Golden State has its biggest stars returning, but major free agent decisions to make, while Boston will need to find ways to be more consistent.
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With the series back in TD Garden for Game 6, Stephen Curry goes for 34 points to claim Finals MVP and lead Golden State its 4th title since 2015. Long before they were sprayed with champagne for the championship euphoria, Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers and coach Steve Kerr shared some insecurities about whether that could happen. As Kerr told Myers before the start of the NBA playoffs, "I don't know if this is a team for the championship." Forget the various NBA pundits who voiced doubts about the Warriors' ability to win their fourth NBA title in eight years. Kerr admitted that he envisioned the Warriors becoming "a final contender for the convention, perhaps no further" amidst overlapping injuries to their co-stars (Stephen Curry, Clay Thompson, Draymond Green) and mixed progression with young players at the core. We laughed about it. We said, 'Well, what do we know?' And now they've been proven wrong, Myers said. 'I think we had a very high bar, for what we were comparing.' This is because the Warriors can no longer count on Kevin Durant to advance them to the NBA title, as he did twice in three consecutive Finals (2017-19). But unlike that pre-qualifier conversation about potential, The franchise is now looking even bolder after winning its first NBA title since Durant exited free agency (2019). "My experience is that when you win a championship you get better next year," Kerr said. “If you continue after that, start to tire yourself out. That third year for us, trying to get a hat-trick in 2019 was really tough. But if you're a player or now as a coach, you win that first game, there's freedom that comes with that. There is passion, and that extends into the second year." This puts the Warriors with what Myers called the "upper class problem." Just a week after defeating the Boston Celtics in a Decisive 6 match, the Warriors have to make decisions that can determine if they can keep the championship train going. When the NBA Draft 2022 takes place on Thursday (8 ET, ABC) |
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