Everyone thought the dynasty was dead.
Seriously. In 2020, the Golden State Warriors were literally the worst team in the league. People were ready to ship Draymond Green off for a second-round pick and Klay Thompson’s leg was basically held together by hopes and dreams. But then June 2022 happened.
If you are looking for the short answer: the Golden State Warriors won the 2022 NBA Finals, beating the Boston Celtics in six games.
But honestly? Just saying they won doesn't really cover the absolute chaos of that series. This wasn't the "superteam" era of Kevin Durant where they just bulldozed everyone. This was a gritty, sometimes ugly, and completely legendary comeback for a core group of players who were told they were too old to do it again.
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What Really Happened with the 2022 NBA Finals
The matchup was fascinating. You had the Boston Celtics, a young, athletic powerhouse with the league’s best defense, led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. On the other side? The Warriors. A team that finished the regular season as the third seed in the West and looked vulnerable.
Boston actually drew first blood. They stole Game 1 in San Francisco after a ridiculous 40-16 fourth-quarter run that left the Chase Center crowd completely silent. Al Horford was hitting everything. It felt like the young guns were finally ready to take the throne.
But Golden State didn't panic. They’ve been there.
The series went back and forth until the Warriors eventually took control, winning three straight games to close it out in six. They clinched the title on Boston's home floor, TD Garden, with a 103-90 victory in Game 6. It was their fourth championship in eight years, officially cementing them as one of the greatest dynasties in the history of the sport.
The Stephen Curry Masterclass
We have to talk about Steph.
Before this series, the biggest knock on Stephen Curry—the thing every hater on Twitter loved to bring up—was that he didn't have a Finals MVP trophy. He had the rings. He had the regular-season MVPs. But he didn't have that specific hardware.
In the 2022 NBA Finals, he left no doubt.
Curry was basically a human flamethrower. He averaged 31.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists. His performance in Game 4 is probably the single best game of his entire career. With the Warriors down 2-1 in the series and playing in a hostile Boston environment, Steph dropped 43 points and 10 rebounds. It was a "get on my back" moment that shifted the entire momentum of the Finals.
He finally got his flowers, winning the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP award unanimously.
The Supporting Cast That Nobody Expected
While Steph was the engine, the Warriors don't win this without some seriously surprising contributions.
- Andrew Wiggins: This was his redemption arc. Once labeled a "bust" or an "empty stats guy" in Minnesota, Wiggins became the second-best player on a championship team. He played lockdown defense on Jayson Tatum and grabbed 13 rebounds in the pivotal Game 5.
- Kevon Looney: The unsung hero. He was a monster on the glass, giving the Warriors second-chance points they desperately needed against Boston’s size.
- Draymond Green: He struggled early in the series—badly. People were calling for him to be benched. But in Game 6, he showed up with 12 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists, playing the kind of "point-center" defense that changed the game.
- Klay Thompson: This was his first full season back after missing two years with an ACL tear and an Achilles rupture. Was he the same "Game 6 Klay" of 2016? Maybe not quite, but he still dropped 17 points in the clincher and provided the spacing they needed.
Why This Win Still Matters for the NBA
This championship changed how we look at team building. Most people thought you needed to keep stacking superstars to win in the modern NBA. The Warriors proved that chemistry, a specific system (Steve Kerr's "motion" offense), and having a generational talent like Curry can still trump raw athleticism.
For Boston, it was a brutal learning experience. Jayson Tatum struggled with turnovers, and the team looked like they just ran out of gas. Interestingly enough, the Celtics used this heartbreak to fuel their future, eventually getting back to the mountaintop and winning it all in 2024.
But 2022 belonged to the Bay.
It was a reminder that you should never count out a champion until they are actually off the court. The "Petty King" tour that Curry went on after the win—mocking all the analysts who said they’d never win again—is still one of the funnier moments in recent sports history.
Actionable Takeaways for NBA Fans
If you're looking back at this series to understand the current NBA landscape, keep these points in mind:
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- Watch the Game 4 Rewatch: If you want to see a player at the absolute peak of their powers, go back and watch the full Game 4 of the 2022 Finals. It's a masterclass in conditioning and shooting under pressure.
- Analyze the "Two-Timeline" Strategy: This was the peak of the Warriors' attempt to win with veterans while developing young guys like Jordan Poole. It's a strategy many teams are trying to copy now, with mixed results.
- Appreciate the Longevity: We are reaching the end of the era for guys like Steph, Klay, and Draymond together. Understanding the 2022 win helps explain why the Warriors have been so hesitant to break up their core, even as they age.
The 2022 NBA Finals wasn't just another series; it was a legacy-defining moment for one of the greatest shooters to ever touch a basketball and a franchise that refused to fade into the background.