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fter the Golden State Warriors‘ Game 6 win over the Boston Celtics, they have officially secured their fourth NBA Finals win in the last eight years. While every title win had to have been meaningful for Golden State, this title had a deeper meaning than the others. That was evident when Warriors star Stephen Curry was overcome with emotion in the last moments of the game.
Part of the reason the 2022 title is so meaningful for Golden State is that this is the first time they have won since 2018. That was when Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant was a part of their core four which included Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson. After Durant skipped town to join the Nets, most people thought that the Warriors dynasty was over, especially after not making the playoffs since his departure. But despite the adversity, they faced they reached the pinnacle, without the services of their two-time Finals MVP.
On June 16, the Nets star broke his silence about the Warriors’ win, giving praise to Curry and the rest of his former teammates.
”Congrats to the dubs and my boy [Steph Curry], a Fillmore legend, man been waiting his whole life for a parade on Market Street,” Durant said via his Twitter account on June 16.
Curry, Thompson Sound Off on NBA Finals Win
The Warriors had to endure a soft rebuild of the team upon Durant’s departure. And injuries to Thompson and Curry the following season had them go from five straight NBA Finals appearances to the worst team in the league as they only won 15 games in the 2020 season.
After missing the playoffs in consecutive seasons, most people were ready to stick a fork in the Warriors. Thompson, now a four-time champion, says the doubters made the journey back to the top even sweeter.
“A lot of chatter. A lot of doubters. But you know what, you just put that in your fuel tank, and you just keep going. And it does definitely hit different,” Thompson said to reporters after the win. “I’ve got a memory like an elephant. I don’t forget. There were a lot of people kicking us down.”
Steph Curry also echoes the same sentiment:
“This one is definitely different because of the three years of baggage we carried coming out of that Game 6 in 2019,” Curry said via “ABC News”. “I can say it now, I don’t know how many teams could carry that as long as we have with the expectations of comparing us now to teams of past and make it to the mountaintop again.”
Warriors Back in Familiar Territory
The Warriors’ road back to glory has been something to behold. But next season they will find themselves back in familiar territory. As defending NBA champions, they will go from being the hunter to being the hunted as every team in the league will be gunning for them.
It doesn’t make it any easier on the Warriors that the NBA is improving as there are multiple championship-caliber teams in both conferences. Will someone dethrone the Warriors, or is it the beginning of the next Golden State dynasty? It will be fun to see the outcome.
