Stephen Curry was reduced to tears as he starred for the Golden State Warriors to inspire them to beat the Boston Celtics 103-90 in Game 6 of the 2022 NBA Finals.
Curry returned to form in style after a disappointing Game 5 performance to lead the Warriors to a fourth championship in eight years. While it was a team effort with the likes of Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins and Klay Thompson each contributing, Curry was undoubtedly the star of the show with 34 points, seven rebounds and seven assists to go with two steals and a block as the generational superstar was named Finals MVP for the first time in his illustrious career.
After titles in 2015, 2017 and 2018 saw Andre Iguodala and Kevin Durant (twice) win Finals MVP, Curry ensured he was not missing out on the accolade this time around. He was brilliant throughout the series, averaging 31.2 points per game while his iconic moment came in Game 4 - a mesmerising 43-point display to level the series at 2-2.
“We found a way to just get it done,” Curry said after the Warriors accepted the championship trophy and celebrated on the court at TD Garden in Boston. “It's part of a championship pedigree, our experience. We built this for 10-11 years. That means a lot when you get to this stage.”
The championship pedigree Curry spoke of is in relation to the winning culture embedded within the spine of the Warriors franchise. From head coach Steve Kerr to Curry, Thompson, Green and Iguodala, they have each won four NBA championships with perhaps he greatest dynasty of this century.
While the old heads led the way for Golden State, others contributed: Wiggins scoring 18 while Jordan Poole helped himself to 15 points off the bench. Wiggins also collected six rebounds, five assists, four steals and three blocks to complete a balanced box score that highlights the massive contribution the Canadian former first overall pick made in all areas of the game throughout the series as he surprised as the Warriors' second-best player in these NBA Finals.
There was no ‘Game 6 Klay’, but Thompson contributed 12 points as he completed his incredible comeback from back-to-back ACL and Achilles tears to win the NBA title once more. His fellow legendary Warrior Green also hit 12 points, the majority of which came in crucial spots as he had the best game of his Finals. The former Defensive Player of the Year came close to a triple-double as 12 rebounds and eight assists went with his scoring total, as well as a pair of steals and blocks.
As for the Celtics, Jaylen Brown led the way as he matched Curry’s 34 points but his partner in crime Jayson Tatum struggled to cap a torrid NBA Finals for the 24-year-old. Tatum finished with just 13 points on 6-for-18 shooting - including only one basket in the entire second half - as the First-Team All-NBA superstar struggled for form in the biggest moment. The Celtics ultimately showed their inexperience under the spotlight, committing an inexplicable 22 turnovers which the Warriors punished.
It was just the fifth defeat in 22 title-series appearances for Boston, who had remarkably turned its season around to have a chance at a place in history. Boston held a 25-25 record through 50 games, before storming to the NBA Finals in search of only a second title since 1986.
Thursday night’s Game 6, the NBA Finals and the NBA championship all belonged to the Warriors. Their victory sees the franchise claim their seventh title in history, moving clear of the Chicago Bulls in third behind the Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, who remain tied on 17 at the top.
Their players spraying champagne and being swamped in confetti was a far cry from the state of the Warriors just two years prior, when they plummeted to the bottom of the NBA after five straight appearances in the title game. After losing the 2019 NBA Finals - which saw Thompson tear his ACL and superstar Kevin Durant injure his Achilles tendon before leaving for the Brooklyn Nets - the Warriors finished the 2019/20 season with the worst record in the NBA at 15-50.
In winning the championship, Golden State also became the first team to go from the league’s worst team to the championship in just two years. Their job in this series was ultimately made easier by a young Celtics team who struggled to contain the Warriors, who scored 20 points off Boston turnovers and another 21 on 15 offensive rebounds - but the home team got off to a flying start.
Tatum was sharp at the start of the contest as he scored the final five points in a 14-2 run to begin proceedings with TD Garden going wild. He added a third basket in the first quarter to give the Celtics a 22-16 lead, but that was his side’s last points before getting overrun by an unrelenting storm of 21 straight Golden State points - the biggest run in the NBA Finals in 50 years.
Boston committed seven turnovers during a painful run of 11 possessions in five minutes, while Curry and Thompson combined for 14 points. Coach Kerr - who is now a nine-time NBA champion, five as a player and four as coach of Golden State - stuck to his philosophy during the run as Curry, Poole and even Green added triples in the first quarter to give the Warriors a remarkable 27-22 lead.
The second quarter continued in the same vein, with the Warriors completing a 54-25 run that silenced TD Garden apart from a few boos as the Celtics frantically called timeouts to arrest the slide. Poole hit a few three pointers, and it felt like it was slipping away from Boston, who went into half time down by 15 points at 54-39.
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Al Horford, the sole veteran player on a young Celtics roster, showed his class in the third quarter as he scored 12 of his 19 points in the third quarter to go with five rebounds a huge block which got the Boston crowd off their seats. As the 36-year-old tried to breathe new life into his team, Curry struck. He hit a deep three midway through the third quarter to give the Warriors a 22-point lead. It felt like an early dagger, and the coronation had begun.
While it was clear the Celtics knew they were defeated, they continued to battle with Brown admirably encouraging his teammates to go down fighting. They brought it back to an eight-point deficit, but the Celtics had left it too late against an organisation who are just too good at winning.
Golden State have experienced almost each and every high and low over the last eight years: five successive Finals, three championships, the worst record in the NBA, injury hell, and key players leaving for greener pastures. However, the battle-hardened 2021/22 Warriors have proved to still reign over the league when Curry and co. shine - and the two-time MVP was at his scintillating best on Thursday night.
