This is Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala’s fourth title and Kevon Looney’s third. But for most of the Warriors players, like Wiggins, this is their first time experiencing the circus that comes with winning a title.
“It’s an amazing moment,” said Otto Porter Jr., a former third overall draft pick who signed a veteran minimum contract with the Warriors this offseason. “I dreamt about this as a kid and to be here on this team, this dynasty team, it means the world. I can’t describe it, what I’m feeling.”
Added Jordan Poole, “This is the reason we play basketball, to change our family’s lives and win at the highest level. It’s truly remarkable to be with such a special group of guys and win a championship.”
Gary Payton II, the last man on the Warriors roster out of training camp who blossomed into a defensive ace and fan favorite, said he “never would have thought something like this would happen.
“I appreciate every moment I had, all the falls, just to help me build on, just sticking with it and just keep going,” he said. “So I’m still speechless right now. It’s just crazy right now.”
Poole said rookies Jonathan
Kuminga and Moses Moody were thrilled to get a ring in their first season.
As the core gets older, a new generation of Warriors players are emerging. The goal is for the Warriors to sustain the success that has been synonymous with this team for almost the last decade.
Poole said this first taste of championship success will fuel the young core’s desire to get back here.
“This is just the beginning, we’re extremely hungry,” Poole said. “I’m excited for them, and they are enjoying it all.”
What’s the 24 hours after winning a championship look like?
Poole predicted that he’ll reflect, chill and rest as he prepares for the championship parade Monday and weeks after.
“Because it’s all summer,” he said. “Poole Party is all summer.”