The Golden State Warriors are NBA champions once again, topping the Boston Celtics 103-90 on Thursday for their fourth title in the past eight seasons.
Stephen Curry scored 34 points and was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) as the Warriors claimed the franchise’s seventh championship overall.
This one completed a journey like none other, after a run of five consecutive finals, then a plummet to the bottom of the NBA and now a return to greatness just two seasons after having the league’s worst record.
Photo: AFP
“We found a way to just get it done,” Curry said after the Warriors accepted the championship trophy and celebrated on the court.
Curry struggled to speak as he explained what allowed the Warriors to capture their latest crown.
“It’s part of a championship pedigree, our experience,” he said. “We built this for 10-11 years. That means a lot when you get to this stage.”
Photo: AP
For Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala, it is a fourth championship. The first three rings came in 2015, 2017 and 2018, when Golden State were dynastic and made five consecutive trips to the finals.
“They’re all unique, they’re all special,” coach Steve Kerr said of the multiple titles. “This one might have been the most unlikely... It takes a group effort to get it done and we had a great group.”
Injuries, including ones that sidelined Thompson for more than two years, and roster changes changed everything.
Photo: AP
However, this season, with Thompson returning at about the midway point, the Warriors were finally back.
Back on top, too.
Champions, again, denying the storied Celtics what would have been their record 18th championship, one that would have allowed Boston to break a tie with the Los Angeles Lakers for the most in league history.
For Kerr, it is a ninth championship overall after winning five as a player.
He is the sixth coach to capture four titles, joining Phil Jackson, Red Auerbach, John Kundla, Gregg Popovich and Pat Riley.
Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 34 points, but Jayson Tatum finished with just 13, shooting just six of 18 from the field.
Boston also had 22 turnovers, dropping to 1-8 this post-season when committing 16 or more.
It was just the fifth defeat in 22 title-series appearances for Boston, who turned their season around to have a chance at this crown.
Boston were 25-25 after 50 games, then went on a tear to get to the finals and nearly claim what would have been just the franchise’s second championship since 1986.
Boston trailed by as many as 22 points, but battled back and cut the deficit to eight.
A Jaylen Brown three-pointer made it 86-78 with 5 minutes, 33 seconds to play, but the Warriors never relinquished the lead.
“Just couldn’t withstand their runs,” Celtics center Robert Williams said. “Messing up. They played harder and won tonight.”
Curry sent Boston fans streaming toward the exits with his sixth three of the night to give the Warriors a commanding 15-point lead at 96-81 then clasped his hands against face as he ran back down the court, signaling an end to Boston’s hopes of extending the series.
“We’ve had so many great players, but Steph, ultimately is why this run happens,” Kerr said.
The Warriors went 19 of 45 from the three-point line.
The Celtics came out firing, riding the energy from a deafening TD Garden crowd to take an early 14-2 lead, but Golden State were not rattled and responded with a 35-8 run that stretched into the second quarter.
The Warriors outscored the Celtics 27-17 for the period and carried a 54-39 lead into the second half as some Celtics fans booed the home team as they left the court.
Boston fought back in the third, but the Warriors found their range from beyond the arc, connecting on six threes in the quarter.
The redesigned Larry O’Brien Trophy — the golden souvenir given to the NBA champions — was presented to the Warriors by NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum as NBA commissioner Adam Silver could not be at the game due to the league’s health and safety protocols for COVID-19.
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