On March 14, in his first game back after missing 31 games with a back injury, Draymond Green was interviewed post-game. When asked about the Warriors playoff seed possibilities, he gave a surprising, yet totally in character, answer. “It doesn’t matter,” he said, “because we’re gonna win the championship anyway.”

At the time, that comment seemed cocky, unrealistic, and inadvisable. The team was 43-21, tied for second place in the West with a surging Memphis team, and way behind front running Phoenix. Klay Thompson was back but rusty, Andrew Wiggins was mired in a post-all-star slump, and Steph Curry, after a great start, was missing shots at an alarming clip. But in hindsight, Draymond, as usual, was right on the money. The championship DNA emerged in mid-April.

Thursday night in Boston the Warriors showed the world what champions are made of, winning their fourth title in eight years. The list of story lines that make up the most inspiring—and most improbable—of those four titles is long. Let’s call the roll of those who will forever be part of Bay Area sports history.

The Nullifier: For him, it’s never been about individual accolades; scoring titles, MVP awards, jaw-dropping stats or records. They wrote him off—he’s 34, getting beat up by defenses and his shots are off, they said. But they forgot a small item; for one Wardell Stephen Curry, who can shut out the noise and block out everything, there are three things that matter to him: his family, friends and fans; his teammates and coaches— and winning.

The Shooter: Defying all logic, he came back from the two worst injuries in sports and showed guts and grit. After an incredible 941 days of no hoops, he returned to contribute, hit key shots, and play solid defense when it mattered the most. Klay Thompson did it with grace, a sense of humor, humility, and passion.

The Heart and Soul: After being cussed out mercilessly by the vulgar Boston fans in games 3 and 4, Draymond Green did not flinch; he let his game do the talking. His game six was a clinic; one of the all-time finals’ masterpieces by a brilliant player at the top of his game.

The Soft-spoken One: With his consistent, relaxed yet intense game, Andrew “Two-Way” Wiggins, in his eighth year, finally showed the promise of that #1 draft pick who was supposed to take the league by storm. It just took the right team—and the right culture.

The Iron Man: Without Kevon Looney’s determination and relentless rebounding, this team would not be hoisting their fourth trophy. He was outstanding all year.

The Thin Prince: Who would have thought that the 22-year old would become an elite scorer this season? He could have folded come playoff time, but the bright lights were not too big for Jordan Poole. His 38-foot buzzer-beating bank shot in game five to grab the lead is one of the biggest shots in finals history.

The Son of the Glove: Nobody thought he could return from a fractured elbow on his shooting arm in time to contribute—but he did, remarkably. There is tough—then there is Oakland tough. Gary Payton was invaluable in the finals, and showed why he belongs in the NBA.

The Old Man: How fitting it was that Andre Iguodala, 38, came back for one more title push, and in his 18th year played the role of mentor to the young players.

The Coach: Whether it’s cracking self-effacing jokes in a post-game interview or calling out the toxic gun culture, there is no one more humble or generous—or competitive—than Steve Kerr. The man, now a nine-time champion, is the quintessence of dignity, intelligence and class.

This leads to my twin takeaways from Thursday’s victory. There are two stories that live behind the stats, scoresheets and the tallying of trophies.  

The first is one I referred to before the finals. In my view it is not so much the comeback from two years in the wilderness, or even the miracle of the core three winning after what they all have gone through. It involves payback…

2015: The narrative; they only won because Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love were hurt.

2016: The NBA, in their greedy LeBron-is-God myopia, robbed the Warriors.

2017-2018: The narrative persisted; Kevin Durant brought them two tainted titles.

2019: They only lost to Toronto because of the injuries to Durant and Thompson.

In other words, nothing was pristine about any of those finals’ experiences. But this season, which culminated in that near-perfect game Thursday, the Warriors, led by their MVP, convincingly defeated a solid Boston team at full strength—on the Celtics’ home court.

The ghosts of those five finals have finally been exorcised. How sweet it must be for Steph and his teammates. And to all the jealous haters, naysayers, talking heads and misinformed morons of the media—you may now shut up—for good.

In the words of their baby-faced leader, who upon entering the champagne-drenched locker room celebration, had the last word, “What are they gonna say now, huh? What are they gonna say now?!”

And the other story, we can agree, is how impressive the team and coaching staff has been in the way they have handled their journey to the mountaintop; with class, character, and respect for their opponents. In the words of Michelle Obama, whose husband and Steph are golfing buddies, when they go low—we go high.

The Bay Area should be proud of this team, for they have demonstrated throughout the years the qualities that we admire in sports, and in each other: hard work, friendship, teamwork, loyalty, respect, resilience, compassion and joy.

To paraphrase birthday boy Paul McCartney, who turned 80(!) Saturday, “The joy you take is equal to the joy you make.” And, in the end, it was much more than just a game. It was an affirmation of all that is wonderful about sports, and by extension, the human experience.