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The 75th NBA season concluded on Thursday with Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors lifting the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
The Warriors won the closeout game 103-90 behind Curry's 34 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Golden State trailed 12-2 early in the first quarter, forcing Steve Kerr to take a timeout. From that point on, they put on a display of championship basketball, going on a 21-0 run in the half.
The Boston Celtics tried to make this a close affair by cutting the lead to eight points. However, Steve Kerr's men showed their mettle following every Boston run to stay ahead and seal the win.
Let's look at the most intriguing storylines following this eventful day in the NBA.
Steph Curry wins maiden NBA Finals MVP award
Steph Curry has finally won an NBA Finals MVP award in his career. The 4-time NBA champion had previously lost the award twice to Kevin Durant and once to Andre Iguodala. However, with the kind of form Curry was in, he could've won the prize, despite the Warriors losing the title.
That wasn't the case, though, as the two-time MVP made sure his performances impacted the results almost every time. He averaged 31.2 points, six rebounds and five assists per game, shooting on a 48/44/86 split.
Steph Curry won the award with a unanimous vote. The 34-year-old stood tall for the Warriors, with Klay Thompson and Draymond Green lacking consistency. That made it a no-brainer for Curry to be voted in as the Finals MVP.
Jayson Tatum becomes first player to record 100+ turnovers in the playoffs
Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum had a postseason run to remember. The 24-year-old played his first NBA Finals this season. He looks ready to feature at this stage more often moving forward. Tatum finished the postseason as the youngest player to record at least 600 points, 100 rebounds, and 100 assists.
He scored the most points in the 2022 playoffs (615) and recorded the most assists (148) across the board. He prevailed and outshined superstars like Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jimmy Butler en route to the finals. The Celtics swept KD's Nets 4-0 and beat Giannis' Bucks and Butler's Heat in Game 7s.
However, Jayson Tatum had an underwhelming finals series. The 3-time All-Star was a no-factor offensively and was highly inefficient across the six-game series. He averaged 21.5 points, shooting 36.7% from the floor.
Tatum committed 3.8 turnovers per contest, which saw him achieve an unwanted playoffs record. He became the first player to register 100+ turnovers in a single postseason campaign.
Golden State Warriors join LA Lakers as the only opposing teams to win the NBA title in Boston
The Golden State Warriors championship win wasn't easy, but they came through eventually. It was a heroic effort from the Dubs, who were the underdogs by a lopsided margin entering the series.
Nevertheless, their grit and experience helped them prevail on the grandest stage for the fourth time in eight years. They prevented the Boston Celtics, arguably the best team on paper in the league, from winning a record 18th NBA title.
The Warriors became only the second opposing team to win a closeout game at TD Garden, with the 1985 LA Lakers team the only other side to achieve the feat.
Warriors and Celtics open as favorites to meet in NBA Finals next year
The Golden State Warriors shut down their critics in style by winning the title. They weren't heavily favored to reclaim their throne during the preseason, but they beat the odds to get to where they are. They've shown that their core, comprising Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, is far from done.
Meanwhile, it's fair to say that the Boston Celtics revival is complete. They made the finals after a 12-year-absence, and it seems like they have the tools and the roster to achieve the feat consistently moving forward. They have reformed into one of the toughest teams to beat under rookie coach Ime Udoka this year, so it won't be surprising to see them play in the finals next year.
The Warriors and the Celtics are the favorites to make it to the finals next year following their redemption campaigns.
Klay Thompson calls out Jaren Jackson Jr. for his old tweet mocking the Warriors
Klay Thompson made a triumphant return to the Golden State Warriors lineup this season. Despite missing two years due to an ACL and an Achilles injury, the sharpshooting guard fought valiantly for the Warriors this campaign, especially in the playoffs.
The sharpshooting guard kept receipts in the form of old tweets that rival players had written to mock the Warriors. Thompson made sure to talk about it in his postgame presser after the Warriors won the title.
He spoke about Jaren Jackson Jr.'s tweet that the Grizzlies star had posted after the Grizzlies beat the Warriors in a regular-season game in March. Here's what Thompson said regarding that (via 95.7 The Game):
"There's this one player on the Grizzlies that tweeted 'Strength in numbers' after they beat us during the regular season, and it pissed me off so much. I can't wait to retweet that thing, freaking bum."
