In the Finals loss to Golden State – a 129-120 victory in Game 5 secured the championship for the Warriors – James became the first player to average a triple double in the finals, posting 33.6 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists per game.
This is the Warriors’ fifth National Basketball Association title in franchise history and its second in three years.
For the second time within three years, the Golden State Warriors are the NBA Finals champions after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers once again early this morning (Tuesday).
Durant, the MVP of the Finals, had 39 points, and Curry added 34 for the Warriors, who captured the best-of-seven series 4-1 against the defending champions.
These are the accomplishments of a team that should be considered among the all-time greats. Without their best player, the Warriors would have had more difficulty matching up with James and Kyrie Irving.
“These guys are so gifted and committed to each other and so unselfish”, Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “The game gets worse as time goes on”.
After trailing by as much as 14 in the third quarter, they used a 11-3 run to cut the deficit to five on a Tristan Thompson putback layup that spiked the heart-rates of the sellout crowd. The guys in the 50s would’ve destroyed everybody. While Draymond Green gets well-deserved credit for being the player that keys the “small-ball” Team of Death, Iggy’s role as the Fifth Musketeer is nearly as important.
And when your support is averaging nearly 28 points a night, you know you’re going to be in pretty good shape. In fact, it would have been far worse than previous year as the Cavaliers would have been the first team to come back from tan 0-3 in the NBA Finals. Golden State was favored from as high as -8 at the MGM to as low as -2 at William Hill US.
Other than LeBron and Irving, the Cavaliers just aren’t good enough to stay with not only the best offensive team in the National Basketball Association but one of the very best defensively, too. However, those odds increased to minus-200 after Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry & Co. ran roughshod over the Cavs en route a historic 16-1 run in the 2017 NBA Playoffs.
In order to stay competitive and have a chance to win a championship next year, the Cavaliers will have to make some big moves. They’re pretty darn good right now….
The NBA Finals MVP is, again, expected to opt out of the 1-and-1 deal he signed last offseason.
“Experience is the best teacher in life, and he’s just experiencing and experiencing and experiencing”, James said.
But the win won’t really change the minds of people who believe Durant took the easy route to a championship by joining the already-stacked Golden State Warriors.
James, who in 2012 with Miami beat the Thunder in Durant’s only other Finals, wound up with 41 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists.
Michael Jordan, very much an admired and emulated player by James and Bryant, was flawless in six trips to the Finals. “But one thing I know about LeBron James, though, he’ll probably be back in the gym the start of July getting ready for next season”.
However, Kevin Durant was one win away from validating his highly criticized move last summer when he made a decision to join what most already considered a “SuperTeam”.