By: Nina Samone
The Golden State Warriors won their third consecutive finals game to defeat the Boston Celtics 103-90, claiming their fourth NBA championship title in eight seasons.
After dealing with a string of player injuries and failing to make the playoffs last season, the Warriors now find themselves in a familiar spot – NBA champions.
After a 21-0 first quarter run, a 22-point lead at a point in the 2nd half and an emotional display from Stephen Curry, the Warriors have joined the 1985 Lakers as the only visiting team to win a title on the Celtics’ court.
Leading the way for the Warriors was the finals MVP, Stephen Curry with 34 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
“This one hits different for sure,” he said after being awarded the Bill Russell trophy Thursday night. He collapsed in tears during the final moments of the game as the realization set in that he was a four-time champion.
Curry embraced head coach Steve Kerr – who has won five titles as a player and now four as a head coach – and said, “We did it, coach. We did it.”
Another stellar performance by a player who many thought was a Finals MVP contender – Andrew Wiggins – practically sealed the deal for the Warriors. Wiggins drained a shot from beyond the arc off a Curry assist, making the score 101-89 with just over one-minute remaining in the final quarter.
In total, five Golden State players ended with double figures – Curry (34), Wiggins (18), Jordan Poole (15), Klay Thompson (12) and Draymond Green (12).
For the Celtics, it was a hard-fought battle but an obstacle they just could not overcome tonight was getting a handle on their turnovers. Midway through the fourth quarter, they had already recorded 20.
Foul trouble for the Celtics may have hindered them quite a lot in this game – Jayson Tatum had three before the third quarter along with Marcus Smart. Tatum was also scoreless in the third quarter.
Despite the Celtics having momentum going into the fourth and 11 points and five rebounds from Al Horford in the third quarter, the Celtics could not capitalize on a single digit Golden State lead.
Next for the NBA is the upcoming draft – this year at Barclays Center in New York on June 23rd.
Sources:
Greer, Jordan & Metallinos, Nick. June 17th, 2022. The Sporting News. “Warriors vs. Celtics score, results: Golden State clinches fourth NBA title in eight seasons with Game 6 win over Boston.” <https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/warriors-celtics-live-score-highlights-game-6/wjbg6nkzgnduypx62k7s6ftk>
Henderson, Cydney, Zillgitt, Jeff, Eppers, Matt, Starks, Larry & Morin, Richard. June 16th, 2022. USA Today. “NBA Finals recap: Steph Curry gets emotional after fourth title; Steve Kerr joins elite player-coach company.” <https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2022/06/16/warriors-celtics-nba-finals-live-updates-game-six-score-highlights/7629086001/>
