The Warriors defeated the Celtics 103-90 to win their fourth title. There is a time and a place for it.
The Golden State Warriors have won the NBA Championship for the fourth time in eight years.
The Warriors went from the worst record in the NBA to a title in three seasons. The Boston Celtics were the second team in NBA history to win a championship on their home court.
Stephen Curry scored 34 points on 12-of-21 shooting and 6-of-11 from 3-point range to win the title of Finals Most Valuable Player. He had seven assist, seven rebound, and two steal.
Thursday night's title-clinching win was a testament to the Warriors' depth and number of players who could step up.
The best game of the series was played by Draymond Green, who scored 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting, 12 rebound, eight assists, two steals and two blocks. After missing his first 12 attempts, he hit two 3-pointers. He had a hard time on the other side. The Celtics shot just 9-of-18 from the floor on Thursday night.
He finished with 18 points, six rebound, five assists, four steals and three blocks. Klay Thompson had 12 points. Gary Payton II had a net-rating of 18.
The Warriors had not been able to close out their series. Golden State was 0-3 in close-out games on the road and the Celtics were perfect in elimination games.
Boston raced out to a 14-2 lead in the first four minutes. The game was decided by what transpired over the next nine minutes. It's tied for the most by any team in the last 25 years.
Green hit his first 3-pointer of the series with about a minute and a half left in the first quarter to give the Warriors a one-point lead. Curry's 3-pointer gave the Warriors their first lead of the night. The next trip down, he put the icing on the cake with a 29-footer.
The Warriors took a 35-8 lead in the middle of the first quarter and then went on a 21-0 run.
The travelling fans in blue and gold became louder and bolder as the Warriors continued their assault on the Celtics.
The Celtics pushed. The Warriors led by nine at the end of the third quarter.
Boston kept itself within arm's length in the fourth. The Celtics couldn't get close to that. When it was time to put the Celtics away, the Warriors kept hitting.
Warriors players such as Curry, Green and Thompson finally felt like they had been there before, as time expired, while younger players such as Wiggins, Poole and Payton II felt like they had never experienced it before.
Steve Kerr was the head coach of Golden State when it won its fourth title.
The Warriors proved they are still a force after two years. They won the title after missing the playoffs the past two years. They are the best team in the NBA after having the worst record in the league.
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