When the Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics in the 2022 NBA Finals, most people would have considered it an upset. Even LeBron James of all people considered the Celtics the more talented team.

The common analysis most have about the 2022 NBA Finals was that the Golden State Warriors were the more experienced team and that the Boston Celtics were the more talented team. It’s the same sentiment that LeBron James agrees with, but he believes Golden State had a higher IQ.

In the first episode of LeBron James and JJ Redick’s new podcast called Mind the Game, LeBron gave a deep dive into why the Warriors won the 2022 NBA Finals over the Celtics.

“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 way the Boston Celtics closed Game 4 and 5 against the Warriors showed why Golden State was the higher IQ team. When the threes weren’t falling for the Celtics, they never adapted beyond just shooting more. Fortunately for Golden State, Boston’s lack of execution resulted in another Warriors championship.