How a lower seed reclaimed the throne in the 2022 NBA Finals
In short: In a rematch of the 1964 Finals, the Golden State Warriors faced the Boston Celtics. Despite being the lower seed, the Warriors secured their seventh championship in six games, led by Stephen Curry’s first career Finals MVP performance, overcoming an injury that sidelined him for much of the regular season.
The 2022 NBA Finals, held from June 2 to June 16, marked a return to the standard June schedule for the first time since the 2019 pandemic. The series pitted the Western Conference's No. 3 seed, the Golden State Warriors, against the Eastern Conference's No. 2 seed, the Boston Celtics. While the Celtics held the higher seed, the Warriors held home-court advantage due to a superior regular-season record of 53–29 compared to Boston's 51–31.
The series was a rollercoaster of momentum. Boston took an early 2–1 lead, but the Warriors responded with three consecutive wins to clinch the title 4–2. This victory marked the Warriors' fourth championship in eight years and their seventh overall. For the Celtics, the loss left them tied with the Los Angeles Lakers at 17 championships, a record they would eventually break in 2024 by winning their 18th title.
Individual performances defined the drama. Stephen Curry, who had previously missed 12 regular-season games after Marcus Smart landed on his foot during a March 16 matchup, earned his first Finals MVP. He demonstrated incredible resilience, even after being injured late in Game 4. Meanwhile, the series saw historic shooting, with the teams combining for 40 three-pointers in a single game, the highest total ever recorded in an NBA Finals game.
The matchup was a significant historical rematch. Their previous Finals encounter occurred in 1964, when the Celtics beat the San Francisco Warriors in five games to claim their sixth straight championship.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: 2022 NBA Finals
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