The Golden State Warriors defeated the Celtics in Boston Thursday night to claim their seventh NBA championship in franchise history and their fourth title in the last eight years.
BOSTON -- The Golden State Warriors are NBA champions once again, topping the Boston Celtics 103-90 on Thursday night for their fourth title in the last eight seasons.
Injuries, including ones that sidelined Thompson for 2 1/2 years, and roster changes changed everything. But this season, with Thompson returning around the midway point, the Warriors were finally back. The aftermath of that loss was exacerbated by Durant's decision to leave that summer in free agency to join the Brooklyn Nets and Thompson's own Achilles injury while rehabilitating his knee injury.
Warriors guard Stephen Curry, center, holds up the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy with teammates after defeating the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of the NBA Finals June 16, 2022, in Boston.It all clicked. For Golden State coach Steve Kerr, it's a ninth championship overall after winning five as a player. He's the sixth coach to capture four titles, joining Phil Jackson, Red Auerbach, John Kundla, Gregg Popovich and Pat Riley.
It was the third consecutive season where things were affected by the global COVID-19 pandemic and while things were closer to normal, pictures and video of the championship celebration will serve as a forever reminder that the virus was still an issue. A Jaylen Brown 3-pointer made it 86-78 with 5:33 to play but the Warriors never relinquished the lead.