Warriors Clinch 7th Championship in Franchise History

The climb to Mt. Everest starts from 20.5 kilometers from base camp. From there — hikers would embark on the journey to climb 29,028 feet. The Everst climb is one that requires both physical and mental strength. It’s a challenge that’s not meant for the weak.

Hikers would have to face a multitude of challenges — ranging from weather, atmospheric pressure, traffic jams and altitude sickness. But the climb is worth it. All that training, the preparation, and the anticipation for a journey of a lifetime. 

For the Warriors — the weather, atmospheric pressure, and altitude sickness came in the form of injuries, a 15-win season, missing the playoffs the year prior and pressure from the media. 

Analysts wrote off the Warriors after the Memphis Grizzlies bested them in the 2021 play-in game. The mics echoed the overall “downer-Debby” attitude from the talking heads. 

“It’s over for them now,” American sports television personality host Nick Wright infamously said. “We will never see [Warriors superstar] Steph [Curry] in another NBA Finals ever. They have no path forward. [Warriors forward] Draymond [Green is] 30, [Warriors guard] Klay [Thompson is] 30, Steph’s about to be 32. Draymond, Klay, [Warriors forward Andrew] Wiggins and Steph [Curry]. [That’s] $128 million next year for the cap. The cap [is] $115. They have no way to get better now.” 

Well, so much for that. 

In a scintillating six games, the Golden State Warriors bested the Boston Celtics and clinched their seventh NBA Championship. The climb from Mt. Everest took its twists and turns — but the Warriors are officially back on top. 

Curry led the way with 34 points on 12-for-21 shooting and cashed in six 3-pointers and secured his first career Finals MVP. Wiggins continued his solid play with 18 points and had an efficient night going 7-for-18 shooting. Warriors guard Jordan Poole chipped in a solid 15 points — and the Warriors reached the mountaintop once again.

“I think this one may have been the most unlikely just based on the standpoint of where we’ve been the past couple of years,” Head Coach Steve Kerr said. “A lot of unknowns with injuries [and] a new group around our core.” 

As for the game itself — the Celtics threw the first punch. The Celtics started the game shooting four-for-six from the field and had a 20-14 lead once Celtics forward Jaylen Brown connected on a baseline mid-range jumper. Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum nailed a jumper off two down-screens — increasing the Celtics lead 22-16. 

Though Tatum has been labeled a star — his rise to superstardom is not yet there. In the biggest game of his career — Tatum finished the game with just 13 points on 6-for-18 shooting in 40 minutes of play. Tatum has been battling a sore shoulder throughout the series — but Wiggins lived up to his moniker of “Two-Way Wiggs” and made the Finals a living hell for Tatum.

The Celtics had most of the momentum throughout the first quarter. Their six assists on eight field goals demonstrated their efficient play — but a combination of 3-pointers from Green, Curry and Poole would spark an 11-0 run from the Warriors. 

“I’m just at a loss for words,” Thompson said. “I always knew we could do this, but to be here in real-time — I just want to enjoy every second of this.” 

In the second quarter — Poole demonstrated again why he should have at least been mentioned as one of the finalists for the Most Improved Player award. Poole nailed a 3-pointer off a second chance opportunity and Wiggins sealed a transition layup to increase the lead to 32-22. 

Led by Poole — the Warriors had the advantage on bench points as the Celtics bench registered a -15 at this junction of the game. The Warriors had a 21-0 run originating from the 2:27 mark of the first quarter — which would be the largest run in the NBA Finals in the past 50 years. 

With Tatum struggling, Brown tried to claw the Celtics back from the brink of being blown out, and his euro-step layup in transition would finish a 7-0 run for the Celtics. 

The Warriors responded with a Thompson jumper, Wiggins 3-pointer and a Curry floater to increase the lead to 44-31. The Warriors were sensing the Celtics comeback attempt — and through their championship DNA — they managed to weather the storm.

“I think what made this group so special besides Steph [Curry] was the defensive versatility,” Kerr said. “And for that — Draymond [Green] is to point — the leader of it all.”

WIth the Celtics down early — they found themselves in more trouble as they kept on complaining about calls rather than getting back on defense. This would lead to transition opportunities for the Warriors. 

Brown and Tatum were also foul-hunting — unlike Game Three where they gave up the ball early to make plays for their teammates. Instead — they got themselves into trouble and coughed up the ball. As a team, the Celtics committed 22 turnovers and proved why taking care of the ball is so essential. 

To start the third quarter — Green continued his incredible game with a corner 3-pointer — extending the Warriors lead to 57-39. Curry’s side-step 3-pointer would expand the Warriors lead to 60-44. The Warriors were +10 on the rebounds at this point in the game — beating the Celtics to the glass despite having a smaller lineup for most of the game. 

Celtics center Al Horford tried to mount a comeback by nailing his 3-pointers, but with every make — Warriors forward Otto Porter Jr. answered the bell with 3-pointers of his own. The lead was pushed back to 19 once Curry converted on a 3-pointer. The Warriors were shooting the lights out — as they were 14-for-28 from distance midway through the third. 

Then — in transition — Curry splashed home a 3-pointer from the hash-mark to give the Warriors their biggest lead of the game. On the way back — Curry pointed to his ring finger — foreshadowing the outcome of the game and indicating how this might be the early dagger. 

“He does,” Kerr said when asked if Curry still puts him in awe. “What he does with his size is so different from the traditional greats in this league.” 

The Celtics would try their best to instigate a comeback — as they would cut the once 22-point lead back nine. Celtics forward Grant Williams scored on a layup in transition after Green turned the ball over and converted on the and-one opportunity. 

Once again — the Warriors showed their championship pedigree — as they never panicked. Curry continued to attack the Celtics bigs on isolation plays and Wiggins would cash in a corner 3-pointer to increase the lead back to 89-78. The Celtics sent a double-team to Curry — but Green found Wiggins wide-open waiting in the corner. 

Green continued his stellar play — as he forced a turnover on Brown and scored a layup in transition. Green had his best game of the series — finishing with 12 points, 12 rebounds and eight assist as well as having two blocks and steals on a +16. 

The Celtics seemed to have given up at this stage of the game — and with a Curry pump-fake 3-pointer — Curry brought out the night-night celebration. Wiggins once again showed his two-way brilliance and forced Tatum into another turnover — seemingly ending all hope for the Celtics. 

“This one hits different for sure — [especially with] what the past three years have been like,” Curry said. “From injuries, to the changing of the guard, [Wiggins] coming through [and] our young guys carried the belief that we can get back to this stage and win even if it didn’t make sense to anybody when we said it.” 

In the end — it took a solid team effort to take down the Celtics.

The blood, sweat and tears from this playoff run in particular was special. No doubt — this group is special. The journey to Mt. Everest was complete.

(Photo credit: Elsa / Getty Images)