After a 40 year drought, the Golden State Warriors have won the NBA Championship. After being down 2-1 in the series against LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers, they won 3 games in a row in order to win in 6 games. Towards the start of this series, the Cavaliers Finals experience pushed them over the edge, but after the Warriors unlocked the struggling Stephen Curry, the Warriors became the 67-win team everyone knew they could be.
In game 6, the Warriors continued their momentum into the Quicken Loans Arena and continued the Cleveland ‘curse’. The first half showed a complacent and stagnant LeBron James. Despite having a good stat line, he looked to force shots and passes, starting off 3-9 from the field. The Warriors were able to extend their lead throughout the half to up to 10 points, but the Cavaliers defensive style allowed them to cut the lead to 2 points at half. The Cavaliers stayed in this game because of their stellar defense in the first half, only allowing 32 points (6 minutes left in the 2nd quarter) for a Warriors team that seemed to be ashamed to have 47 points at half time.
In the second half, the Warriors capitalized on 16 unforced Cavaliers turnovers which helped them finally extend the lead to 15. The Warriors have not lost a game when they have led by 15 this season. The Cavaliers defense looked sloppy and it seemed like the Cavs did not have an answer for the fast-break offense of the Warriors. The Warriors ended up being up 12 by the end of the 3rd quarter and they seemed to have the Larry O’Brien trophy in their hands.
The 4th quarter started and LeBron James was poised to make his last run of the season with his dismantled and injured Cavaliers team. Despite James’ effort and the Cavaliers ability to make big shots in the 4th quarter, the Warriors made even bigger shots. It seemed like for every 3-pointer or dunk the Cavaliers made to swing momentum in their favor, the Warriors came down the court and ran their offense with poise, which helped them extend the lead to 14 points with 6 minutes left in the 4th quarter. The party in the Oracle Arena had started and the curtain was closing on one of Finals histories greatest performances by none other than LeBron James. He became one of the 6 players to score 5000+ playoff points in this game, and solidified his performance as one of the greatest Finals performances ever. When fellow star players Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving came down with season ending injuries, LeBron James decided to shoulder the load only to come short to a more equipped Golden State squad. He finished off with 32 points, 18 rebounds and 9 assists.
Despite James’ superior performance, Andre Iguodala was the one to take the Finals MVP trophy. He finished off with 25 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists tonight, but he started in Game 4 which helped them push towards the title. He was the main ‘LeBron-stopper” in the NBA Finals and he took that situation with full effort. Without Iguodala they wouldn’t have been able to control or contain LeBron, even though their was really no containment for LeBron. The Warriors used their depth, including David Lee, Leandro Barbosa, and Andre Iguodala came in to help the Warriors rest their star players. Draymond Green added up a triple double in the game with 16 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Stephen Curry added 25 points and the Warriors are the NBA Champions.
What’s next for the Golden State Warriors & Cleveland Cavaliers?
The Golden State Warriors have one their first ever NBA title since 1975. The only uncertainty in their roster is Draymond Green, who is a restricted free agent this summer. I think that after they just made history, and joined an elite class of 7 other NBA teams to achieve a 67 win season and the NBA championship, Draymond will reconsider any other options. Are they the next big dynasty? We may be getting ahead of ourselves, but the Warriors have 3 young players in Curry, Thompson and Green which will lead them for the next couple years, if they continue to grow, they will be able to create a dynasty. Stephen Curry was drafted in 2009, and after 6 short years in the league, he has won himself an NBA championship, an MVP trophy, and a spot in NBA history.
The Cleveland Cavaliers had bad luck on their hands when it came to the NBA Finals. They used a small 8-man rotation in the NBA Finals which proved to tire them out. The reason for that was because they were missing Anderson Varejao, Kevin Love, and Kyrie Irving, 3 players that started the season for the Cavaliers in the starting lineup. The biggest uncertainty for the Cavaliers is Kevin Love as an unrestricted free agent. If he decides to leave, a team with LeBron James, seems like a destination that will be convincing for free agents like Power Forward LaMarcus Aldridge, who has already stated his interest. A team with LeBron James will always make it out of the Eastern Conference. The hard part for him is the NBA Finals. Who knows how this series would have gone with a healthy Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love? Could the Warriors have lost this series easily? Would LeBron James be put down as one of the greatest ever? The Cavaliers have next year to prove that they can win with the same team.
