Warriors avenge Finals collapse to win second championship in 3 years with masterful takedown of Cavaliers
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Loading...The Golden State Warriors avenged their 2016 Finals collapse with a 129-120 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 5 to win the 2017 championship.
The title marks the Warriors' second in three years, and potentially, the beginning of a dynasty.
After going up 3-0 in the series, the Warriors ran into a Cavs team with perhaps more fight left than anyone expected. Following a Game 4 trouncing in Cleveland, the Cavs once again gave the Warriors a test in Game 5, buoyed by the one-on-one magic of LeBron James and Kyrie Irving and some hot shooting from J.R. Smith.
But in the fourth quarter, leading by five, the Warriors turned to the man they brought in to get them back over the hump: Kevin Durant. Durant was nearly flawless in Game 5, scoring 39 points on 14-20 shooting, with seven rebound and five assists.
He wasn't alone, of course. Stephen Curry chipped in 34 points on 10-20 shooting with six rebounds and 10 assists. The Warriors also got a huge game from Andre Iguodala off the bench, as he contributed 20 points in 38 minutes and dutifully locked down Irving and James.
LeBron James (41 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists) and Kyrie Irving (26 points, six assists) did their best to counter the Warriors' offensive blitz, but an off night from Kevin Love—who was limited to six points and was minus-21 in 29 minutes—and shaky bench showing prevented Cleveland from landing a late haymaker.
In the process, the Warriors may be looking at the beginning of a dynasty. They face a big offseason, with the free agencies of Durant, Curry, Iguodala, and Shaun Livingston. But Durant is reportedly willing to take less than the max to re-sign with the Warriors. In doing so, the Warriors will not need cap space to re-sign Iguodala and Livingston. And Curry, after years of being underpaid, will be eligible of a max contract worth approximately $205 million over five years.
The Warriors have a core of four All-NBA stars, in their primes, eligible to be locked up long term. Odds are, this is not the last we see of them.
Source: Bloomberg Pro Terminal
Jr Trader Alexander Kumanov
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