After Winning 7th NBA Title, The Golden State Warriors Are The Early Favorites For 2022-23

Two years after bottoming out and finishing last in the Western Conference, the Golden State Warriors are back on top again.

Steph Curry and the Dubs won their fourth NBA championship — and the franchise’s seventh overall — by virtue of their 103-90 win over the Boston Celtics in Game 6 Thursday night at TD Garden.

The Warriors won their first title since 2018 and became the first team to go from the NBA’s worst record to a championship in a three-season span. They were a league-worst 15-50 in 2019-20.

And now they have been installed by Caesars Sportsbook as the early favorite to repeat in 2022-23.

The Warriors are 5-1 favorites to win their eighth championship a year from now, while the Celtics and Brooklyn Nets are at 6-1. The Milwaukee Bucks, champions a year ago are 15-2, while the Phoenix Suns and L.A. Clippers are 8-1.

“The organization right now stands as the gold standard in the NBA,” ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith said on air following the game. “And not just because they won, but because we can look at their roster and say it is far beyond the realm of comprehension that these dudes will end up back here next year.

“You’re not just looking at a team that is fading away, you’re looking at a team that is rising. Even though their champions, they’re still rising.”

Curry, who went for 34 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists in Game 6 en route to his first Finals MVP award, Klay Thompson, who returned from a torn ACL in Game 6 of the 2019 Finals to once again win a championship, and Draymond Green are all under contract for next season, as are Jordan Poole, who had 15 points in Game 6, and Andrew Wiggins, who had 18 points and 6 rebounds and played brilliantly during the series.

Otto Porter Jr., Kevon Looney and Gary Payton II, key role players, are among the team’s nine free agents, as is Andre Iguodala.

Young players Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and James Wiseman will all return.

There’s no reason to think the Warriors won’t be back celebrating another title in 2023.

For now, Curry has his first Finals MVP and the Warriors are back on top.

“The conversations about who we were as a team and what we were capable of … we hear all that, and you carry it all and you try to maintain your purpose, not let it distract you, but you carry that weight,” Curry said. “And to get here, it all comes out. It’s special.”