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June 16 (UPI) -- Behind another vintage performance from Stephen Curry, the Golden State Warriors closed out the Boston Celtics 103-90 in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night at TD Garden for their fourth championship in the past eight seasons. Curry scored 34 points and earned NBA Finals MVP for the first time in his career as the Warriors captured their seventh NBA title in franchise history.
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It is the Warriors' first championship since 2018 and comes after having the league's worst record just two seasons ago due to a combination of roster changes and significant injuries.
For Curry and his fellow longtime teammates Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala, it's a fourth NBA title together and a return to prominence. Their first three rings came in 2015, 2017 and 2018, when Golden State was dominant and made five straight trips to the Finals.
Multiple injuries, including ones that sidelined Thompson for 2 1/2 years and Curry for a full season, and a series of roster moves changed everything for the Warriors. But this season, Golden State was finally back on top.
"We were so far away from [a championship]. We were in [the Finals] five straight years and got three of them, but we hit rock bottom with injuries," an emotional Curry said when asked about how this title felt different. "The long road of work ahead and just trying to fill in the right pieces and right guys.
"You never take this for granted because you never know when you'll get back here. To get back here and get it done, it means the world."
Andrew Wiggins, one of the pieces Golden State added after the departure of superstar forward Kevin Durant, excelled in his first Finals appearance and finished with 18 points, six rebounds, five assists, four steals and three blocks in Game 6.
Jordan Poole, another new addition to the Warriors' roster following their dynastic run, had 15 points and three rebounds off the bench. Green had 12 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists.
Thompson, meanwhile, had 12 points and five rebounds for the Warriors.
Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 34 points, while veteran center Al Horford had 19 points and 14 boards. Jayson Tatum notched 13 points, but he shot just 6 of 18 from the field in what proved to be a subpar series for him.
Boston also committed 22 turnovers in the loss, falling to 1-8 this postseason when committing 16 or more.
The Celtics trailed the Warriors by as many as 22 points in the game, but Boston went on a critical 16-4 run in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 76-66 entering the final frame.
Brown sank a 3-pointer with 5:33 remaining to make it 86-78, but the Warriors continually answered and never relinquished their lead.
It was just the fifth loss in 22 title-series appearances for the Celtics, who were attempting to claim their record 18th championship in team history.
For Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, it's a ninth overall championship -- five as a player and four as a head coach. He became the sixth head coach to win four titles, joining Phil Jackson, Gregg Popovich, Pat Riley, Red Auerbach and John Kundla.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was unable to attend Game 6 because of the league's COVID-19 health and safety protocols. In his absence, the redesigned Larry O'Brien Trophy was presented to the Warriors by deputy commissioner Mark Tatum.
