Golden State Warriors

The Warriors' pandemic-era decline and the uncertainty that once surrounded their biggest stars are enough to make this title a genuine feelgood story.

And they’re still a franchise built for the pleasure and enrichment of early-stage investors in Amazon and Palantir. But somehow, in spite of all that, this Warriors team feels distinct, less straightforwardly unsympathetic than the back-to-back champions of Durant and co. The old belligerence is still there – the elbows, the shoves, the buttocks thrust aggressively across the lane – and the trash talk remains unrivaled, even in victory (there was a typically chesty description of the NBA as “the Warriors invitational” on the victory podium last night), but the effect is now curiously endearing: to see the man doing his thing again after these few years away is like watching an old uncle get mad at the TV remote for not working properly. But what was most striking about this devastating surge was the identity of its orchestrators: not Curry or Thompson but Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins, who together put together a sequence of big threes, torrential dunks, and critical blocks to take the game – and the championship – definitively away from the Celtics. These rising Warriors are not only capable but personable, and the effect seems to be rubbing off on the team as a whole. After a Game 5 devoid of a single Curry maximum – a true collector’s item – the maestro’s hands returned to him last night: not for the first time in the NBA finals, and surely not for the last, the game’s second half became its own kind of athletic weather system as a delicate, relentless rain of threes issued from the fingertips of Wardell Stephen Curry II. But Curry has also been deadly in these finals without the ball in hand, lifting his teammates even when he has shot poorly: in Game 5, Curry’s teammates shot 63% from the field when he was on the court v 22% when he was off, continuing a series-long trend. And then there’s Curry, still bouncy after 13 seasons in the NBA, still boyish at 34 – the man with the guard permanently hanging out of his mouth, and the ball perpetually on its way through the net. The Warriors entered their flop era, finishing last in the Western Conference in 2019-20 (with a record of 15-50) and again failing to make the playoffs, despite a marginal regular season improvement, in 2020-21. It’s fitting that a series marked by the unusual volatility of its scoring patterns – Boston’s comeback in the final quarter of Game 1 will live long in the memory – was capped by the longest run in an NBA finals game in 50 years. The likability of these Warriors, resurgent and resplendent once more, is mostly a function of how far they had fallen, how much they suffered, how deeply they – to use Green’s own term of art – “sucked.” But it also says something about the reconstitution of a team that has shown it can get it done with young talent, without needing to rely on the mercenary brilliance of an off-the-shelf superstar like Durant. The team that had made Oakland its home turned its back on the “bad” side of the Bay and ran headlong into the puffer-vested embrace of the San Francisco tech elite. The Warriors – data-driven, unemotional, technocratic, bombing their opponents from beyond the three-point line, and drawn into an ever-deepening alliance with Silicon Valley – seemed to typify something about the distance that different elements of American society had taken from each other since the turn of the century. The reasons for this near-universal dismissal are not hard to comprehend, since the Warriors over the previous two seasons have had the rare distinction of being both intensely disliked and very bad at basketball. “I didn’t learn anything about myself, I knew I was resilient,” said Draymond Green, on the victory podium at Boston’s TD Garden, when asked to reflect on how his understanding of himself and his teammates had changed over the course of these finals.

Steph Curry was named the NBA Finals MVP after scoring 34 points during the Warriors' win.

Warriors great Steph Curry was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player after scoring 34 points during the game. - "It’s part of a championship pedigree, our experience. - Curry isthe 11thNBA player to be named MVP in the finals and the All-Star Game.

The moment the emotions sink in after a championship win isn't new for Curry, Green and Thompson. But this title, this moment, felt different. "This one is ...

"Steph, Klay, Draymond, what they have done in this league and the foundation they have been able to build, you've got to give them a lot of credit," Iguodala said. The sound of popping bottles was distinct, while chants and hollers rang out of the room. Of the Warriors' trio of Curry, Thompson and Green, Green was the player who was around the organization the most as it went through its turbulent past two years. "And that's why I said I think this championship hits different. Curry added: "The conversations about who we were as a team and what we were capable of ... we hear all that, and you carry it all and you try to maintain your purpose, not let it distract you, but you carry that weight. "You watch Game 1, I did not have a bad Game 1, and I had an incredible Game 2," Green said. And Game 5, Game 5 I was pretty solid. "A lot of chatter. "This one is definitely different because of the three years of baggage we carried coming out of that Game 6 in 2019," Curry said. "I knew we had a chance to do something special, and here we are. I said championship or bust because I saw how we came out of the gates," Thompson said. It was the night they lost the championship.

Golden State went on a 21-0 run between the first and second quarters. One that Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum could do nothing to stop. In fact, they and their ...

Party on in the Bay. Beantown? See you next season, hopefully with a changed look and better discipline when it comes to valuing the basketball. Plenty of other things can be said, but given how the series went, the Boston Celtics will turn it over and move on. The second half was pretty much the same story – Boston watching Golden State just take over and laugh while doing so. The 14-2 start was compounded by Golden State outscoring Boston 52-25 to end the half. Golden State went on a 21-0 run between the first and second quarters. And the Boston Celtics are done.

BOSTON — So much has changed for the Golden State Warriors over the past seven years. Back in 2015, Klay Thompson had a pencil-thin goatee.

Buckner: The Celtics should be on their way to the title. Steve Kerr has won five titles as a player and now four as coach of these Warriors, yet if you listen to his self-deprecation and deflection of all compliments, you might think he’s been a lucky passenger on the road to greatness, instead of the creator of the Warriors’ free-flowing offense and culture. By the fourth quarter, he made a sleeping gesture, his way of putting to bed all that chatter about the Celtics chasing an 18th title. Still, after all this time, they like each other enough to sit together on the team plane. This is crazy!” Then, he danced on the podium while his brother-in-Splash shimmied for the remaining few in the spectator stands. “The man's knowledge for the game is second to none. Michael Jordan’s Bulls clustered their six titles into a pair of three-peat eras in the ’90s — his era of domination when hand-checking and hard fouls were part of the NBA. “Then you go to these last two years, and conversations, narratives, we’re ‘too old,’ the parallel timelines of developing young guys and keeping our core together, all those tough decisions that we had to make, that weighs on you for as much time as we’re going through it.” Midway through that period, after he pulled up from 29 feet and sank one of his six three-pointers, he turned to a stunned and mostly silent home crowd and pointed to his finger to let everyone know he’s going to put a ring on it. He was the baddest man on the court. Teammates — and one in particular who helped them win a couple of more championships but left to help form his own empire in Brooklyn — came and went. And Stephen Curry would have been lucky to grow even designer stubble; his was a face that would get carded if he ordered anything other than milk.

If Steph Curry ain't on your GOAT list, it's time to rewrite it.

Curry, 34, won his first NBA Finals MVP—crazy considering how long he’s been the anchor of a squad now definitely in the ranks of NBA dynasties. But the real storylines of the game and Finals were Curry’s leadership and a smothering Warriors defense against a Celtics team that itself featured NBA defensive player of the year Marcus Smart and put an overall bigger lineup on the floor in all six games. Curry and Thompson were a combined 8-for-19 from three-point range while the latter put up only 12 points while shooting only 25% from the field in just over 41 minutes.

The Warriors are NBA champions. What's next? Let's break down where all 30 teams stand heading into the draft and free agency.

The Pistons found their centerpiece in the draft one year ago, selecting Cade Cunningham with the No. 1 overall pick. The 2008-09 Coach of the Year has made the playoffs in five of his seven years as the top guy, not to mention countless runs as an assistant. Another year, another Knicks lottery pick and hopes among the team's fanbase of landing a big star in a trade. San Antonio has a young core in place with Dejounte Murray, Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell. Add in the picks and cap space, and they have a chance to get back to the playoffs in 2022-23. The easiest way to do so is by waiving Danilo Gallinari, who is set to be paid $21.5 million in 2022-23, since only $5 million is guaranteed. Once the pride of the franchise for his development as a fierce competitor in the wake of LeBron James' departure, Sexton has been leapfrogged as a prospect by All-Star Darius Garland and Rookie of the Year runner-up Evan Mobley. It will be fascinating to see what the market will be for him after knee surgery limited him to just 11 games last year. There's an anticipation around the league that Rudy Gobert will get traded this summer, but the Jazz have sent strong signals that they won't settle for anything but a massive haul in return for the perennial All-Star center. The Bulls returned to relevance in 2021-22, making the postseason for the first time in four years behind a career year from DeMar DeRozan. Now comes the hard part: elevating from being merely good to competing for a championship. After returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2018 and giving the Memphis Grizzlies a scare in the opening round, Minnesota has all eight players who saw at least 70 minutes of action in the series under contract for 2022-23. The Clippers are expected to be title contenders with Kawhi Leonard set to return after missing all of last season while rehabbing a torn ACL. A healthy Leonard and Paul George are as good as any duo in the league, but their supporting cast is arguably deeper than ever. Kleiman has more difficult decisions to make regarding the free agency of Tyus Jones and Kyle Anderson, a pair of veterans who have been quality role players, as well as how aggressive to be in the trade market, where the Grizzlies' first-round picks acquired in previous deals could be valuable commodities. Ultimately, though, Boston's loss to the Warriors in the NBA Finals was proof of the growth that's still left for this group to get where it wants to go - namely at the offensive end of the court.

Postgame Roundup: See what the Warriors had to say following their NBA Finals victory against the Celtics on Thursday night.

— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) This will be the fourth ring for the core players of Curry, Thompson, Green, and Andre Iguodala. Kevon Looney gets his third ring with the team. What’s a championship without championship champagne? Thompson, in particular, made sure to mention a regular season tweet from Jaren Jackson Jr. that seemed to mock the Warriors’ slogan, “Strength in Numbers”. Lotta chatter. -Otto Porter Junior talks about the joy of winning a championship & joining this Warriors group. "They're all unique. Here’s what the rest of the team had to say: Draymond is the heart and soul of the Warriors, and this season was no different. It’s been a journey for Klay Thompson who made his debut in January after major leg injuries costed him the previous two seasons. Curry was simply amazing in this series and deserves all of his basketball flowers and more. It was a season full of ups and downs, but at the end of the day, the Warriors finished the job as they hoisted the Larry O’Brien trophy for the fourth time in eight years and seventh time in franchise history.

Golden State's superstar puts in another memorable performance in series-clinching win to secure the 1st Finals MVP of his Hall of Fame career.

Green, Curry, and Thompson have now tied Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Byron Scott, and James Worthy for the third-most postseason wins by a trio (93) since 1976-77. “I just know how hard this is, and to be here for a fourth time, [I’m] so grateful for my teammates.” Curry has poured in at least 30 points in 51 career postseason outings to become just the 11th player to accomplish that feat. “I was feeling just so high on life that I did not want to leave the stage,” Thompson said. The point guard has scored 30 points or more in 14 career Finals contests. “We did it to ourselves. “They won and we lost,” Brown said after the game. Now, when they have something to say, they have to say I’m a world champion, too.” Interestingly, the booing subsided quickly into scattered chatter, as “MVP” chants gradually broke out in pockets around TD Garden from the Warriors fans clad in yellow and blue shirts sprinkled into a sea of green that engulfed the arena. Minutes later, the time arrived for Curry to receive his latest hardware. But it’s been really hard for me to think that’s actually been held against him.” So, it’s great to check that box for him.

Curry's spot in the Basketball Hall of Fame was locked up long before Thursday night, when he scored 34 points and the Warriors won their fourth title in ...

“This is what it’s all about.” The fourth parade is Monday. The fourth ring comes this fall. They had three titles and five finals trips in five years from 2015 through 2019, then injuries and roster changes sent them to the bottom of the NBA in 2020 and on the outside of the playoff picture last year. When last season ended with a loss in the play-in tournament, Curry went right back to work, with this title in mind, knowing that few so-called experts thought the Warriors had a chance of extending their dynasty. And his legend on the court only continues to grow. “To me, this is his crowning achievement in what’s already been an incredible career.” Nobody in the history of basketball has made more 3-pointers or made the art of throwing a ball through a hoop look easier than Curry does. Curry’s spot in the Basketball Hall of Fame was locked up long before Thursday night, when he scored 34 points and the Warriors won their fourth title in eight years by topping the Boston Celtics 103-90. Add that to the list, too. What a series.” Go ahead, put him in the Greatest Of All Time conversation. Thing is, Wardell Stephen Curry II is not just the greatest shooter ever.

Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry celebrate winning their fourth NBA title together. Adam Glanzman / Getty Images. For the fourth time in eight ...

In the here and now, though, we know it wasn’t — and that likely makes it all the sweeter for the victors. Wiggins’s 3-point shooting did not carry over from the regular season ( 39.3 percent) to the playoffs ( 33.3 percent) or Finals ( 29.7 percent), but he made up for it with a hellacious commitment to defense and rebounding (29 boards combined in Games 4 and 5). Once one of the worst positional rebounders in the league, Wiggins led the Finals in rebounds. That they did is a testament to what they’ve built, and who they’ve built around, and who has done the building. His adjustments during the series, and throughout the playoffs, were top-notch. Otto Porter Jr., who played only 42 games across the previous two seasons due to various injuries, emerged as a key rotation player and occasional starter, including in Golden State’s three consecutive victories to win the series. Gary Payton II, who considered taking a job in the Warriors’ video coordination department but instead made the team out of training camp, returned from a fractured elbow suffered during the second round and played a key role in shutting down Boston’s offense. He did not return to the floor this season until early January, after he had missed 940 days in the wake of ACL and Achilles tears. He has grown into an uber-athletic, two-way wing, one who defended Luka Dončić and Tatum in back-to-back series and not only lived to tell about it but thrived along the way. He smothered Jayson Tatum (who made the All-NBA First Team this season), keeping the Celtics’ best player under wraps and out of sorts all series long. Green also missed ample time this year with back and calf injuries, and for the first few games of the Finals, he was in such a bad funk that Kerr briefly benched him down the stretch of Game 4. But he went and got that Finals MVP anyway, putting together one of the best playoff series of his terrific career. Klay made at least five treys in seven of Golden State’s 22 playoff games, poured in 32 points in the series-clinching Game 5 of the Western Conference finals and connected on two enormous threes to keep the Warriors in range of the Celtics during their comeback Game 5 victory, as well as another that just about put the game out of reach.

Here are way-too-early predictions for top six NBA teams in the East and West next season. Spoiler: List will change after free agency.

The Sixers need to bolster their depth, but all eyes are on James Harden. Then another injury slowed him down in the playoffs. The 2021 NBA champions ranked first in this year's playoffs in defensive rating after ranking 14th in the regular season. If that carries over into next season, it’s a wrap. Follow him on Twitter at @DuaneRankin. Biggest question: Can they make a trade to take them to the next level? As Kidd said, their journey is just beginning. Still need a couple of pieces, but Dallas trading for Christian Wood addresses having a scoring big man. Joel Embiid finished runner up to Jokic for league MVP for a second straight season, but he had the most dominant year of anyone in the league. Enter Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. With those two, the Nuggets have a big three that can certainly lead them to the conference finals. Golden State probably eliminates them in the conference semifinals even with a healthy Ja Morant, but not nearly with the ease in which they did. The Suns and Warriors were supposed to meet in the conference finals, but Phoenix didn’t hold up its end after having the NBA’s best record in the regular season.

Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green have revived the Warriors' dynasty with their fourth championship in eight years.

“When I say this one hits different ... from 2015 to 2019, it was kind of a steady climb to get into the championship, and whether you won or lost, you kind of just left it all out there,” Curry said. When the Warriors won just 15 games in 2019-20 and weren’t even invited to the bubble, it appeared their window had closed. The minute you doubt them is the minute you’ve made a mistake. I think for us, we all appreciate each other and we understand what each of us bring to the table.” However, when the team’s common goal is to be the face of this era, it always goes back to the brotherhood. Because of the youth injection and availability issues, the Warriors had to navigate a completely different beast. In the same way Curry isn’t fond of ranking his playoff performances, the Warriors still aren’t placing this 2022 championship above the rest. That’s the root of any championship core and the heart of longevity in sports. Perhaps the key ingredients are right in front of us. The Warriors’ big three have grown up right in front of us. But there's only a few of those, and this falls right in line with that.” The Celtics a few times, the Lakers, the Bulls. The Spurs were a little bit more spread out, and they did an amazing job as an organization.”

Damion Lee, former Louisville guard, wins his first NBA Championship with Golden State. The Warriors beat the Celtics in Game 6 of the 2022 NBA Finals.

But Lee established himself as a solid rotational piece, scoring 12.7 points per game in his second season, and played a key role in 2021-22, helping the Warriors finish 53-29 in the regular season ahead of their championship run. He signed with Golden State in 2018, splitting time with the team's G League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors. Lee was a key contributor on that team, averaging 15.9 points per game and helping the Cardinals finish 23-8, and was given a commemorative ring by Louisville on Senior Night. Lee tore his ACL during his junior campaign, playing just five games, but helped Drexel win the Colonial Athletic Association regular season championship as a freshman in 2011-12. Lee might not have spent much time Thursday in the spotlight, but he had plenty to celebrate. Lee joined the Warriors in 2018-19, after Golden State had won back-to-back championships.

The Golden State Warriors have clinched the team's fourth NBA title in eight years, decisively defeating the Boston Celtics on the road, 103-90, to win the ...

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Grading Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, and the rest of the Golden State Warriors in the team's 103-90 win over the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of ...

And one that gave Wiggins a much deserved minute off in a game where he played almost the entire way. The Warriors had an eight-player rotation on Thursday, but Steve Kerr put Iguodala in for the final minute so he could soak up his fourth title. He played excellent defense. And when the defense focused on him a little too much, he made them pay by finding the open man. He picked apart Boston’s defense. This was the consummate Steph Curry performance. It’s hard not to be incredibly happy for Wiggins after what he went through earlier in his career. His defense on Jayson Tatum was nothing short of elite, and he did it without committing a single foul. Well, Wiggins sure chose a great time to play the best basketball of his career, didn’t he? That’s exactly what the Dubs needed. The offense flowed beautifully with him on the floor, as he pushed the ball time and time again. And then we all knew: time to chill the champagne, a celebration was incoming.

Golden State heard all the chatter surrounding them throughout the NBA season. After securing their fourth championship in eight seasons, players r...

Green also took part in the petty party after winning the title. The Warriors forward didn't stop there. Brown had an altercationwith Green in Game 1 after the Warriors forward fell on him. Thompson recalled a tweet byMemphis Grizzliesforward Jaren Jackson Jr. After Memphis beat Golden State on Mar. 28, 123-95, Jackson tweeted the Warriors' mantra "strength in numbers," a direct troll to the team. The Warriors forward didn't stop there. The restaurant posted a picture of a sign with the phrase "Ayesha Curry Can't Cook" ahead of Games 3 and 4.

The Bay Area team snagged their 7th championship last night & the Disney-owned net had a win as well.

What makes that drop even more vinegar is that the 2019 series saw the losing Warriors pitted against the NBA’s only non-American based team, the Toronto Raptors. So, while the 2019 NBA Finals were off the chart in the Great White North, they were already limping from having only one U.S. market to draw from. Having weathered rough ratings seas over the past two years of the Covid-19 pandemic, ABC must be feeling pretty victorious, at least in the short term. Now well ensconced in the pantheon of basketball, the big win for Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and their teammates, plus coach Steve Kerr may be all the sweeter after the past two seasons when it looked like the shine was off the Bay Area team.

Unlikely. That's what Golden State Warriors Coach Steve Kerr called this championship. After two years of battling injuries and tough losses, the Dubs won ...

The Boston Celtics hosted the Golden State Warriors for Game Six of the NBA Finals at the TD Garden in Boston on June 17, 2022. Unlikely. That’s what Golden State Warriors Coach Steve Kerr called this championship. Boston - June 16: Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) lifting the Finals MVP trophy after they defeated the Boston Celtics 103-90.

Former Marquette player Juan Toscano-Anderson made history for the Warriors as he became the first player of Mexican descent to win an NBA title.

He averaged nearly 17 points per game in the playoffs, which was just shy of his 18.5 average during the regular season. Injuries, though, prevented him from playing in the Finals in 2016 and 2017. Larry Harris, who spent 19 years with the Milwaukee Bucks, including five as general manager (2003-07), has been in the Warriors' organization since 2008. But the 22-year-old Poole busted out in his third season. The elder Payton was there to celebrate with his son Thursday night. During his rookie season, he spent time with the Warriors' G-League squad as Golden State posted the league's worst record with just 15 wins. But nothing was guaranteed since he had been playing on a two-way contract until he signed a two-year deal in May 2021. The 29-year-old small forward played very sparingly in the NBA Finals — he averaged just 2.0 minutes and did not score. He played professionally in Mexico, Venezuela and Argentina before latching on with the Warriors in 2018. He played in 73 games and started six. Toscano-Anderson went undrafted after his Marquette career but he didn't give up the basketball dream. He averaged 4.1 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 13.6 minutes during the regular season.