Six games and a whole lot of excitement later, the Golden State Warriors are NBA champions once again!
The @warriors are the 2021-22 NBA Champions! #NBA75 pic.twitter.com/ckNLJTdQ1C
— NBA (@NBA) June 17, 2022
Well actually, that’s simplifying things a bit too much. To get back to the Finals, the Dubs had to endure two seasons without a playoff appearance, two major injuries to Klay Thompson, a major injury to Steph Curry and the departure of Kevin Durant. Golden State picked second in the 2020 NBA Draft, highlighting just how quickly the franchise has turned things around with its three golden boys.
Golden State has now made the Finals in each of Klay Thompson’s last six healthy seasons, missing the Finals (and the playoffs) in both seasons he was unavailable. It’s incredible how successful the trio of Draymond Green, Stephen Curry and Thompson has been over the last eight seasons, and there’s no reason to believe this team won’t be a contender next season as well. The dynastic trio was monumental in the title run, but let’s not forget about the role players.
Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green still sit together on the team plane. Warriors GM Bob Myers walked past them on the way to Game 6 and reminded them how special their bond is to be doing this for the past 10 years.
— Dalton Johnson (@DaltonJ_Johnson) June 15, 2022
Pretty historic trio
The Warriors developed late first-rounders Jordan Poole and Kevon Looney into studly role players, and the trade for Andrew Wiggins two years ago now looks like an absolute genius move by Golden State’s front office. Poole went for 15/3/2 with three triples in just 18 minutes in the decisive Game 6, rounding out his Finals run averaging just under 21 minutes per contest after logging more than 30 minutes a game in the Western Conference playoffs. The third-year man out of Michigan averaged 18.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.8 triples while filling in for Klay in the regular season, and he kept the Poole Party going all the way to a championship. The future’s bright for this kid.
"It's up ALL SUMMER... Poole Parties ALL SUMMER" pic.twitter.com/h8dBWprpDa
— NBA (@NBA) June 17, 2022
Looney, who finished with zero points and seven boards in Thursday’s win, averaged 6.0 points and 7.7 rebounds in the playoffs, winning his third championship with Golden State after taking on the biggest role of his seven-year career.
It’s remarkable what Klay Thompson was able to accomplish this season after missing over two years of basketball due to two major injuries that could have been career-ending. He finished with 12/5/2/2 in Game 6, shooting 5-of-20 from the field and 2-of-8 from downtown. Klay never looked quite like himself in the Finals, and he averaged 18 points on 38.3% shooting. The inefficiency was a drag, but his gravity as a floor spacer and impact as a defender can’t be measured in the box score.
1099 days after tearing his ACL, Klay Thompson is an NBA Champion.
— House of Highlights (@HoHighlights) June 17, 2022
Hard not to be happy for this guy. pic.twitter.com/UnlakZflwc
Steph Curry ended the Finals with 34 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, two steals and a block while hitting six triples. He bounced back nicely from Game 5’s dud and finally captured a Finals MVP award. Curry was denied in 2015 when Andre Iguodala won it and again in 2017 and 2018 when the award went to Kevin Durant. The 2015 title had some naysayers after Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love suffered serious injuries, and the 17-18 titles were all about Durant. This one was all about Curry, and the impact of the victory wasn’t lost on him. After two painstaking years clawing his way back up, Curry let the tears flow as the final buzzer sounded. He’s now tied with LeBron James (as well as Klay and Draymond) for most titles among active players.
Steph remembers.
— Overtime (@overtime) June 17, 2022
(via @doubledworth) pic.twitter.com/nzHMxhCTm5
Draymond Green teased a triple-double with 12 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists, two blocks and two steals, closing out the series in Draymond fashion. After he was benched late in the fourth quarter of Game 4, he responded with 10.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 2.5 stocks per contest in Games 5-6. His shooting was pedestrian, but the playmaking and defensive intensity more than made up for the offensive struggles.
Andrew Wiggins went off for 18 points, six rebounds, five assists, four steals and three blocks, delivering on both ends of the court as he did throughout the playoffs. He averaged 18.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 3.0 stocks in the Finals, playing the part of Robin to Curry’s Batman. Wiggins now has as many titles as Kevin Love, the player for whom he was traded to Minnesota way back in 2014.
What a season for Andrew Wiggins:
— StatMuse (@statmuse) June 17, 2022
— NBA champion
— All-Star starter
— 2nd best player on championship team
— Leads Finals in rebounds
— Best defender in the Finals pic.twitter.com/bNp2LvOrC9
For the Celtics, Marcus Smart finished with 9/6/9/2 and ended his playoff run with averages of 15.8 points, 5.9 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals. He scored at least 18 points in four of six FInals games. Robert Williams (10/7/2 and five blocks) averaged 8.3 points, 6.5 boards and 2.3 blocks in 14 starts this postseason while shooting 72.3% from the field and 89.2% from the charity stripe. Ridiculously, he shot more efficiently from the free-throw line than Stephen Curry
Jaylen Brown led the team in scoring with 34 points on 12-of-23 shooting and chipped in seven rebounds, three assists and a steal. With Jayson Tatum struggling again, Brown picked up the slack and delivered his second-highest scoring game of the postseason. In a breakout playoff campaign, the Cal product averaged 23.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists while scoring at least 20 points in 18-of-24 contests. He and Tatum will be a lethal 1-2 punch for years to come.
Jayson Tatum ended the game with just 13 points on 6-of-18 shooting, adding seven assists, three steals, a block and five turnovers in Thursday’s loss. Tatum scored 11 points in the first half, zero points in the third quarter and two points in the final frame. This was the biggest game of his young career, and he didn’t step up. After averaging 27.0 points on 44.6% shooting through the first three rounds of the playoffs, Tatum averaged just 21.5 points on 20.0 shot attempts while shooting 36.7% in the Finals. He’s got a bright future ahead of him, but he’ll surely need to do some soul-searching before the 2022-23 season tips off.
Jayson Tatum is the first player in NBA history with 100 turnovers in a single postseason. pic.twitter.com/Jd7PKvYHCJ
— StatMuse (@statmuse) June 17, 2022
Al Horford did his best to keep the Celtics alive thanks to a 19-point, 14-rebound effort that included four triples, two assists, two steals and a block. Horford led the Celtics’ second-half rally in the third quarter, but it proved to be Boston’s high-water mark as Golden State ran away with the game in the fourth quarter. The 36-year-old veteran averaged 11.7 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.2 stocks and 2.0 triples in the playoffs and enjoyed his first-ever trip to the Finals. Will his taste for another Finals appearance fuel him for next season?
Al Horford: "It's a big summer for all of us. To get better, as a team and as individuals. I'm looking forward to next year."
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) June 17, 2022
