Golden State defeat Cleveland Cavaliers to claim NBA crown
Tuesday 13 June 2017 07:05, UK
The Golden State Warriors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 129-120 to win their second NBA championship in three seasons with a 4-1 finals series victory.
The Warriors, who beat Cleveland in the 2015 Finals only to lose to them last year after squandering a 3-1 series lead, went a record-setting 15-1 in the playoffs, their only loss coming in Game Four of the best-of-seven championship.
Kevin Durant led the way for the Warriors with 39 points, with Stephen Curry contributing 34.
But it took a team effort for the Warriors to overcome a determined Cavaliers' squad, including contributions from 33-year-old veteran Andre Iguodala and 21-year-old Patrick McCaw.
Though the Cavaliers led 37-33 at the end of the first quarter, Golden State soon reasserted their dominance by winning the second 38-23 to lead 71-60 at half-time.
The Cavs narrowed the gap slightly in the third, with LeBron James hitting a game-high 41 points, but defensive breakdowns by Cleveland led to easy baskets late in the game for the Warriors as they sealed victory at the Oracle Arena in Oakland.
Durant was named finals MVP after scoring over 30 points in each of the five games as he averaged 35.2 per game across the series.
