Cleveland Cavaliers 85 – 108 Golden State Warriors
It was like seeing Avengers: Infinity War all over again.
We all wanted to see a different NBA Finals, to make the NBA fun and exciting again. When the final matchup was slated to be a rematch of the past three NBA Finals, we hoped to see something different.
We hoped that previous Cleveland Cavaliers vs Golden State Warriors results would matter little and that LeBron James would be able to do the impossible. We hoped to see something different, something more memorable, to come out of this seemingly one-sided massacre.
However, everyone knew how the Avengers fared against Thanos. All of the planning done by these heroes were undone once Thanos got all the stones he needed.
In the case of the Warriors, the Infinity Stones were the Hamptons Five and Steve Kerr’s genius coaching. There was simply nothing James, Cleveland and the rest of the league could do but shudder at the sight of a dynasty being built at the Bay.
They sit on the throne as it was prophesised, and it seems like there’s nothing we can do but pray the monotony of the league does not extend its stay.
Highlights of the Game
You don’t need to check any Golden State Warriors highlights to know at which quarter did the Cavs see their hopes of an upset crumble. The Dubs have always been a third-quarter team, and this game didn’t make any difference.
Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant led a charge at the start of the second half that doomed the Cavs into another summer of disappointment. Curry had 25 points by the time the third frame was past the half-way point, and the rest of the Dubs played beautiful, unselfish basketball while keeping the rest of the Cavaliers on a low shooting night.
The Dubs entered the last quarter of the NBA season with an eye-popping lead, and the quiet Quicken Loans Arena crowd was slowly coming to terms with the idea of the Warriors celebrating their third championship in four games on their home floor.
The Warriors started giving out celebratory embraces when the Hamptons Five were taken off the court with a 25-point lead and 2:47 remaining on the clock. Every single player on the Golden State bench was smiling and preparing for a long night of high fives and champagne fizzing everywhere. Meanwhile, LeBron looked sullen as he spent the last four minutes of the 2017/18 season on the bench, mulling over his future.
Key Statistics
Durant was named Finals MVP for two straight years. He joins an elite company of players that have done the feat: among those in the club are James, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon and Michael Jordan.
This is also the first time a team has won back-to-back NBA championships. The last ball club to do so was LeBron’s Miami Heat in 2012-2013. The last Western Conference team to win back-to-back titles was Kobe’s Los Angeles Lakers in 2009 and 2010.
This is also the first NBA title for veteran journeyman Nick Young. The 33-year-old, also known by his “Swaggy P” monicker, has bounced around from Washington, Toronto, Philadelphia and Los Angeles before finally getting crowned as NBA Champion at the Bay.
What’s Next?
The future is far from the minds of the Golden State Warriors as they just want to celebrate their victory after a testing season of basketball. However, it’s not bad to consider things moving forward.
Kevin Durant has an upcoming player option in the summer. It’s obvious that he wants to stay with Golden State, but going with the option means that one of the team’s key role men would have to go. Young, David West, JaVale McGee and Zaza Pachulia are at the end of their contracts, and Durant may take a pay cut to keep them.
There have also been reports of Klay Thompson being willing to take a pay cut to keep the roster. After all, their toughest challenge in the playoffs came from the West where a tough Houston Rockets squad took them to seven games.
The future is up in the air for James and Cleveland. We can be certain that James will want to keep his streak of eight consecutive Finals appearances going, and the Cavaliers don’t look the least bit ready to help him make it back.
There are plenty of teams that want LeBron’s signature. After all, his mere presence on the court instantly turns any team into instant contenders. It will be interesting to see where LeBron heads from here. After all, he has fulfilled his promise and brought a championship to the Land. Fans all over the league will be looking up LeBron James updates in order to find out where he will take his talents next.
Should LeBron leave, there are plenty of options the Cavs could take. They could unload Love to get some draft picks. They could also look for young players in the draft. However, they should definitely not keep Tyronn Lue in the bench for one more season.
Even if LeBron does decide to stay in Ohio, there’s nothing Lue could do except being a yes man to one of the greatest players to ever play the game.
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