Stephen Curry scored 37 points, Kevin Durant added a triple-double and another NBA Finals MVP trophy and the Warriors won their second straight title and third in four years on Friday night. A 108-85 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers completed a sweep and will perhaps drive LeBron James from
his home again to chase championships.
Love them or hate them, there is no denying them.
That's how you know we're a great team, is when everybody's coming after us,' Durant said.
'Whether it's opponents, whether it's different coaches panning for us, whether it's the fans, the media that hate us, it feels good when you're the team that everybody's gunning for. It makes us better.'
No team is better. Golden State. Golden standard.
Overcoming obstacles all season long, the Warriors won their fourth straight finals matchup against James and Cleveland with ease.
'Looking at this playoff journey, we knew it wasn't going to be as easy as last year,' Curry said. 'Then the challenges that faced us. In October we wanted to be back in this moment, and a lot went into it. It's a great feeling to be back here;
It was the first sweep in the NBA Finals since 2007, when James was dismissed by a powerful San Antonio team in his first one. His eighth straight appearance didn't go well either, and now there's uncertainty where the superstar will play next.
James, who said he 'pretty much played the last three games with a broken hand' after injuring himself in frustration following Game 1, finished with 23 points and spent the final minutes on the bench, contemplating what went wrong and maybe his next move.
Following the game, he sat quietly in his corner locker with a towel draped over his head. He arrived at his post-game news conference with a large black brace on his right hand and explained the injury was 'self-inflicted' following an overtime loss in Game 1, which included a reversed official's call and teammate J.R. Smith dribbling out the clock to end regulation.
'I had emotions of you just don't get an opportunity like this on the road versus Golden State to be able to get a Game 1, and I let the emotions get the best of me,' James said. 'Pretty much played the last three games with a broken hand, so that's what it is.'
Act four between the Warriors and Cavs featured a drama-filled Game 1. But from there on, Durant, Curry, Thompson, Draymond Green and the rest of this California crew showed why they're the game's gold standard.
And they may stay that way.
Not wanting to give the Cavs or their fans any hope despite the fact that no team has ever overcome a 3-0 deficit in the NBA playoffs, the Warriors built a nine-point halftime lead when Curry ignored a closeout by James and dropped a 3-pointer.
Then the league's best team tightened the screws on Cleveland in the third quarter, outscoring the Cavs 25-13 and prompting Golden State fans to begin those drawn-out 'War-eee-orrss' chants that provide a perfect musical accompaniment to their 3-point barrages.
By the start of the fourth, the only question was whether Curry would win his first NBA Finals MVP or if it would go to Durant for the second year in a row.
And again, it was Durant, who added 12 rebounds and 10 assists - more satisfaction and validation for a player who couldn't beat the Warriors so he joined them.
After surviving a rougher-than-usual regular season and beating top-seeded Houston in Game 7 on the road in the West finals, the Warriors pushed aside James and joined an elite group of teams to win multiple championships in a four-year span.
Only Bill Russell's Boston Celtics, the 'Showtime' Lakers and the Los Angeles squad led by Kobe and Shaq, and Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls have been as dominant in such a short period of time.
The Dub Dynasty.
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| LEBRONE BROKEN DOWN AFTER THE FINAL WISTLE |
The path to this title was more precarious than the first two for coach Steve Kerr and the Warriors, who overcame injuries, expectations, a built-to-dethrone-them Rockets team and the brilliance of James, who may have played his final game in Cleveland.
The 33-year-old, who came back to the Cavs and ended the city's 52-year championship drought in 2016, is expected to opt out of his $35.6 million (£26.5m) contract and become a free agent.
(SOURCE: DAILY MAIL UK)
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