The Golden State Warriors are the NBA Champions after completing a record run through the 2017 post season with a 129-120 game five win over the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers. The win was the fourth for the Warriors in the best of seven finals series as Golden State finished their postseason with a record of 16 wins and only one loss.The Warriors were the first team in NBA Finals history to start the post season with 15 straight wins.
Monday night the new kid on the block forward Kevin Durant (Who after becoming a free agent at the end of last season, signed with Golden State) led the Warriors with 39 points while knocking down all but six of his 20 shots from the floor and connecting on 5 of his 8 shots from beyond the three-point line. Durant provided Golden State with what they needed throughout the Finals as he averaged 35 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists while playing 39 minutes per game. “KD” was scoring at a clip of almost a point for every minute he was on the court. In game Five that proved to be true as Durant dropped in all of his points while playing in all but 8 of the 48-minute contest. Durant and Steph Curry played 40 minutes in the game that clinched the title and the only other person that played more minutes was Draymond Green who was on the court for 43 minutes.Both Green and Curry made the most of their time on the court as well; Green finished with a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds while Curry orchestrated his own double-double of 34 points and 10 assists.
Now Cleveland, on the other hand, gave the Warriors a valiant fight, but it was too little too late. Lebron James finished with 41 points and 13 rebounds in a losing cause. James who teamed up with guard Kyrie Irving as part of the scoring punch for the Cavaliers became the first player in NBA Playoffs history to average a triple-double throughout the Finals. King James averaged an exhausting 42 minutes per game and averaged 33 points per game as well as dishing 10 assists, grabbing 12 rebounds while only turning the ball over four times per game. Irving was a force as well for the Cavaliers as he added 26 points in the game five loss and J.R. Smith caught fire knocking down 7 three-pointers and finishing with 25 points. Cleveland Center Tristan Thompson also showed some spirit scoring 15 points and grabbing 8 rebounds in the Cavs final game of the season after only scoring a total of 13 points in games 1 through 4 combined.
This title is the second in three years for the Golden State Warriors and one that is well deserved, to be the champion you have to beat the champion. Golden State who was at the top of the NBA in 2014 fell in 2015 to Cleveland and have now ascended to the mountain top of the NBA again in 2016. The Warriors are the undisputed champions again and with the young legs of Curry, Durant, Green and Klay Thompson Golden State may hold on to that title for a couple of years. My question is this Cleveland and Golden State are now rivals after meeting in the NBA Finals for three straight years. Will there be a ” Cavs-Warriors IV”?
Trevin A Jones
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