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GAME ESSENTIALS: Warriors (53-29) vs. Celtics (51-31), at 6 p.m. (PT). TV: ABC
ODDS: Celtics -3.5. OVER/UNDER: 210.
FINALS SERIES UPDATE: Warriors lead, 3-2. LAST PLAYOFF MEETING: Celtics received 1964 NBA Finals 4-1.
If you happen to flash again to this actual date 10 years in the past — June 16, 2012 — the Golden State Warriors had been in the identical place that they had seemingly all the time been: coming off of a brutal season (23-43), getting ready for a excessive draft decide and carrying a religious fan base that hoped, wishing, praying for any kind of spark.
It’s now 2022. Within the final 10 years, the Warriors have made the NBA playoffs eight occasions, the NBA Finals six occasions and, with only one extra win, will declare their fourth championship in that 10-year run. They’ll get an opportunity to get the win for that fourth championship on Thursday night time, as they carry a 3-2 collection lead into Boston for Recreation 6 of the NBA Finals towards the Celtics.
Maybe most insane about this run is that the Warriors’ core has been collectively by all of it. At any time when the Finals conclude, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Inexperienced will full their tenth full season collectively as teammates. And every continues to be a serious contributor to this championship, too.
However even Thompson and Inexperienced will inform you that it’s Curry who's the important thing to the Warriors being right here once more. Even when he has an off taking pictures night time like in Recreation 5, the place he didn’t make a 3-pointer for the primary time in his playoff profession, even the specter of Curry impacts the sport and makes it simpler for others on Golden State to succeed. He’s all however assured so as to add a Finals MVP trophy to his resume if the Warriors win the collection.
Andrew Wiggins took benefit of the give attention to Curry in Recreation 5 with considered one of his greatest performances of his profession, scoring 26 factors and grabbing 13 rebounds – which might’ve been a profession excessive if he hadn’t grabbed 16 rebounds in Recreation 4. The emergence of Wiggins all through the playoffs, and ascendance within the Finals, has to have Golden State feeling like this received’t be their final time on the Finals stage.
However earlier than we coronate the Warriors, they nonetheless need to win yet one more recreation, and the raucous — and maybe greater than just a little punchy — Boston crowd will get to attempt to will their Celtics to a winner-take-all Recreation 7. That will be again in San Francisco, so the Warriors are flying residence anyway. However they're certainly hoping to convey some golden hardware with them on the flight again.
Can Curry bounce again from his poor taking pictures kind in Recreation 5? Will Thompson convey out one other “Recreation 6 Klay” worthy efficiency? Are there any changes left to make this late within the collection? And may the Warriors convey residence their seventh championship in franchise historical past and provides their core trio a fourth ring?
Comply with alongside as reporters Madeline Kenney and Shayna Rubin and columnist Dieter Kurtenbach break down these questions and extra in Recreation 6 of the NBA Finals.