Why the Warriors’ latest NBA championship 'hits different' for Stephen Curry
MANILA, Philippines – Before winning the 2022 NBA Finals, Stephen Curry already had three NBA championships to his name.
But moments before Game Six ended with a 103-90 victory for the Golden State Warriors to clinch the title over the Boston Celtics at the TD Garden in Massachusetts, Curry was overcome with emotion.
An emotional Stephen Curry on the floor as he wins his 4th NBA Championship #NBA75 pic.twitter.com/gCQ4ZwJtKy
— NBA (@NBA) June 17, 2022
To think that he'd been there thrice before, it was surprising for most at how much Curry seemed to savor the feeling of winning his fourth title in the last eight seasons.
In the post-game interview, the newly crowned Finals MVP opened up about how this run to the summit was a bit unlike the others.
"When I say this one hits different, 2015 to 2019, it was kind of a steady climb to get into the Championship, and whether you won or lost, you kind of just left it all out there," Curry said.
"Then you go to these last two years, and conversations, narratives, we're "too old", the parallel timelines of developing young guys and keeping our core together. All those tough decisions that we had to make, that weights on you for as much time as we're going through out," he added.
Since losing to the Toronto Raptors in 2019, the Warriors endured back-to-back seasons where they missed out on the playoffs — in the 2019-20 season, they had one of the worst records in the league and didn't even get invited back to the league restart in Orlando back when the COVID-19 pandemic kept the NBA in a bubble.
Having been able to bounce back from those two years, where Curry and Klay Thompson also suffered injuries that sidelined them, was felt by Curry on another level.
"Then you get to a point where you're in a playoff series against Denver and then Memphis and then Dallas and get to Boston, and it's like we're right here, and it's surreal," he said.
"Then you get to the finish line, and that's why I think this one is definitely different because of the three years of baggage we carried coming out of that Game 6 in 2019," he added.
Curry rained praises on his team after being able to find their championship form again, when many thought they were already washed.
"I can say it now, I don't know how many teams could carry that as long as we have with the expectations of comparing us now to teams of past and make it to the mountaintop again," Curry said.
"So a lot of people in that locker room that are enjoying this to the fullest, and they should, because of who we are as a team. It's pretty amazing.”
- Latest
- Trending
