MASSACHUSETTS – Golden State Warriors ended years of heartbreak with a title-clinching 103-90 domination of Boston Celtics in Game 6 of the 2021-2022 NBA Finals on Thursday night (Friday in the Philippines) at the TD Garden in Boston.
Stephen Curry finally got the elusive NBA Finals MVP trophy after finishing with 34 points, including seven triples, to go with seven rebounds and seven assists.
The Warriors closed out the series at 4-2.
Andrew Wiggins had 18 points, six rebounds, five assists, four steals and three blocks, while Jordan Poole contributed 15 markers, with 11 coming in the first period for GSW, an NBA champions for the fourth time in the last six finals appearances.
Draymond Green also made his presence felt with a near triple-double numbers of 12 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists, while Klay Thompson also finished with 12 markers for the Warriors
The Warriors started flat as they were down 12-2 before mounting a spirited run behind Thompson, Green and Gary Payton II to trim the deficit to 21-22 before taking a 27-22 edge on back-to-back treys by Curry and Poole.
Golden State’s rampage continued in the second period with outside shots from Poole and inside hits by Wiggins for a 37-22 lead. Boston rallied to within 31-39 but Curry and Thompson responded for the Warriors to make it a 54-33 spread.
The Warriors went on to build its largest lead in the third period at 72-50 on combined five treys by Curry and Otto Porter Jr. but the Celtics showed some life after cutting the deficit to 65-74.
Golden State restored an 82-68 lead in the fourth quarter on four straight points by Poole and a dunk by Payton. Boston answered with shots of their own to cut it to 75-84.
The Celtics came in closest at 78-86 via a Jaylen Brown triple but three-pointers and inside baskets from Curry and Wiggins gave the Warriors a 99-84 upperhand with two minutes left.
“It’s amazing. Very surreal,” said Curry, now a four-time NBA Champion. “Beginning of the season, nobody thought we would be here expect everybody on this court.”
“This is what is all about, playing for a championship and what we’ve been through these last three years. I’m so proud of our group. I thank God every day that I get to play this game at the highest level,” he added.
Brown carried the fight for the Celtics with 29 points, Al Horford added double-double 19 points and 14 rebounds, while Jayson Tatum and Robert Williams III had 13 and 10 points, respectively.
BOX SCORE:
GOLDEN STATE 103 — Curry 34, Wiggins 18, Poole 15, Green 12, Thompson 12, Porter 6, Payton 6, Looney 0, Iguodala 0.
BOSTON 90 — Brown 29, Horford 19, Tatum 13, R. Williams 10, Smart 9, G. Williams 3, White 2, Pritchard 0, Stauskas 0, Kornet 0, Hauser 0, Nesmith 0, Morgan 0.
Quarterscores: 27-22, 54-39, 76-66, 103-90./PN
