ADDS POST-GAME QUOTES
By Can Erozden, Selcuk Bugra Gokalp
ANKARA (AA) - The Golden State Warriors beat the Boston Celtics 103-90 Thursday in Game 6 of the finals to win the 2022 NBA title.
It happened to be a full circle for Warriors, champions of 2018 to claim the title again after missing out on two consecutive playoffs, in 2020 and in 2021.
The Warriors, who visited the Celtics at Boston's TD Garden, were leading the game 54-39 before the break.
Golden State extended the gap to 22 points in the third quarter, making it 72-50 after superstar Stephen Curry scored a running three-pointer with nearly six minutes remaining.
It was the Warriors' biggest lead in the game.
Near the end of the third quarter, Boston had a 15-2 run to narrow the deficit to nine points, making the score 65-74.
The Warriors entered the fourth quarter with a 10-point lead at 76-66.
In the fourth quarter, Golden State managed to maintain a double-digit lead with almost three minutes remaining, with the score 96-81.
Canadian small forward Andrew Wiggins hit a critical three pointer to give a 99-84 lead to the Warriors with a minute and 43 seconds to go.
The Warriors sealed a 103-90 victory to win the series 4-2.
- 'Group effort'
"They're all unique, they're all special," said Golden State head coach Steve Kerr about his four titles as a coach. "This one might have been the most unlikely. ... It takes a group effort to get it done and we had a great group."
"It all paid off," Warriors guard Klay Thompson said following the win. "It was dog days, a lot of tears shed ... You knew it was a possibility, but to see it in real time ... It's crazy."
In the whole game, Boston had 22 turnovers.
Curry scored 34 points, grabbed seven rebounds and made seven assists for the winners.
"We found a way to just get it done," Curry said. "It's part of a championship pedigree, our experience. We built this for 10-11 years. That means a lot when you get to this stage."
Wiggins racked up 18 points while Warriors guard Jordan Poole added 15 points.
Warriors power forward Draymond Green posted a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Jaylen Brown led the Celtics, scoring 34 points. He had seven rebounds. His teammate Al Horford scored 19 points and took 14 rebounds.
Celtics star Jayson Tatum had 13 points and made seven assists.
Following the game, Curry was named the 2022 NBA Finals' Most Valuable Player.
"We've had so many great players, but Steph, ultimately is why this run happens," coach Kerr said about his star guard.
The Warriors bagged their seventh NBA title, their first championship this decade.
The San Francisco-based team previously won the NBA in 1947, 1956, 1975, 2015, 2017 and 2018.
The losing team of the 2022 finals, the Celtics, have 17 NBA championships, the last in 2008.
By losing the finals series, the Celtics were unable to claim the crown of the team with the most championship titles in NBA history.