The NBA Finals are over and the Golden State Warriors are your 2021-2022 NBA Champions. It took six games but Steph Curry got the Finals MVP that he clearly wanted. The Warriors got the game they needed from Steph in Game 4 of this series. Steve Kerr and his coaching staff adjusted and then adjusted some more as the series shifted. They also got timely contributions from all of their players. Andrew Wiggins filled the Swiss Army knife role that Andre Iguodala held down for years. Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole were just enough of a threat shooting the ball to keep the Boston Celtics defenders honest. Draymond Green didn’t do much well the first half of the series. Games 4-6 were different though. He moved the ball, played inspired defense and even hit a three in Game 6. That was all we needed to see to know it was over. And he was a nuisance as usual. Shoutout to Gary Payton II, Otto Porter Jr. and Kevon Looney. All three embodied what is the theme of this championship and what has been the theme of this Warriors Dynasty: Strength In Numbers. Steph Curry is the straw and Steve Kerr is the bartender but those of us that like a good drink know the key is the proper combination of liquor, ice and mixer.
This series will leave the Boston Celtics with a bitter taste. Boston had finally gotten over the hump that was the Eastern Conference Finals (ECF). The Celtics had reached the ECF three other times – 2017; 2018; 2020 – with this core group. They also entered this 2022 NBA Finals confident and battled tested. The Celtics got out to an early 2-1 series lead but never recovered from the Game 4 theatrics of Steph Curry. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown learned valuable lessons about their individual games in these Finals. At the top is valuing and making the most of every offensive possession. No scoring and not much of anything off the bench was a burden. Then add in the Celtics dependence on shooting 3s, crying to the referees, and turnovers!
Giving flowers to a couple of greats in the women’s game. Sue Bird announced that she will retire at the end of this WNBA season. Bird who is a no doubt Hall of Famer will leave as one of the most decorated players to ever play the game. Bird has been a champion from her time in High School to her time at the University of Connecticut to her time as a professional.
Next up receiving flowers is the great Hall of Fame Coach C. Vivian Stringer. Stringer started off as the Head Coach at then Cheney State in 1971-1972. In 1982 she led the team to the first women’s championship game of the NCAA Division I tournament despite being a Division II school. She moved over to be the Head Coach at the University of Iowa. During her 12 seasons at Iowa she was able to reach the Final Four in 1993. 1993 was a banner year for the coaching legend. She was named Coach of the Year for a number of publications. In 1995 she joined Rutgers University. Stringer reached 2 Final Fours (2000 & 2007 runner up) and won the WNIT in 2014. Coach Stringer rides off into the sunset as a true leader, pioneer and legend in the game.
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