Ex-Grizzlie De’Anthony Melton says Warriors had no business winning 2022 title originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – As an opponent in May 2022, De’Anthony Melton had a microscopic view of the Warriors’ last championship team. Now that he is on their payroll, he’s comfortable going public with what many have whispered for 3.5 years.
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“In ‘22, they had no business winning the championship,” Melton, then with the Memphis Grizzlies, said during a guest appearance on the “Dubs Talk” podcast, which debuted Friday. “They had no business there. There were so many teams better than them. But they just fought. They just willed their way. And everybody played, they played their role.”
Melton is not alone in that reaction. Former Golden State general manager Bob Myers admitted nobody saw it coming. Coach Steve Kerr says the ’22 NBA Finals win over the Boston Celtics was a case of coming together at the right time – and having Stephen Curry.
The Warriors entered the 2022 playoffs as the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, with a 53-29 record. The Grizzlies finished at 56-26 to earn the No. 2 seed and homecourt advantage in the conference semifinals against Golden State.
“We wanted to kill the dynasty so bad,” Melton recalled. “You had to show us. You had to come and really show us. It was like ‘OK, why are y’all so good, why are you so great? We’re not going to lay down, let y’all tell us why, but you got to come out here and get it.
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“We really felt that day in and day out, and game in and game out, we just take it game by game because you never know what could happen. Next thing you know, you could be up 3-2.”
The Grizzlies, young and impetuous, saw the Warriors as old news that should be discarded from the elite.
“Some (Warriors) got families and kids,” Melton said. “They got paid. They were paid up already. We were all young and hungry. It was like ‘Come on with it.’ ”
The teams split the first two games in Memphis before the Warriors swept Games 3 and 4 at Chase Center. A 3-1 lead is considered “commanding,” but the Grizzlies responded with a 134-95 rout in Game 5. This was, again, a series.
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Golden State answered with a 110-96 win in Game 6, banishing the Grizzlies and advancing to the Western Conference finals.
“In ’22, nobody thought the Warriors were going to go on to win, you know what I mean?” Melton said. “But it was crazy to see them having to go through us and that would be one of their tougher series.”
The Warriors had the fourth-best record in the league, but the Celtics entered the playoffs as the hottest team, going 26-6 over their last 32 games. Golden State was a slight favorite because of its postseason experience and championship core.
And Curry, whose spectacular Game 4 performance – 43 points when the rest of the starting lineup combined for 35 – tilted the series and moved him to the doorstep of his first Finals MVP award.
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Melton, whose favorite team a decade ago was the Oklahoma City Thunder, had a perception of Curry at that time that matched that of many outside observers: Great shooter.
Melton’s perception of Curry as a teammate much of last season and this season is, well, greatly expanded.
“He’s amazing,” Melton said. “That’s all you could say sometimes. Dudes like that, they continue to put the work in, and they love the game so much that you see them day in and day out. Before, I was seeing him on the outside looking in. Now, I’m on the inside, seeing the work he puts in, the everyday work, the consistency that he has. You can see as to why he’s continued.
“His ability to shoot the ball is out of this world, but it’s his ability to be conditioned and run around, his physicality and just be able to still be able to get open and get a shot off and stuff like that. He’s averaging pretty much 30 (points per game) now – at 37 years old. You’ve just got to admire that type of stuff and just to help as much as possible.”
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That admiration, however, does not change Melton’s view of the past, something he occasionally mentions to Gary Payton II, who was a pivotal player in the ’22 Finals.
“I talk to GP still, to this day, like ‘I don’t know how y’all won it ’22,’ ” Melton said. “I don’t. I don’t. I don’t know why or how or for what.”
