“Everything paid off,” Thompson said. “It simply came to our notice then. … You knew it was a possibility, but see it in real time. … It’s crazy.”
He drove a Golden State team to a rebuild that turned into a reload. The Warriors used their two-year hiatus from the NBA’s biggest rounds to reorganize their roster, adding a No. 1 draft pick from Andrew Wiggins, who stood out in his first finals, along with another rising star Jordan Poole.
Curry is overwhelmed with excitement after the victory. Credit: Getty Images
Everything clicked. For Golden State coach Steve Kerr, it is a ninth overall championship after winning five as a player. He is the sixth coach to win four titles, joining Phil Jackson, Red Auerbach, John Kundla, Gregg Popovich and Pat Riley.
Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 34 points. At Horford he added 19. Jayson Tatum finished with 13 points, but only shot 6 of 18 from the field. Boston also suffered 22 staff losses, dropping to 1-8 this postseason when it committed 16 or more.
It was only the fifth loss in 22 appearances in the Boston title series that he changed his season to have a chance at that crown. Boston was 25-25 after 50 games, then shed an absolute tear to reach the final and almost claim what would have been only the second franchise championship since 1986.
It was the third consecutive season that things were affected by the global pandemic of COVID-19 and, although things were closer to normal, the images and video of the celebration of the championship will serve as a reminder forever the virus was still a problem.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was unable to attend the game because he remained on the league’s virus-related health and safety protocols. The redesigned Larry O’Brien Trophy, the golden memory given to NBA champions, was presented to the Warriors by Assistant Commissioner Mark Tatum.
Boston was down by 22 points, but went 16-4 in the third quarter to reduce the deficit to 76-66 entering the fourth.
A triple by Jaylen Brown made it 86-78 with 5:33 to play, but the Warriors never gave up the lead.
AP
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