The win gives the Curry, Clay Thompson and Draymond Green trio their fourth title together – all under head coach Steve Kerr – adding to their 2015, 2017 and 2018 championships. They have won 21 NBA Finals games together, recently overtaking Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili (19) for the most NBA Finals wins in the last 30 years.
Curry, who was in tears after the final referee signal, won the MVP award in the NBA Finals for the first time in his career.
“That’s all, let’s play for the championship for the last three years,” he said. “At the beginning of the season, no one thought we would be here except everyone on this court right now, and that’s amazing. Very surreal, though.
“You never take that for granted because you never know when you’ll be back here. And to come back here and do it means the whole world, “he said.
Kerr said Curry reminded him of Duncan, the center of the Hall of Fame, who played his entire career for the San Antonio Spurs. “Completely different players. But in terms of humanity, in terms of talent, humility, confidence, this wonderful combination that just makes everyone want to win for him,” he said.
This title puts an end to the Warriors’ omission, as they were overshadowed by injuries for several years and returned to the post-season for the first time since 2019.
The way Game 6 unfolds at TD Garden in Boston didn’t seem at first to be a sure win for Golden State. Boston led 14-2 to start the game. But the Warriors didn’t just come back with their fingernails – they pressed the accelerator.
Golden State continued 52-25 to finish the first half. This included a 21-0 series – the longest in-game series since the NBA Finals in 50 years.
The Celtics reduced the Warriors’ lead to single digits at the end of the third quarter and again in the fourth quarter, but could not get close.
Boston, which qualified for the finals for the first time since the 2009-10 season, previously excelled in the “do or die” games in this year’s playoffs.
Until their loss in Game 5 of these finals, they were undefeated in post-season games after defeat. They won two games with a win or at home against the Milwaukee Bucks and a 7-game win against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals.
Still, the Celtics led 2-1 in the series before losing three straight to Golden State, including games 4 and 6 in Boston.
“There are a lot of guys, very emotional right now,” said Celtics head coach Ime Udoka after the game.
“The message was that we thank them for their efforts and growth and everything they allowed us to do as coaching this year. The biggest message was, “Learn from it, grow from it, take that experience and see that there is another level to get to,” Udoka said. “A team like Golden State that was there did that, it was obvious in a lot of ways.”
This is the seventh Warriors League title in the franchise’s history – two of which were won by the Philadelphia Warriors in 1947 and 1956.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, who usually presents the Larry O’Brien trophy to the NBA champion, did not attend Games 5 or 6 due to NBA health and safety protocols.
Correction: A previous version of this story said that the game was broadcast on ESPN. It was broadcast on ABC
CNN’s Jill Martin and Ben Morse contributed to this report.
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