Golden State Warriors

Stephen Curry fleshed out his already-iconic resume on Thursday night when he was named NBA Finals MVP after leading the Golden State Warriors to their fourth title in the past eight seasons with a 103-90 victory over the Boston Celtics.

Appearing on 95.7 The Game's The Morning Roast with Bonta & Shasky (starts at 18:10 mark), Warriors general manager Bob Myers said that Curry's haters and detractors have "nothing left to say" about the two-time MVP.

Even though Curry was already on the short list of greatest players in NBA history before this postseason run, some analysts tried to suggest he was lesser than by virtue of not having a Finals MVP award.

Speaking to Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington on June 6, Tracy McGrady downplayed Curry's previous accomplishments when discussing his legacy:

"Because he has his career individually and with what he's accomplished with his team is tough. Because you’ve gotta think, he won a championship, right, against LeBron [James] that didn't have Kyrie [Irving], that didn't have Kevin Love. He didn't win the [Finals] MVP, right? Then he loses a 3-1 lead to LeBron, gets K.D., K.D. comes and wins two championships, so that gives Steph three championship but K.D. wins the two MVPs, right?"

There were certainly people out there who defended Curry, including former teammate Jeremy Lin prior to Game 6 against the Celtics:

Curry never publicly spoke out against any of his critics, but adding the Finals MVP to his list of accomplishments did put him in rare company. The eight-time All-Star is one of six players in NBA history with at least four titles, multiple MVP awards and a Finals MVP.

Per ESPN Stats & Info, Curry joined LeBron James, Michael Jordan and Jerry West as the only players in history to average at least 30 points, five rebounds and five assists per game in multiple NBA Finals.

Curry scored a team-high 34 points in Thursday's win. He scored at least 29 points in five of six games against the Celtics.

The Warriors became the fourth team in NBA history with at least four championships in an eight-season span. They join a group that includes the Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers.

The Warriors' seven championships in franchise history rank third all-time, behind the Lakers and Celtics (both with 17).

Draymond Green showed respect to the Boston Celtics on his podcast after the Golden State Warriors clinched the NBA title on Thursday:

"You have to give them a lot of credit," Green said (26:20 mark). "That team ain't going nowhere. That team will be back. You better believe that team will be back."

The Celtics led the Warriors 2-1 early in the NBA Finals, but three straight wins helped Golden State claim its fourth championship in eight years. However, Green still believes Boston has a bright future.

"It wouldn't surprise me if we see this team sometime in the near future—when we're done—win a championship," the forward said (27:40). "They got it. They're not weak. They're not soft. They got scoring, they got the defense, they got the bigs."

Green said the only difference in the series was that the Celtics "ran out of gas."

The Celtics and their fans didn't exactly love Green during the series. The crowd directed some expletive-filled chants at the forward, while he had a few confrontations with players on the court.

The veteran still praised the team afterward, noting its young core and the work of big men Robert Williams III and Grant Williams.

Boston is set up well for the future with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown both under 26 years old and under contract for at least two more years. Robert Williams and Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart also represent key parts of the core going forward.

After an impressive run through the Eastern Conference playoffs, featuring wins over the Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat, the Celtics are clearly a team to beat in 2022-23.

A 30-month absence from playing basketball would be enough to shake even the greatest athlete.

Klay Thompson admitted he was no stranger to self-doubt as he tried to work his way back from ACL and Achilles injuries.

"I doubted [myself] every day," Thompson said on teammate Draymond Green's podcast (1:50 mark). "I remember guarding [Leandro Barbosa] and I could not stay in front of this man. Even Will Sheehey, who never played in the league, I was getting busted by him. Everybody. I was just the weak link out there. I was like, 'Man, I swear I used to be a great defender. I swear I used to be a great shooter.'

"And then [Warriors director of sports medicine and performance] Rick Celebrini would tell me every day, 'Klay, it's gonna be up and down but we just need Klay for the playoffs. That's all it's gonna take.' And I was like, 'OK, Rick. Whatever you say.' So I had so many doubts."

Thompson suffered a torn ACL in the 2019 NBA Finals and missed the entire 2019-20 season. He then tore his Achilles as he was ramping up his activity to return in the 2020-21 campaign, causing him to miss that entire season.

The five-time All-Star didn't make his 2021-22 season debut until January and remains very much a work in progress as he looks to return to his previous form. He shot a career-low 42.9 percent and 38.5 percent from three-point range during the regular season, all while struggling to regain his All-Defensive form. The inconsistent play continued in the playoffs, with Thompson shooting just 36.9 percent in the Warriors' Finals win over the Boston Celtics.

Inconsistencies aside, there were moments when Thompson flashed his former brilliance. He put up three straight 20-point games in the Warriors' first-round romp over the Denver Nuggets and pulled out 30-point games in close-out victories over the Memphis Grizzlies and Dallas Mavericks.

While Thompson is not the same player he was in 2019, he's still in the early stages of his return. Health-permitting, Thompson will have a full offseason to work on his game and not rehab any injuries for the first time since 2018.

We'll get a much better picture of the player Thompson will be for the remainder of his career starting next season.

After the Golden State Warriors took home the 2022 NBA title, general manager Bob Myers will try to keep the team intact heading into next season.

"We don't know what the market will be for our guys," Myers said after Thursday's championship celebration, via Anthony Slater of The Athletic. "We'll make an effort to keep the team together. It's a good balance of young, old and in the middle. There isn't a guy we don't like. So, we'll try."

Several members of the rotation are set to become unrestricted free agents this offseason, including Kevon Looney, Gary Payton II, Otto Porter and Andre Iguodala. Looney and Payton could especially see interest on the open market after playing expanded roles in 2021-22.

Jordan Poole is also eligible for an extension after a breakout year.

Myers still hopes to run it back in 2022-23 with as much as the current squad as possible.

"We have a great roster," the GM said. "I don't anticipate a lot of changes."

One problem is the Warriors already had the highest payroll in the NBA last season, and the salaries of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green are only getting bigger.

It might be difficult for Golden State to match any high offers for their free agents.

The good news is there are ready-made replacements already on the roster in recent lottery picks James Wiseman, Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga.

Wiseman missed all of last season with a knee injury while Moody and Kuminga combined for just 19 total minutes in the NBA Finals, but they each could be ready for bigger roles in 2022-23.

Though these players are unproven, there could be enough talent on the roster to let the free agents walk and remain a title contender.

Throughout Kevin Durant's three-year run in Golden State, Stephen Curry heard how he wouldn't have been able to win more titles had Durant chosen a different free-agent destination in 2016.

In the aftermath of winning his fourth NBA championship and first of the post-Durant era, Curry said this title felt a little sweeter.

“For sure. You bookend it,” Curry told Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports. “That’s part of it. But nobody in October thought we’d be here. Now we are. With this group. Not compared to any group before it, so it’s pretty dope.”

Curry won his first Finals MVP in six tries against the Celtics, finishing with averages of 31.2 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists over the six-game series. Several times during the trophy presentation, Curry said the championship run "hit different."

“Just combining our championship pedigree and our experience with some fresh energy, some guys that are really hungry to take that next step,” Curry told ESPN's Lisa Salters. “But, we built this for 10, 11 years. And, that means a whole lot when you get to this stage because you know how to win, and everybody who’s been a part of that knows what it’s about. This one hits different. This one hits different for sure.”

Durant signed with the Warriors in the summer of 2016, less than a month after Golden State became the first team to blow a 3-1 Finals lead against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Warriors would win the title against LeBron James' Cavs each of the next two seasons, but Durant took home both MVP awards and was widely viewed as the best player on those teams—even if he was never embraced as much as Curry.

When Durant left the Warriors in 2019 to form another "super" team in Brooklyn, it looked like the dynasty left with him. Golden State failed to make the playoffs each of the last two seasons with Thompson, Curry and Green all battling through various injuries.

Even as the respect between Curry and Durant remains, there was likely a little internal competition between the two as to who could win a championship first after their separation.

Draymond Green doesn't seem to care about the fines he's racked up in his career while he celebrates his fourth career NBA title.

The Golden State Warriors star has been fined $994,124 during his 10 years in the NBA, per Spotrac, but he seemed disappointed Friday to learn he hasn't topped $1 million:

Green is obviously in good spirits after helping the Warriors clinch the 2022 title with a Game 6 win over the Boston Celtics on Thursday. It's the team's fourth championship in eight years, featuring six trips to the NBA Finals in that span.

The 32-year-old earned four All-Star selections and a Defensive Player of the Year award in this stretch, although he also has a knack for racking up technical fouls and fines for his on-court antics. Last month, he was fined $25,000 for raising his middle finger at Memphis Grizzlies fans.

With an estimated $129.8 million in career earnings, Green seemingly doesn't seem to mind losing some of it to the league office.

While the Golden State Warriors reportedly explored a trade for Bradley Beal, they never came close to getting a deal done.

"I never got the sense those talks went anywhere," ESPN's Zach Lowe said on his podcast (31:40 mark) following Game 6 of the NBA Finals. "[The Athletic's] Marcus Thompson came on the podcast and said there were times the veterans wanted them to do something. But I think there was hesitancy, 'Can we defend well enough with Steph, Klay, Beal in our starting five? Versus Wiggins we feel like we have something here.' But Washington wasn't doing anything. Washington's never doing anything—ever—on that front, it seems."

ESPN's Ramona Shelburne previously reported the Warriors explored expediting their retooling process around Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green by trading for Beal, but "nothing came together in a way they liked."

Any framework of a Beal trade would have included Andrew Wiggins, who played a starring two-way role in these Finals. Wiggins averaged 18.3 points and 8.8 rebounds over the six-game series but was especially brilliant with back-to-back double-doubles in Games 4 and 5.

Beal has been trade-rumor fodder for years, with the All-Star guard and the Wizards seemingly willing to kick the can down the road at every turn. He can become an unrestricted free agent this offseason if he declines his $36.4 million player option, but he'd be hitting the open market at a point when few teams have significant cap space.

If Beal chooses to depart this offseason, he'd almost certainly have to do so via a sign-and-trade agreement.

It's unclear whether a Beal trade would have worked out for the Warriors. Any deal would have cost them Wiggins, likely along with Jordan Poole and other promising young players (at least one of the Jonathan Kuminga-James Wiseman-Moses Moody trio).

As it stands, the Warriors trusted in their player development process and came away with a championship team brimming with young talent.

Nine days ago, the Boston crowd loudly jeered Draymond Green as the Celtics pulled ahead for a 2-1 lead in the 2022 NBA Finals.

As Green's Warriors closed out the series with a third straight win Thursday night, Green said he noticed the crowd wasn't so joyous.

“What better time to put it together than tonight? I don’t think I hear ‘F you Draymond’ all night,” Green told reporters after the game. ” They couldn’t. It’s easy to chant ‘F you’ when somebody’s having a bad game, but can you do that when someone’s having a great game? I didn’t hear much of it tonight, maybe I was just that locked in.

“Second team to close [out the NBA Finals in Boston], right? Why not us? Who better than us? Four times, who better than us?”

Green, who struggled mightily over the first four games of the series, closed things out with his best performance of these Finals. He finished with 12 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists while playing suffocating defense on the other end. His two threes marked just the third time all season he knocked down more than one in a game.

The Warriors needed Green's tenacity on both ends of the floor after Boston opened the game on a 14-2 run. Golden State woke up from its lackadaisical start to lock in on both ends, taking the lead by the end of the first quarter and never again looking back.

The Celtics never got closer than an eight-point deficit in the second half and trailed by single digits for barely over a minute of game time. Green said the victory served as revenge after hearing the TD Garden crowd chant "f--k you, Draymond" throughout Game 3.

"Game 3, it just caught me off guard. You've heard crowds boo and—I had never heard an entire crowd chant 'F you Draymond,'" Green said.

Golden State Warriors governor Joe Lacob doesn't agree with the notion the team "bought" its NBA title.

"Oh, come on," Lacob said after the team's clinching Game 6 win over the Boston Celtics, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic. "That’s a joke; I think it’s ridiculous. All of our players are guys that we drafted or minimum signings except for one (Wiggins) trade. One trade and no free agent beyond the minimum. How can you say we bought the title? It’s crazy."

The Warriors did have the highest payroll in the NBA this season at over $184 million, per Spotrac. Of course, most of that was spent retaining its homegrown core in Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.

Andrew Wiggins was the only other Warriors player making more than $10 million this season, and he was acquired in a 2020 trade for D'Angelo Russell.

Wiggins did make a significant impact this season, earning his first All-Star selection while coming up big on both ends of the court during the NBA Finals. On the other hand, few wanted the 2014 No. 1 overall pick when he was available in a trade, and the Minnesota Timberwolves had to attach a first-round pick to deal him.

Even Thompson's latest contract came after he tore an ACL, and it was no guarantee another team would have offered a max deal if he hit the open market.

The Warriors were willing to take a chance with these large contracts, and it paid off with the franchise's fourth title in the last eight years.

Paying big salaries also didn't help other teams win. The Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Clippers and Minnesota Timberwolves also ranked in the top four in payroll in 2021-22 but none advanced beyond the first round of the playoffs.

The Los Angeles Lakers ranked sixth in the category and finished 33-49.

ESPN's Zach Lowe reported rival teams were "grumbling about Golden State's competitive spending advantage." ESPN's Brian Windhorst called it a "checkbook win" for the Warriors.

The organization still didn't do anything out of the norm, except draft well and show a willingness to take risks and pay the luxury tax.

As he basked in his fourth NBA championship, Klay Thompson couldn't help but remember a petty slight from three months ago.

The Golden State Warriors guard called out Jaren Jackson Jr. for a tweet that mocked the team's "strength in numbers" slogan from March during his press conference Thursday night.

“Strength in numbers is alive and well,” Thompson told reporters after the win. “There was this one player on the Grizzlies who tweeted ‘Strength in numbers’ after they beat us in the regular season, and it pissed me off so much. I can’t wait to retweet that thing. Freakin’ bum. I had to watch that. I’m like, ‘This freakin’ clown.’

"Sorry, that memory just popped up. Gonna mock us? You ain’t ever been there before. We’ve been there before, we know what it takes. So to be here again, hold that.”

Thompson is yet to actually physically retweet Jackson's tweet, which came after the Grizzlies scored a 123-95 win over the Warriors on March 28.

Golden State would get the last laugh in more ways than one. The Warriors were the team responsible for eliminating the Grizzlies in the second round of the playoffs, with Game 6 Klay showing up to score a team-high 30 points in the elimination game. Jackson, for his part, scored 12 points in an ugly 5-of-19 performance from the field.

While Thompson did not bring up the tweet after Golden State eliminated Memphis, it's clear the issue has been sticking in his mind for several months.

Suffice it to say players might want to keep their Twitter fingers to themselves until the Warriors are actually eliminated next season.