When LeBron James speaks, the world stands up and takes notice. Most people would have viewed the Warriors’ 2022 NBA Finals victory over the Boston Celtics as an upset. The Celtics were thought to be the more talented team, even by LeBron James.
The general consensus on the 2022 NBA Finals was that the Boston Celtics had more talent and the Golden State Warriors had more experience. LeBron James concurs with the same sentiment, but he thinks Golden State had a superior IQ.
LeBron James provided a thorough analysis of the reasons why the Warriors defeated the Celtics in the 2022 NBA Finals in the inaugural edition of his new podcast, Mind the Game, co-hosted with JJ Redick. He said,
“There’s moments in the game that a coach cannot prepare you for, film can’t prepare you for, the history of the game can’t prepare you for, where you have to have a basketball IQ to make adjustments right away, if you don’t have that level of mind frame or capacity. James said. “… I believe that when Golden State beat Boston, it came down to IQ in the Finals. Because Boston, to me, had the better talent. Boston had the better talent. But it came down to IQ. People say experience – IQ.”
The Boston Celtics’ closing sequences in Games 4 and 5 against the Warriors demonstrated why Golden State was the club with a greater IQ. The Celtics never adjusted to shoot more when their three-pointers weren’t falling. Luckily for Golden State, another Warriors championship was the outcome of Boston’s poor execution.