The Golden State Warriors swept the Cleveland Cavaliers 108-85 on Friday to win their second consecutive NBA title at the Quicken Loans Arena.
Stephen Curry led the way for the Warriors with 37 points, six rebounds, and four assists while shooting 12-out-of-27 from the field. Forward Kevin Durant added 20 points, 12 boards, and 11 dimes to be recognized as the Finals Most Valuable Player. It was also Durant's second Finals' MVP plum after winning the award last year.
Strong Start For The Warriors
The Warriors started the game like a house on fire as they established a 34-27 lead at the end of the first frame. Cleveland mounted a comeback behind LeBron James' strong play in the second to cut the deficit to within seven 61-52 in the halftime break.
James finished the game with 23 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds while making seven of his 13-shot attempts. Besides James, only Kevin Love and JR Smith hit the double-digit mark, with the former scoring 13 points and the latter unloading 10.
However, it proved to be the last hurrah of the Cavaliers as the visiting squad unleashed a deafening 25-13 run to take an 86-65 lead heading into the final canto. Aside from Durant and Curry, the Warriors also had contributions from Andre Iguodala and Klay Thompson, who fired 11 and 10, respectively.
It was also the first NBA Finals sweep since 2007, when the San Antonio Spurs manhandled the Cleveland Cavaliers. Ironically, James' was also a member of that losing Cavaliers squad.
On the other hand, the victory of the Warriors also marked its sixth title win in league history. Previously, the Warriors grabbed the 1947, 1956, 1975, 2015, and 2017 tiaras.
A Team Like No Other
With the championship victory, the Warriors became the sixth NBA squad to win three titles in four years. The last squad to achieve such feat was the Los Angeles Lakers when they won the crown from 2000 to 2002.
The 2017-2018 Warriors are made up of Curry, Iguodala, Durant, K. Thompson, Draymond Green, Jordan Bell, Chris Boucher, Quin Cook, Damian Jones, and Shaun Livingston. Completing their lineup are Kevon Looney, Patrick McCaw, JaVale McGee, Zaza Pachulia, David West, and Nick Young.
The coaching staff is made up of head coach Steve Kerr, assistant coaches Ron Adams, Mike Brown, and Jarron Collins. Other members of this year's squad include Chris DeMarco, Bruce Fraser, and Willie Green who all worked as an assistant coach for player development.
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