It’s hard to separate these Warriors from the iterations that immediately preceded them. The 15-win 2019-20 group was riddled with injuries, most notably to Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Last year’s team again lacked Thompson, and again, ended short of a postseason berth.
It’s why leading into this year’s Finals, Curry expressed an appreciation for returning to the sport’s biggest stage. “You look up and all the work that you put in over the last two years has paid off,” he said. “All that stuff is just built into the context of what's happened since Game 6 of the 2019 Finals. And we’re back here. So it’s pretty special.”
On Thursday night, a teary-eyed Curry was mobbed by teammates near Golden State’s bench as the final buzzer sounded to conclude this year’s Finals, with the Warriors winning Game 6 against the Celtics 103–90 and claiming the ’22 NBA title. The hard work had certainly paid off. While no confetti fell from the ceiling of Boston’s TD Garden onto the arena’s famous parquet floor, history was again made.
