It wasn't supposed to happen this way. Honestly, if you look back at the preseason projections for the 2021-22 NBA season, most analysts had the Golden State Warriors pegged as a "maybe" for the playoffs, let alone a title contender. They were coming off two miserable years of injuries, missed postseasons, and the kind of roster turnover that usually kills a dynasty. But then the magic happened.
So, who won NBA championship 2022? The Golden State Warriors.
They took down the Boston Celtics in six games, clinching the title on the road at TD Garden. It was their fourth championship in eight years, a feat that solidified Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green as one of the greatest trios to ever lace them up. But the scoreline—4-2—doesn't really tell the whole story of how gritty this run actually was.
The Dynasty That Almost Wasn't
Let’s be real for a second. In 2020, the Warriors were the worst team in the league. Like, actually bottom-of-the-barrel bad. Kevin Durant was gone. Klay Thompson was rehabbing a torn ACL and then, devastatingly, an Achilles tendon. Steph Curry was playing with a rotation of G-Leaguers and rookies. Most people thought the "Dub Nation" era was dead and buried.
Fast forward to the 2022 Finals. The Warriors didn't just win; they reminded everyone why their system works. It’s about more than just Steph hitting threes from the logo, though he did plenty of that. It was about Andrew Wiggins turning into a defensive monster and Jordan Poole playing like a mini-Steph for stretches.
The Boston Celtics were no pushovers. Led by Ime Udoka in his first year, they had the best defense in the league. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown looked like the new kings of the East. When Boston took a 2-1 lead after Game 3, it felt like the old guard was finally getting pushed out. The Celtics were younger, more athletic, and arguably hungrier. Then Game 4 happened.
That Game 4 Performance by Steph Curry
If you want to understand who won NBA championship 2022 and why, you have to watch the tape of Game 4 in Boston. Steph Curry put up 43 points and 10 rebounds in one of the most hostile environments in sports. He was playing with a bruised foot. He was getting targeted on defense. He didn't care.
He put the team on his back.
He hit shots that defied physics.
It was the moment the series flipped. After that, the Warriors didn't lose again. They won Game 5 at home despite Steph actually having a rare bad shooting night—which shows you how deep this team was—and then they went back to Boston to finish the job in Game 6.
The Defensive Masterclass of Andrew Wiggins
People love to talk about the shooting, but the Warriors won this title because of their defense. Specifically, Andrew Wiggins. Remember when people called him a "bust" in Minnesota? By the time the 2022 Finals rolled around, he was arguably the second-most important player on the floor.
He guarded Jayson Tatum for nearly the entire series. He made Tatum work for every single inch of space. In Game 5, when Steph couldn't find his rhythm, Wiggins stepped up with 26 points and 13 rebounds. He became the "Two-Way Wiggs" that the Warriors always believed he could be. Without his rebounding and his ability to switch onto anyone, Boston might have bullied Golden State physically.
Then there’s Draymond Green.
Draymond had a rough start to the series. He was getting into foul trouble, struggling to score, and honestly, he looked a bit rattled by the Boston crowd. But in Game 6, he was everywhere. He nearly had a triple-double and played the kind of "point-center" role that makes the Warriors' offense so hard to guard. He reminded everyone that he is the emotional heartbeat of that team, for better or worse.
The Return of Klay Thompson
We can't talk about who won NBA championship 2022 without mentioning Klay. He had been away from the game for 941 days. Two major injuries. Most players never come back from one of those, let alone both. While he wasn't "Game 6 Klay" every single night, his presence changed the gravity of the court. Defenses couldn't just double-team Steph because Klay was still Klay. His 32 points in the closeout game against Memphis in the second round was a huge reason they even got to the Finals.
The Path to the Finals
It wasn't just a cakewalk through the Western Conference.
- First, they handled the Denver Nuggets and a back-to-back MVP in Nikola Jokić.
- Then they got into a total slugfest with the Memphis Grizzlies. That series was nasty, physical, and filled with "new school vs. old school" energy.
- In the Western Conference Finals, they absolutely dismantled Luka Dončić and the Dallas Mavericks.
By the time they reached the Finals, they had a level of poise that Boston just couldn't match. Experience matters in the NBA. When things got tight in the fourth quarters of Games 4, 5, and 6, the Warriors didn't panic. They had been there before. Boston, on the other hand, started turning the ball over and taking forced shots.
Why This Championship Hit Differently
This wasn't like the 2017 or 2018 rings where they had Kevin Durant and it felt almost unfair. This one felt earned. It was a "homegrown" championship. Steph, Klay, Draymond, Kevon Looney—these guys were the core. Adding pieces like Gary Payton II, who was literally applying for a job in the Warriors' video department before they signed him to a contract, made the story even better.
Payton was a revelation. His perimeter defense was suffocating. He broke his elbow in the Memphis series and somehow made it back for the Finals. That’s the kind of grit that defined this specific roster.
When the final buzzer sounded in Game 6, Steph Curry sat on the floor and cried. He’s won a lot, but this was different. It was the first time he won the Finals MVP—an award that had strangely eluded him despite his greatness. It silenced every critic who said he couldn't lead a team to a ring without another superstar like Durant.
Actionable Takeaways from the 2022 Warriors Run
If you're looking for lessons from the team who won NBA championship 2022, it's not just about basketball. It's about organizational culture.
- Patience is a virtue: The Warriors didn't blow up the team when things got bad in 2020. They waited for their stars to get healthy.
- Role players matter: You don't need five All-Stars; you need five players who know their roles. Otto Porter Jr. and Nemanja Bjelica provided veteran minutes that were crucial.
- Defense wins: Even the best shooting team in history prioritized getting stops.
- Internal growth: They integrated young players like Jordan Poole while keeping their veteran core intact, a balancing act that most teams fail at.
To really appreciate what happened in 2022, go back and watch the second half of Game 6. The Warriors went on a 21-0 run. In the NBA Finals. On the road. It was a surgical demolition of a great team by a legendary one.
If you want to dig deeper into the stats, look at the turnover differential in the final three games. Boston’s young stars struggled with the Warriors' "box and one" and "triangle" defensive looks. It was a coaching masterpiece by Steve Kerr and his staff.
The 2022 title wasn't just another trophy for the shelf. It was a statement. It proved that the Warriors' way of playing basketball—the ball movement, the constant cutting, the unselfishness—wasn't just a fad. It was a blueprint for sustained excellence.
Check out the official NBA highlights of Game 4 if you want to see a master at work. It’s arguably the best single-game performance of Steph Curry's entire career. After that, you'll understand exactly why the trophy went back to the Bay Area.
Next time you're debating NBA history, remember that the 2022 Warriors weren't the biggest or the fastest team. They were just the smartest. And in the playoffs, being smart usually beats being athletic.
To keep track of how this championship changed the trajectory of the league, monitor the luxury tax movements of teams trying to replicate this "deep roster" build. The "second apron" rules in the new CBA were basically designed to stop teams from doing exactly what the Warriors did to win in 2022. It was a championship so dominant it literally changed the rules of the league.