SAN FRANCISCO — With a win in Game 5 on Monday, the Warriors are a win away from their fourth NBA title in six playoff runs. But the core trio have already made history.
Their 107-97 win against the Boston Celtics was Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green’s 20th playoff victory together as a trio. The milestone set an NBA record for most Finals wins by a trio in NBA history over the last 30 years, beating out San Antonio’s Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili — who have 19 Finals wins four titles together.
“Those three are some of the greatest to ever play. I feel like they played my whole life, my whole childhood. To be mentioned in the same company as them, it’s humbling,” Thompson said. “It won’t mean much unless we get another win. That’s awesome, but it would really add to our legacy if we closed this thing out.”
This Warriors’ core won their first Finals game in June 2015 against LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers and won their first Finals appearance in six games.
They went to five straight finals together, losing the 2016 finals after blowing a 3-1 lead and coming back with Kevin Durant in tow to go back-to-back in 2017 and 2018 against the Cavs in both. They swept the Cavaliers in 2017 and won in five in 2018.
Their fifth Finals appearance was a devastating one — losing Durant to an Achilles tear in a Game 5 win and Thompson to his ACL tear in a Game 6 series loss to the Toronto Raptors. The two major injuries would begin a two year playoff gap for the trio as Thompson rehabbed his ACL and a Achilles injury the following season and Curry broke his hand in 2020.
Once the trio reconvened healthy this season — despite Thompson missing the first few months rehabbing still — the Warriors were back on the fast track to the Finals.
Duncan, Parker and Ginobili won 19 Finals games as part of San Antonio’s dynasty under coach Gregg Popovich. Duncan won his first in 1999, and the trio formed in 2002 when Ginobili came to the Spurs from the Italian pro league. They won in 2003, 2005 and 2007. They won their final title together in 2014, when Ducan was 37 and Ginobili was 36 years old.
The 20 wins for Curry, Thompson and Green is the most for any trio in NBA history since the 1980s Lakers trio of Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Michael Cooper won 22 games over eight Finals appearances.
That Showtime Lakers trio won five championships during that run. Curry, Thompson and Green will have two chances this week to get within both one Finals win and one NBA championship of that trio.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 13: Golden State Warriors' Klay Thompson #11 is double teamed by Boston Celtics' Marcus Smart #36 and Jaylen Brown #7 in the third quarter of Game 5 of the NBA Finals at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 13, 2022. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 13: Golden State Warriors' Draymond Green (23) fights for the ball against Boston Celtics' Jaylen Brown (7) in the second quarter of Game 5 of the NBA Finals at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 13, 2022. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 13: Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry (30) shoots a basket against the Boston Celtics in the fourth quarter of Game 5 of the NBA Finals at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 13, 2022. The Golden State Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics 104-94. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 13: Golden State Warriors' Klay Thompson (11) high-fives Golden State Warriors' Jordan Poole (3) after a play against the Boston Celtics in the second quarter of Game 5 of the NBA Finals at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 13, 2022. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 13: Golden State Warriors' Klay Thompson (11) drives against Boston Celtics' Marcus Smart (36) in the fourth quarter of Game 5 of the NBA Finals at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 13, 2022. The Golden State Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics 104-94. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 13: Golden State Warriors' Klay Thompson (11) gestures “one more” during the final seconds of the fourth quarter of Game 5 of the NBA Finals at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 13, 2022. The Golden State Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics 104-94. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 13: Golden State Warriors' Klay Thompson (11) shoots and makes a 3-point basket past Boston Celtics' Marcus Smart (36) in the fourth quarter of Game 5 of the NBA Finals at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 13, 2022. The Golden State Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics 104-94. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 13: Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry (30) gets blocked by Boston Celtics' Robert Williams (44) in the third quarter of Game 5 of the NBA Finals at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 13, 2022. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 13: Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry #30 passes under pressure from Boston Celtics' Marcus Smart #36 in the fourth quarter of Game 5 of the NBA Finals at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 13, 2022. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 13: Golden State Warriors' Draymond Green (23) reacts after being called for a personal foul in the fourth quarter of Game 5 of the NBA Finals at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 13, 2022. The Golden State Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics 104-94. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 13: Golden State Warriors' Draymond Green #23 and Jordan Poole #3 react to a call in the third quarter of Game 5 of the NBA Finals at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 13, 2022. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 13: Golden State Warriors' Draymond Green #23 and Gary Payton II #0 celebrate a basket against the Boston Celtics in the third quarter of Game 5 of the NBA Finals at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 13, 2022. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 13: Golden State Warriors' Kevon Looney (5) and Golden State Warriors' Draymond Green (23) block against Boston Celtics' Robert Williams (44) in the fourth quarter of Game 5 of the NBA Finals at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 13, 2022. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 13: Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry (30) celebrates with the coaching staff as the final seconds wind down in the fourth quarter of Game 5 of the NBA Finals at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 13, 2022. The Golden State Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics 104-94. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 13: Golden State Warriors' Andrew Wiggins (22) and Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry (30) block Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum (0) in the third quarter of Game 5 of the NBA Finals at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 13, 2022. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 13: Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry #30 shoots a 3-point basket and misses as he’s guarded by Boston Celtics' Grant Williams #12 in the fourth quarter of Game 5 of the NBA Finals at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 13, 2022. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 13: Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry #30 celebrates in the final minutes fourth quarter of Game 5 of the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 13, 2022. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
