Was it the Warriors’ IQ that helped them secure the 2022 NBA Championship over Boston Celtics?

LeBron James certainly thinks so. Draymond Green, who was part of the GSW’s title-winning team the same year, agrees. But is that all?

In their podcast team up, “Mind the Game,” NBA scoring king LeBron James and retired sharpshooter J.J. Redick dissected the Golden State Warriors’ victory over the Boston Celtics in the 2022 NBA Finals. James had said that while Boston had the better talent, GSW’s win was down to their IQ.

“They were much younger” Green on why GSW prevailed over the Celtics

In his podcast, ‘The Draymond Green Show,’ when discussing James’ comment, Draymond stated, “That to a certain degree is very true. I think we definitely had a higher IQ at the time. I think more than just higher IQ, it’s also IQ at the moment you know like any situation…” While Green agreed, he also opined that IQ paired rather well with experience.

Green went on to paint a picture of the pressure cooker that is the NBA Finals, Somebody can have a high IQ and get in those moments and completely lose it, because the moment gets too big. You know you get these playoffs sometimes and this is the NBA Finals we’re talking about.  Sometimes those lights can be a little bit brighter than you expected and then they(Boston) were much younger and never had been to the Eastern Conference Finals. So I think at that time our basketball IQ was higher.” Further explaining his stance, he divulged how their staff was experienced enough and some of the players had already been in that situation.

Green added, “Also our coaching staff IQ was higher, the adjustments we made throughout the series, it made all the difference. But again we had been there before. Steve had been there, Mike had been there, so they knew the adjustments to make like that. But I definitely believe our IQ was better.”

He also talked about how some of the decisions during the game came from the players with their experience coming in handy. The Warriors came out on top 4-2 in the Finals series against the Celtics to win their fourth championship in eight years, which once again highlights the experience in their ranks, that Green pointed out.

Although the Celtics’ class of 2022 fell short, their run to the Finals was still remarkable for the turnaround they had. Last year they lost in the Eastern Conference Finals to the Miami Heat, but they are once again looking promising this time around and will hope to go step further.

Celtics look to put behind the pain of last two years

Early in the 2022 season, the Celtics’ future looked bleak. A January slump left them at .500 (25-25) with the trade deadline hanging over their heads. Talks of a rebuild went around, with some suggesting the breakup of their young All-Star duo: Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. That would have been a colossal blunder costing the Celtics. But they recovered and went on a remarkable run. Reaching the Finals in their young careers was a monumental achievement.

In 2023, they ran into a determined Heat side in the East finals and lost the series 4-3. But they are back again with renewed vigor. Currently, they are the no.1 in the league with 55 wins and 14 losses and will hope to go beyond the Conference finals. If they reach the Conference finals this year, they will have a chance to prove that they have learned from their recent experiences and developed that much needed IQ and experience.