2017 NBA Finals Review: Golden State Warriors vs Cleveland Cavaliers
Though the early end to this year’s finals means that we won’t be seeing any more of the spectacular basketball on show, what we did see across five games was the blockbuster finals we had been promised and a fantastic display of basketball played at it’s absolute best.
Beginning in Oakland for game one, it seemed it would be Golden State all the way. Cleveland looked uncoordinated, undisciplined, and at times plain clumsy, while Warriors were the complete opposite, composed and in control. In front of Jesse Jackson, they eased home 113-91.
The Cavaliers improved in Game 2, communicating more as a team and making more of their chances, yet they could not find an answer for the Warriors. Golden State took control of the game early and asserted their lead throughout, despite a huge effort from LeBron James. Kevin Durant proved unstoppable in this game and Steph Curry had a triple-double in their second win.
Behind another incredible performance from James, Cleveland took a late lead in game three, thanks to good teamwork and outside play. Things were looking good for the Cavaliers, but Golden State were resilient, they stepped up their defence, and Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson’s combined 61 points kept them within contention. A late three from Durant put the visitors back on top.
This win put the Warriors on the brink of becoming the first team since the San Antonio Spurs in 2007 to sweep the finals, and, more importantly, the first team in NBA history to sweep their entire playoff run.
Cleveland had other plans, though. They came out of the blocks in Game 4 determined and attacked the basket hard. In a great show of team play, the Cavaliers performance in this game was astonishing. Five players scored in double digits, Kyrie Irving had 40 points and LeBron James had yet another triple-double in an encounter that would break many NBA Finals records. Golden State did not play badly in this game, but they were simply outclassed in one of the very best, if not the best, games of the season.
Cleveland looked like they had built some momentum going into Game 5 and took an early lead. Golden State, meanwhile, put aside the disappointment of three days prior and were once again playing basketball in their own way and in their own style. A 21-2 run late in the second quarter got them back in front.
The second half went back and forth between the teams, but the Warriors still had the advantage. The tension rose as the game went on, but it did not become more conservative, remaining a free-flowing game where players looked to make chances rather than see it out. LeBron James finished with 41 points and 13 rebounds to go with J.R. Smith’s 25, most of which coming in the second half, for the visitors, but Golden State executed terrific plays and continued their deadliness on the outside.
Cleveland continued to fight right to the end, but late shots made by Andre Igoudala and Steph Curry put the result beyond doubt. The clock ran out and Golden State deservedly celebrated a well-earned second championship.
While players like Curry, Igoudala and Klay Thompson among others have been here before, Kevin Durant, after eleven years in the NBA finally had a championship win to add to his list of achievements. He would join David West, Matt Barnes, JaVale McGee and Zaza Pachulia in celebrating having won a championship after years and years of searching for one. What’s more, his 35.2 points per game also earned him the title of Finals MVP.
After an unimpressive season, it looked as though Cleveland had saved the best for last, playing some truly exceptional basketball. Unfortunately for them it seemed to little too late, and were just unable to find a way to top their extraordinary opponents.
So ends the most spectacular NBA Finals in recent memory, a highly competitive series and a show of the world’s most talented players at the very top of their game. Unless another team can create something to challenge either side (and it looks like it would have to come out of nowhere) this looks to be a finals matchup we’ll be seeing again very soon.
