First-time NBA champions relish in Warriors’ sweet victory: ‘Man, it
feels good’
Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala won their
fourth NBA title Thursday night. But for a lot of other Warriors, it was
their first time atop the league.
>BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 16: Golden State Warriors’ Andrew Wiggins
(22) holds the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy after their 103-90 win
over the Boston Celtics in Game 6 to win the NBA Finals at TD Garden in
Boston, Mass., on Thursday, June 16, 2022. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News
Group)
>BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 16: Golden State Warriors’ Andrew Wiggins
(22) holds the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy after their 103-90 win
over the Boston Celtics in Game 6 to win the NBA Finals at TD Garden in
Boston, Mass., on Thursday, June 16, 2022. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News
Group)
By MADELINE KENNEY | mkenney@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: June 17, 2022 at 5:45 a.m. | UPDATED: June 17, 2022 at 7:47 a.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/06/17/first-time-nba-champions-relish-in-warriors-sweet-victory-man-it-feels-good/

BOSTON — A champagne-drenched Andrew Wiggins proudly held up his
Canadian flag for the cameras before taking a seat at the podium to try
to articulate just how incredible it is to finally be an NBA champion.

“Man, it feels good, it feels amazing,” a smiling Wiggins said after the
Warriors’ 103-90 win over the Celtics to win the NBA Finals in six
games. “You put in so much work, so much time, to make it here, and the
end result is becoming a champion. So, there’s nothing like it. So now
I’m going to celebrate like crazy.”

Wiggins had long been categorized as an underperforming former top pick.
But Wiggins finally proved the skeptics wrong after finding a perfect
situation with the Warriors, where he’s thrived as a role player.

So how does it feel to prove those doubters wrong once and for all?

“Man, it’s a feeling I can’t describe,” he said. “Every day, that stuff
is motivating. It put fire in my eyes and I just wanted to prove
everyone wrong. Now I’m a world champion. Everyone is going to have
something to say regardless, but now when they have something to say,
they have to say I’m a world champion, too.”

>BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 16: Golden State Warriors’ Andrew Wiggins
(22) holds the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy after their 103-90 win
over the Boston Celtics in Game 6 to win the NBA Finals at TD Garden in
Boston, Mass., on Thursday, June 16, 2022. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News
Group)

This is Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Andre
Iguodala’s fourth title and Kevon Looney’s third. But for most of the
Warriors, like Wiggins, this is their first time experiencing the circus
that comes with winning a title.

“It’s an amazing moment,” said Otto Porter Jr., a former third overall
draft pick who signed a veteran minimum contract with the Warriors this
offseason. “I dreamt about this as a kid and to be here on this team,
this dynasty team, it means the world. I can’t describe it, what I’m
feeling.”

Added Jordan Poole, “This is the reason we play basketball, to change
our family’s lives and win at the highest level. It’s truly remarkable
to be with such a special group of guys and win a championship.”

Gary Payton II, the last man on the Warriors roster out of training camp
who blossomed into a defensive ace and fan favorite, said he “never
would have thought something like this would happen.

“I appreciate every moment I had, all the falls, just to help me build
on, just sticking with it and just keep going,” he said. “So I’m still
speechless right now. It’s just crazy right now.”

>BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 16: Boston Celtics’ Marcus Smart (36)
reaches for a rebound in front of Golden State Warriors’ Gary Payton II
(0) during the second quarter of Game 6 of the NBA Finals at TD Garden
in Boston, Mass., on Thursday, June 16, 2022. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay
Area News Group)

Poole said rookies Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody were thrilled to get
a ring in their first season.

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As the core gets older, a new generation of Warriors players is
emerging. The goal is for the Warriors to sustain the success that has
been synonymous with this team for almost the last decade.

Poole said this first taste of championship success will fuel the young
core’s desire to get back here.

“This is just the beginning, we’re extremely hungry,” Poole said. “I’m
excited for them, and they are enjoying it all.”

What’s the 24 hours after winning a championship look like?

Poole predicted that he’ll reflect, chill and rest as he prepares for
the championship parade Monday and the weeks that come after.

“Because it’s all summer,” he said. “Poole Party is all summer.”

>BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 16: An emotional Golden State Warriors’
Stephen Curry (30) is congratulated by teammate Jordan Poole (3) after
winning the NBA Championship at TD Garden in Boston, Mass., on Thursday,
June 16, 2022. The Golden State Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics
103-90. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)