2022
Golden State Warriors
Series Flow
4
Wins
2
Losses
Regular Season
53–29
Win–Loss
Playoff Record
16–6
Win–Loss
Finals
4–2
vs Boston Celtics
Finals MVP
Curry
Stephen
Golden State Warriors
53–29Boston Celtics
51–31The 2022 Boston Celtics were the NBA's best defense and one of its most talented young teams — Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown forming one of the great young star pairings in the league. Their six-game performance against the Warriors showed flashes of championship potential that would be fully realized two years later in 2024, but in 2022, the Warriors' championship experience proved the decisive difference.
Finals MVP
Stephen Curry
#30 · Point Guard
31.2
PPG
6.0
RPG
5.0
APG
5.0
3PM
48.2
FG%
Stephen Curry's first NBA Finals MVP — and the one he had been denied through no fault of his own in 2015, 2017, and 2018 — was earned with one of the most complete Finals performances of the decade. Averaging 31.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists while making 5.0 three-pointers per game against Boston's elite defense, Curry was the best player on the court in every game of the series. His Game 4 performance in Boston (43 points, 10 three-pointers) will be remembered alongside the greatest individual Finals games in history. The trophy was long overdue and completely deserved.
First NBA Finals MVP of his career — arriving in his fourth Finals appearance at age 34
31.2 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 5.0 APG, and 5.0 three-pointers per game against the league's best defense
His 43-point Game 4 in Boston (10 made threes) is one of the greatest individual road Finals games ever played
Became only the second Warriors player — after Rick Barry in 1975 — to win a Finals MVP
How the Series Unfolded
G1 · L
0–1
G2 · W
1–1
G3 · W
2–1
G4 · L
2–2
G5 · W
3–2
G6 · W
4–2
108
GSW
120
BOS
The Celtics stunned Chase Center with a dominant Game 1 performance that gave Boston the early initiative — Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum combined for 46 points, and the Celtics' switching defense limited Curry's efficiency in a way that few teams had managed all season. The loss was a genuine shock: the Warriors had not lost a home playoff game, and Boston's physicality and defensive execution suggested this series would be harder than Golden State's playoff path had implied.
Golden State Warriors
Stephen Curry
34 pts · 6 reb · 4 astFought hard against Boston's smothering defense but received limited support — the Warriors' other weapons could not compensate for a Celtics team playing at its highest level.
BOS
Jayson Tatum
29 pts · 11 reb · 7 astA commanding Game 1 performance from Boston's star — his combination of scoring and playmaking against the Warriors' best defensive lineup proved the Celtics could go shot-for-shot with the dynasty.
Jaylen Brown
24 pts · 7 reb · 4 astThe Celtics' second star was equally brilliant — his scoring put constant pressure on the Warriors' defense and prevented Golden State from loading up on Tatum.
107
GSW
88
BOS
The Warriors responded to the Game 1 shock with a disciplined, dominant Game 2 performance that restored the series balance. Curry was at his most precise, Thompson provided the secondary scoring that Boston's defense could not adequately account for, and the Warriors' collective defensive energy — particularly against Tatum — produced their most cohesive performance of the series. The 19-point victory made clear that Golden State's Game 1 performance was not the warning sign it had appeared to be.
Golden State Warriors
Stephen Curry
29 pts · 6 reb · 4 astLed the Warriors' response with his most efficient performance of the series to that point — his three-point shooting opened the floor and created the scoring opportunities that gave every Golden State teammate open looks.
Andrew Wiggins
17 pts · 8 rebThe bounce-back performance that defined Wiggins' Finals legacy — active on the boards, reliable on the offensive end, and fully engaged on the defensive assignments that the Warriors needed him to handle.
Draymond Green
8 pts · 7 reb · 7 ast · 3 stlNear triple-double with three steals — his orchestration of the Warriors' defensive scheme held Boston to their lowest point total of the series.
116
GSW
100
BOS
The Warriors silenced the TD Garden crowd with a dominant road victory that gave Golden State a 2-1 series lead. Klay Thompson's return to championship form — 25 points on efficient shooting — was the story of the night, providing a second wave of scoring that Boston's switching defense could not simultaneously address alongside Curry. The Warriors' road win in one of the NBA's most hostile environments proved the depth of their championship experience.
Golden State Warriors
Klay Thompson
25 pts · 6 rebChampionship comeback completed — his performance in Boston was the most important individual contribution of his comeback, proving the torn ACL and torn Achilles had not diminished his elite shooting touch.
Stephen Curry
31 pts · 7 reb · 5 astOver 30 points on the road in Boston in a must-keep-lead game — his consistency against elite defensive coverage was the defining individual narrative of the entire series.
BOS
Jayson Tatum
26 pts · 7 rebBoston's star competed hard but lacked the support needed to overcome a Warriors team that was suddenly finding its full championship rhythm.
107
GSW
116
BOS
The Celtics responded with a home victory that kept the series alive — Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 55 points in Boston's best offensive performance of the series. The win gave the TD Garden crowd an opportunity to believe that the youth and defensive depth of the Celtics could outlast the Warriors' championship experience. They were wrong — but the game was a reminder that Golden State's championship coronation would require the full six games that history remembered.
Golden State Warriors
Stephen Curry
43 pts · 10 reb · 5 astA 43-point masterpiece on 10 made three-pointers that was not enough in defeat — his individual performance on the TD Garden road may be the greatest single-game Finals performance of his career, delivered in a loss.
BOS
Jaylen Brown
29 pts · 12 rebCareer-best Finals performance that gave the Celtics exactly what they needed — his physicality and scoring against the Warriors' defense proved that Boston's stars could perform on the biggest stage.
Jayson Tatum
26 pts · 6 reb · 6 astPaired with Brown's excellence to deliver the combined offensive production that the Celtics needed to survive — keeping Boston's championship hopes alive for two more games.
104
GSW
94
BOS
The Warriors regained control at Chase Center with a 10-point victory that put Golden State within one game of the championship. Curry's 33 points led the way, Thompson provided the secondary scoring, and the Warriors' defense held Boston to 94 points — their most disciplined defensive performance of the series. The momentum shift from Games 4 to 5 showed the value of championship experience: Golden State absorbed the Game 4 road loss and came home ready to close things out.
Golden State Warriors
Stephen Curry
33 pts · 6 reb · 6 astAnother 30+ performance in a pivotal home game — his combination of scoring, playmaking, and three-point shooting in Game 5 gave the Warriors the decisive margin they needed going into the potential closer.
Andrew Wiggins
26 pts · 13 rebThe game of Wiggins' career — 26 points and 13 rebounds against the league's best defense proved that the Warriors had a complete second scoring option that Boston's scheme could not adequately account for.
BOS
Jayson Tatum
27 pts · 10 rebAnother double-double for the Celtics' star, but the Warriors' balanced attack meant Boston needed Tatum to provide 40 points to compensate for their defensive struggles.
103
GSW
90
BOS
Stephen Curry was awarded the first Finals MVP of his career after the Golden State Warriors won their fourth championship in eight years with a 103-90 victory in Boston. The road clincher — the most prestigious accomplishment available to a championship team — was achieved with the collective excellence that had defined the entire Warriors dynasty: Curry's scoring, Thompson's movement, Wiggins's hustle, Green's orchestration, and Kerr's tactical precision. When the final buzzer sounded, Curry dropped to his knees in the center of the TD Garden court and wept — the culmination of a journey from Davidson College to San Francisco, from the doubts of 2019 and 2020 to the championship trophy with MVP engraved for the first time. The dynasty was complete.
Golden State Warriors
Stephen Curry
34 pts · 7 reb · 7 astFinals MVP clincher — 34 points in Boston, on the road, in Game 6, to close a championship. The first Finals MVP of his career. The tears on the court said everything.
Andrew Wiggins
18 pts · 6 reb · 3 astCompleted his championship story with a reliable closing performance — the most consistent Finals of his career validated the Warriors' decision to build around his development.
BOS
Jayson Tatum
13 pts · 8 rebThe Celtics' young star was held to his worst offensive performance of the series in the championship game — a sign of the Warriors' defensive discipline in the moments that mattered most.
The Champions
19.0
PPG
4.5
RPG
2.3
3PM
42.5
FG%
Thompson's comeback from two consecutive season-ending injuries reached its ultimate destination — an NBA championship. His Game 6 scoring (18 points) and defensive assignments on Jaylen Brown throughout the series provided the secondary scoring and two-way impact that Boston could not answer.
Completed one of sport's great comeback stories — two torn ligaments, three missed seasons, and a fourth championship ring
His defensive assignment against Jaylen Brown throughout the series limited one of the Celtics' most dangerous offensive weapons
7.2
PPG
8.0
RPG
7.7
APG
1.7
SPG
Green's near-triple-double average across six games — his fourth Finals appearance — was the connective tissue of Golden State's championship. His defensive switching assignments against Tatum and Brown, combined with his offensive orchestration from the elbow, gave Boston a problem they could not solve.
Four-time champion whose average of 7-8-8 across the Finals is one of the most complete support contributions in modern championship history
His defensive switching assignments against Jayson Tatum limited the Celtics' best player in the series' most important moments
18.3
PPG
9.2
RPG
50.0
FG%
Wiggins was the Finals' most surprising story — a player who had been considered a disappointment by every franchise that had employed him before Golden State, posting the most complete performances of his career across six games against the best defense in basketball.
Averaged 18.3 PPG and 9.2 RPG — performances that earned him second-team All-Finals consideration
His defensive assignment against Jayson Tatum in the closing games of the series was one of the most important individual matchup victories in the championship run
They Pushed Us to the Limit
The 2022 Boston Celtics were the NBA's best defense and one of its most talented young teams — Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown forming one of the great young star pairings in the league. Their six-game performance against the Warriors showed flashes of championship potential that would be fully realized two years later in 2024, but in 2022, the Warriors' championship experience proved the decisive difference.
Jayson Tatum
#0 · Small Forward
21.5
PPG
7.0
RPG
4.8
APG
Averaged 21.5 PPG and 7.0 RPG across the series — a solid Finals debut for the Celtics' franchise player that demonstrated his star quality while revealing the areas of development that the 2024 championship run would complete.
Jaylen Brown
#7 · Shooting Guard
23.5
PPG
6.3
RPG
Averaged 23.5 PPG across the series in his finest individual Finals performance before 2024, with his Game 4 performance (29 points, 12 rebounds) being the standout individual moment of the Celtics' entire Finals run.
History Written in 2022
Stephen Curry
Won his first NBA Finals MVP after appearing in four Finals — the longest wait for a first Finals MVP by a player of his caliber in modern NBA history.
Stephen Curry
His Game 4 performance (43 points, 10 three-pointers) in Boston is one of the greatest individual road Finals games in NBA history.
Golden State Warriors
Fourth championship in eight years — placing the Warriors dynasty alongside the Showtime Lakers and Jordan Bulls in the conversation about the greatest sustained runs of excellence.
Andrew Wiggins
Averaged 18.3 PPG and 9.2 RPG in the Finals — his finest individual performance of his career, completing a narrative arc from disappointing former #1 pick to NBA champion.
Klay Thompson
Completed one of sport's greatest comeback stories — winning an NBA championship after two consecutive season-ending injuries that cost him the prime years of his career.
Beyond the Box Score
The 2022 championship completed a remarkable arc for Stephen Curry — from the undrafted rumors of his Davidson days to four NBA championships and a Finals MVP that had been denied him three times by the individual brilliance of teammates. His first Finals MVP at age 34, in his fourth Finals appearance, on a road-clinching game in Boston, is one of the most emotionally resonant championship moments in recent sports history.
The Warriors' four championships in eight years (2015, 2017, 2018, 2022) place them in the company of basketball's elite dynasties. The interruption — Kevin Durant's departure in 2019, the injuries to Curry, Thompson, and Green in 2019-21 — makes the 2022 title particularly meaningful. It proved that the dynasty was built on something more durable than a single super-team: on coaching, culture, and the specific combination of Curry, Thompson, and Green that had originally created it.
The Boston Celtics' six-game loss in 2022 was the beginning of a journey that concluded with their 2024 championship — suggesting that the talent was always there, but that the Warriors' championship experience was the decisive margin. The two franchises' intersection in 2022 is a significant chapter in both teams' modern history.
The Full Story
Three Finals appearances without a Finals MVP. The question had followed Stephen Curry — first with gentle confusion, then with increasing urgency — for seven years. He had won four rings. He had revolutionized the sport. He had been the most valuable player in the league twice. But the Finals MVP had gone to Andre Iguodala in 2015, Kevin Durant in 2017 and 2018. In 2022, on the TD Garden floor in Game 6, with 34 points and a championship sealed, the wait ended.
The Boston Celtics were a worthy opponent — the league's best defense, two young stars in Tatum and Brown who had arrived on the Finals stage full of confidence, and a physicality that challenged the Warriors' perimeter-based system in ways that previous Finals opponents had not. The six-game series required the full depth of Golden State's championship experience: Curry's scoring, Thompson's comeback, Wiggins's revelation, and Green's orchestration.
Andrew Wiggins was the series' most compelling subplot. The former #1 overall pick who had disappointed every previous employer — Minnesota, Cleveland in a trade, and briefly Golden State in his early seasons — averaged 18.3 points and 9.2 rebounds against the league's best defense. His physicality against Tatum in the final games of the series was as important as any individual scoring performance.
When the final buzzer sounded at TD Garden, Stephen Curry dropped to the floor and wept. The journey — from the doubts about his body at Davidson College, through the 2019 Achilles that sidelined him for a season, through the 2020-21 seasons of irrelevance while Durant and the Nets dominated the conversation — had reached its destination. The dynasty's fourth championship ring, sealed on the road in Boston, with the Finals MVP finally in his hands. A career that had already been one of the greatest in basketball history was complete.
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