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Fansided

Golden State Warriors’ championship DNA is the difference

By Tony Pesta

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 13: Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors celebrates a three point basket during the fourth quarter against the Boston Celtics in Game Five of the 2022 NBA Finals at Chase Center on June 13, 2022 in San Francisco, California. The Golden State Warriors won 104-94. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 13: Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors celebrates a three point basket during the fourth quarter against the Boston Celtics in Game Five of the 2022 NBA Finals at Chase Center on June 13, 2022 in San Francisco, California. The Golden State Warriors won 104-94. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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The 2022 NBA Finals have been everything a basketball fan could ask for. A full-on battle between the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics has delivered five frenetic games as each team fights for the trophy.

Each game has been decided by double digits but this does not represent the competitiveness of this series. The Dubs and Celtics have traded blows and just about every game could have gone either way.

The difference? Aside from some brilliant strategies from both sides, the championship pedigree of the Warriors has helped them squeeze out games they otherwise should have lost.

The Golden State Warriors’ championship pedigree has made all the difference in their NBA Finals matchup with the Boston Celtics.

Game 4 is a fine example of this.

Trailing by five points with under eight minutes to play, the Warriors made their final push. A flurry of timely jump shots by Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins to go along with crucial stops, forced turnovers and offensive rebounds helped the Dubs go on a 21-6 run to steal the game.

Something similar happened in Game 5. After the Celtics rattled Golden State in an unusually rough third quarter, the Warriors opened the fourth with a 10-0 run to get the momentum back on their side.

It was a bit of a back and forth final 12 minutes but the Dubs consistently got under the Celtics’ skin, specifically Marcus Smart, who unraveled Boston’s chances of winning in a few short minutes.

A missed layup, turnover, technical foul and another turnover from Smart buried the Celtics before the Warriors even delivered the final punches.

It is evident the Dubs are the more poised team. Boston’s body language says it all. Frustration after calls, sulking because of a missed shot and blaming everybody but themselves for turnovers and botched box-outs.

This is something every team is guilty of. The Warriors have done their fair share of complaining and Draymond Green is perhaps one of the league’s worst offenders. Yet, it’s always back to work for the Dubs and they rarely allow the course of a game to shake them from their plan.

This can’t be said for Boston. At least, not at a consistent level. Smart, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have come up brutally short at some of the biggest moments of this series. Their second-effort plays and crucial attention to detail have led to the Warriors claiming a 3-2 advantage.

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