We find ourselves at the end of yet another NBA season. The Golden State Warriors closed out the Boston Celtics in six games, securing their fourth title in 8 seasons and cementing them in NBA history as a top-tier dynasty.
Before this season, only four teams have been able to capture four titles in an eight-year span. The Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili trio brought the San Antonio Spurs to four titles spanning from 1999 to 2007. The legendary Chicago Bulls duo of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen won six titles from 1991 to 1998, arguably one of the most dominant teams to ever grace the court. The Boston Celtics and legendary Bill Russell took the fourth title in an eight-year span accomplishment to a new level. The Celtics may have won four titles in an eight-year period but what is most impressive is the eleven titles in thirteen years. The Celtics won every title from 1957 to 1969, besides ‘58 and ‘67. That feat is unheard of in todays landscape. The Lakers were the first team to accomplish the feat and the only franchise to do it twice. The first time was a stretch in the 1950s. Then known as the Minneapolis Lakers, they won titles in ‘50, ‘52, ‘53 and ‘54 led by league pioneer George Mikan. After that, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy helped the Los Angeles Lakers franchise explode back onto the scene winning titles in ‘80, ‘82, ‘85, ‘87 and ‘88. Understandably, its a nine-year span, but with five rings it’s worth the mention.
This Golden State Warriors run has been special, especially this year. Centered around the future Hall of Famer players Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, they have created a change in the way the game is played, focusing heavily on three-point shooting. That scoring ability was on full display in the 2022 NBA Finals. The Warriors attempted 43 or more three-point shots in three of their six games this series. That accounts for three of the top six spots ever in NBA Finals history, this team shoots at a historically high clip. The Warriors attempted 42.5 three-point attempts per game in the NBA Finals and Steph Curry was the only player in double digit attempts per game sitting at 11.8 attempts per game. Curry hit at a 43.7% clip shooting 11.8 three-point attempts per game. Read that sentence again.
Andrew Wiggins exploded onto the scene this playoff run and especially in the Finals. Wiggins, who was the #1 overall pick in 2014, had a lot of expectations coming into the league that many believed he has not lived up to. The 27-year-old out of Kansas showed his abilities and tenacity this Finals run, leading the team in rebounds (8.8 RPG) and blocks (1.5 BPG) while still being the second scoring leader per game in the series.
Klay Thompson and Draymond Green both seemed to struggle in terms of their usual production on the games biggest stage but were still able to contribute to key moments and big shots. Klay chipped in 17 PPG on 35.1% shooting from deep. Draymond, who found himself with more fouls than points at one point, turned it around in the last two games and lead the team in assists over the six games.
My biggest notice of the series was the play of young upcoming star in Jordan Poole. The 23-year-old out of Michigan played with no fear, was a huge spark plug for the team and hit an insane half court buzzer-beater because, why not?
This Golden State Warriors team was unlike others we have seen before them. There was no Kevin Durant to give the media an excuse as to why the Warriors are champions. There was no excuse that they were playing a Lebron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers team that is injured or missing key players. This was a complete team, built from the ground up and this Finals propelled Stephen Curry into a top-10 argument for greatest players to ever grace the hardwood. Shop our selection of NBA Collectibles and Memorabilia including autographed jerseys, basketballs, autographed shoes, signed basketball trading cards & much more today as we close another chapter of history and await the dawn of a new season.
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-Tucker, a Military Brat pup hailing from Connecticut, loves going for relaxing walks, ear rubs, scratching rugs, and eating entire bowls of chicken enchilada meat before his family can eat it! A HUGE fan of the Yankees, Giants and most things New York (with the exception of a borderline-unhealthy obsession with LeBron James), TuckTuck is so excited to get to blog about his favorite thing – SPORTS!
