Golden State are champions once again, topping Boston 103-90 on Thursday night for their fourth title in the last eight seasons with Stephen Curry named the NBA Finals MVP.
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Curry scored 34 points for the Warriors, who claimed the franchise's seventh championship overall.
And this one completed a journey like none other, after a run of five consecutive finals, then a plummet to the bottom of the NBA, and now a return to greatness just two seasons after having the league's worst record.
"We found a way to just get it done," Curry said after the Warriors accepted the championship trophy and celebrated on the court.
"It's part of a championship pedigree, our experience. ... We built this for 10-11 years. That means a lot when you get to this stage."
For Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala, it's a fourth championship. The first three rings came in 2015, 2017 and 2018, when Golden State were dynastic and made five consecutive trips to the finals.
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.
Back on top, too. Champions, again, denying the storied Celtics what would have been their record 18th championship, one that would have allowed Boston to break a tie with the Los Angeles Lakers for the most in league history.
This tale for the Warriors ended much differently than what was their most recent finals appearance against Toronto in 2019, one that saw Kevin Durant tear his Achilles tendon in Game 5 and then Thompson tear his ACL in what became the Raptors' title-clincher in Game 6.
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.
"It all paid off," Thompson said. "It was dog days, a lot of tears shed. ... You knew it was a possibility, but to see it in real time. ... It's crazy."
It thrust a Golden State team into a rebuild that became a reload.
The Warriors used their two-year hiatus from the NBA's biggest stages to retool their roster - adding a past No.1 draft pick in Andrew Wiggins, who excelled in his first finals, along with another rising star in Jordan Poole.
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.
Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 34 points. Al Horford added 19. Jayson Tatum finished with 13 points, but shot just six of 18 from the field.
Boston also committed 22 turnovers, dropping to 1-8 this postseason when committing 16 or more. It was just their fifth defeat in 22 title-series appearances.
Australian Associated Press
