How a single shot by Warriors’ Draymond Green guaranteed a Golden State championship

Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors celebrates a three pointer against the Boston Celtics during the first quarter in Game Six of the 2022 NBA Finals at TD Garden on June 16, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. 

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The Boston Celtics started Game 6 of the NBA Finals looking like they were going to steamroll the Golden State Warriors.

They jumped out to a 12-2 lead, including back-to-back 3-pointers by Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. But the Dubs quickly found their footing, embarking on what was ultimately a 21-0 run that proved to be the difference in a 103-90 title-clinching victory. 

There was plenty of basketball beyond the early goings of the game, but a seemingly inconsequential first quarter play by Golden State forward Draymond Green immediately signaled a Warriors championship.

Green isn’t much of a sharpshooter, as hoops fans know well. He came into Game 6 having not made a single 3-pointer in the 2022 NBA Finals. So when he drained a triple to cut the deficit to 22-21, it was notable in more ways than one. Mostly, it meant the Dubs were golden.

Action Network’s Brandon Anderson tweeted that the Dubs were 19-1 this season, including 6-0 in the playoffs, when Green hits a single shot beyond the arc. That’s as close to a lock as you’re going to get.

Adding insult to injury — and cementing that it was the Warriors’ title to lose — Green nailed a second 3-pointer in the third quarter, too. He finished with 12 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists. It was perhaps his best game of the playoffs, and certainly his best game of the Finals. And now, he’s an NBA champion once again.

Alex Shultz is the local editor for SFGATE. You can reach him at alex.shultz@sfgate.com.