*The Golden State Warriors have done it again. Friday night in Cleveland, they beat the Cavaliers 108-85 to take home their third NBA crown in four years — all with Cleveland as their opponent. It was a performance befitting a team that will go down among the greats in the history of the sport.
A team that appears to be in the early stages of a dynasty, Golden State was ferocious on defense and seamlessly smooth on offense. In fact, they played so well, the swept the LeBron James led Cavaliers 4 games to none.
Here’s more from the Washington Post:
The Warriors produced seven steals and 13 blocks while defending and 14 three-pointers, 25 assists and just eight turnovers when they had the ball — evidence of what the team is capable of when focused, as Golden State clearly was in the clincher.
Most importantly, the Warriors’ two former MVP winners, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, were locked in. Curry had 37 points, including going 7-for-15 from three, while Durant followed up his 43-point performance in Game 3 with his first triple-double — 20 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists — in an NBA Finals game en route to being named the series MVP.
LeBron James, meanwhile, had 23 points, seven rebounds and eight assists in 41 minutes, as his incredible playoff run came to a quiet end. He checked out for the final time with 4:03 remaining to a standing ovation, as well as an MVP chant from the fans here inside Quicken Loans Arena.
The question now is whether it was the final time James will have played a game in Cleveland, with free agency looming for him this summer.
Steph holding Larry for the 3rd time pic.twitter.com/UBeDwprPfl
— Michael Lee (@MrMichaelLee) June 9, 2018
For Golden State, though, Friday night’s victory moved the franchise into rarefied air. The Warriors’ successful title defense marked the 13th time in NBA history a team has won at least two in a row, and they became the seventh franchise to do so, joining the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets, Miami Heat and Detroit Pistons.
Claiming a third title in four years puts the Warriors in even rarer company. It’s only happened six other times in NBA history — the last being when the Lakers won three titles in a row from 2000-02.
LeBron James looked back at Steph Curry with so much disdain after this one dropped pic.twitter.com/bZqIlC90a0
— Michael Lee (@MrMichaelLee) June 9, 2018
Get the rest of this article at the Washington Post.
We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!
