BarcelonaThe hegemony of the Golden State Warriors continues. After a three-season hiatus due to Kawhi Leonard’s Toronto Raptors, Kevin Durant’s departure to the Brooklyn Nets and subsequent injuries to Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson’s long-term injury, San Francisco’s men have returned to glory. with a new champion ring. It is the fourth in eight years.
The Warriors wanted to finish it in the sixth game of the series and thus avoid one game 7 that could have been a heart attack, and they have. A 21-0 run in favor of the Warriors between the first and second quarters was crucial to starting the machinery, an advantage that Boston could not recover, and the team of Curry and company ended up taking the match and ring (90-103).
It is the seventh title in the franchise, in which they have tied with the historic Chicago Bulls of Michael Jordan, with six rings, and have placed in the top 2 of the historic NBA record. While the current Warriors have four rings against all six of the Jordan Bulls, we could already be talking about a face-off, a duel for the story of two legendary franchises that have amazed the NBA. On the other hand, Boston could have been in first place in the standings if it had won these finals, as it is currently tied for titles with the Lakers (17).
Tatum’s disappointment
Jayson Tatum was supposed to be the hero of Boston, the perfect player to stop these Warriors, but he has disappointed the green fans. Despite making acceptable numbers in the series, with 21.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 7 assists, he has not lived up to it, as much more was expected of this player to help his team. However, Steve Kerr has also been partly to blame, with an iron defense on the wing, which he has not let breathe in all games, with the help of Andrew Wiggins and Gary Payton II.
After the decisive match, Tatum was very crushed: “It hurts. Being in this group, the things we’ve overcome over the course of the season, getting to this point. Just knowing how we wanted it and staying short. “It’s a terrible feeling,” the Celtics player told a later news conference.
Stephen Curry, stubborn finals MVP
Prior to this, Curry had already won three championship rings. And in none of the three was he the MVP of the finals, one of the individual titles he lacked to be considered one of the greatest in history. In the first, Andre Iguodala snatched the prize after a superb series, with a spectacular defense to LeBron James. In the other two rings, Kevin Durant was the winner of the award, both times deservedly.
In these finals, there was no doubt: 31.2 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists on average in all six games of the series. Impeccable numbers for a legendary player, who has been able to recover after making a 0/9 in triples in the fifth game and throwing down the criticism that placed him as a fragile player in the decisive moments.
Fourth champion ring, two regular season MVPs, eight All-Star, the coveted MVP of the finals and lots of records, especially from the line of three. The legend of Stephen Curry continues in an NBA that is right now at his feet.
Even though the finals are over, the NBA doesn’t stop: six days until Draft and thirteen days for free agency, one of the most anticipated moments for fans to see how they plan for franchises next season.