The Warriors side was simply too versatile on both ends of the floor and far more cohesive than the Cavaliers, who never found a rhythm or a specific style of play except for leaning on LeBron James.
The Golden State Warriors lived up to its favourites billing by defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers for the third time in the last four years to win its sixth overall NBA title. The NBA would have liked to market the finals as a pulsating and even keel contest between an unstoppable force (the Kevin Durantled Warriors) and an immovable object (the LeBron Jamesanchored Cavaliers), but it was not to be. The Warriors shut out the Cavaliers 40 and — barring a fortuitous opening game victory, helped by a mental lapse by Cavaliers shooting guard J. R. Smith in the final seconds of regulation time — the team never looked like losing a game.
The anti-climatic finals should not take away from the Cavaliers march to that stage. Featuring a squad that changed considerably over the course of the season, the team beat the odds time and again in reaching the finals, helped by talisman LeBron James, who had a spectacular 15th NBA season and willed his team forward through some outstanding performances.
But even a resurgent James couldn’t handle the might of the Warriors’ four-headed beast — ace shooters in guards Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, finals most valuable player Durant and defensive lynchpin Draymond Green. The Warriors side was simply too versatile on both ends of the floor and far more cohesive than the Cavaliers, who never found a rhythm or a specific style of play except for leaning on James.
Route to the title
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