With a decisive victory, the Golden State Warriors are back as champions

For a few moments in the first quarter, it looked like Boston would bounce off the brink, and we were headed into Game 7: The Boston Celtics opened the game 12-2 in the opening minutes, and they had a 22 lead in the 16th with two and a half minutes remaining on the clock. The attack was fierce, the defense was fierce, and the Celtics seemed to be to blame.

Golden State then scored 11 consecutive points to finish fourth with a 27-22 lead, then the second-quarter 10 points higher at a 21-0 streak, the longest in the finals. NBA In at least 55 years, that has put the Warriors ahead by 15 points. The rest, as they say, is history.

The Celtics even threatened a backlash in the second quarter, when two Celtics of Jaylen Brown and a series of strong, lively plays managed to fix a 7-0 streak in favor of Boston to cut the gap to eight points, but that was the closest. The Celtics will come into the game. A series of turnovers known to the Celtics – including three in consecutive possessions – and another fine attacking streak from Stephen Curry quickly put the 15-point lead back before the break.

The text itself was a file Pretty familiar to anyone who’s noticed the series in generalAnd that brought out the worst tendencies of the Boston Celtics. Boston once again prioritized taking Stephen Curry out of the game to defend and forcing the rest of the Golden State players to take on the offensive, and the Warriors were ready to respond accordingly: Klay Thompson had 12 points in the first half, Jordan Poole had 11, Andrew Wiggins scored 10, Even Stephen Curry finished the period with 12 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds. Meanwhile, the Celtics offensive was once again marred by a lack of movement, players forcing poor shots, and plenty of turnovers. And I mean many turnovers: 13 in the first half alone, which turned into 19 points for Golden State. There’s no point in having an excellent defense if you keep giving your opponent chances to score in the transition, and the difference could have been bigger. When the alarm went off to signal the break, the Celtics were visibly drained both physically and mentally, and they still had 24 minutes to go. Basketball Before.

The second half marked the final culmination of the Golden State Warriors, who have always held sway by winning their fourth NBA title in eight years and consolidating the greatest dynasty in modern NBA history. Boston, of course, did not give up or lower its head; After a season (and post-season) marked by resilience and survival, the Celtics fought to the finish and deserve all the applause and appreciation for what they did. At the end of the third quarter, the Celtics – led by the brilliant Al Horford – adjusted their 16-4 streak and cut the lead to 9 points, but the Warriors’ victory was by no means in doubt.

The third quarter also afforded us a chance to see Stephen Curry’s genius in action again, particularly in a streak of three consecutive long balls, the latest of which was a masterpiece that gave the attack point exactly 150 three-pointers in the Finals, an undisputed and absolute NBA record.

The fourth period wasn’t pretty, nor did it live up to the stellar level of the rest of the finals. With both teams and players with high ratings exhausted, the game has become more physical and controversial than plastic: with many fouls on both sides, collisions, rebounds and fouls. The Warriors couldn’t open a decisive advance, and the Celtics couldn’t even get close to the scoreboard. With five minutes on the clock, Jaylen Brown hit three pointers to cut the lead to 8, but the Warriors responded quickly: Andrew Wiggins’ three, Curry’s excellent defense forced a spin on the other side, and Draymond Green on the right. counterattack. Then it was the turn of the player from those finals to decide the match once and for all.

Curry finished the match with 34 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists to take home the Finals MVP Cup that was missing from his rack. An entire column about him will be coming soon, but he’s owned the series from first game to last, and this series puts Curry’s hilarious, uncontrollable combo of the NBA Finals to sleep once and for all. The Warriors would not have won this game if Curry had not been the best player on the field, both in Game 6, which ended with California winning 103-90, and in the series itself.

But he went, and the warriors won. The Warriors won their seventh title in NBA history, the third highest mark in NBA history behind the Celtics and Lakers, and the fourth in the Stephen Curry/Steve Kerr era in their eight-year partnership. The list of teams since the creation of the 24 Seconds Clock to achieve this feat is short and impressive.

The Boston Celtics led by Bill Russell, who have won 8 consecutive times and 11 in 13 years.

Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls, who won 6 in 8 years.

Lakers Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the 1980s, winning four titles in eight years (and five in nine).

And now, the Golden State Warriors played by Stephen Curry presumably dead three years ago, has shown the world that they were recharging their batteries.

Once again, the Golden State Warriors are the NBA champions.