Durant proves to be ultimate Warrior
Big man scores 39 points as Golden State knocks off defending champs to claim NBA title
OAKLAND — That meeting in the Hamptons last July that delivered Kevin Durant to the Golden State Warriors as he left the Oklahoma City Thunder always felt like a move that would change the NBA.
That was confirmed Monday night when the Warriors finished off the Cleveland Cavaliers for the second time in three years with a 129-120 victory in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, avenging last year’s seven game loss to the Cavs in the process.
But they needed every one of Durant’s 39 points to finish the deal and earn the Larry O’Brien trophy. Durant was named playoff MVP, averaging over 35 points per game in the playoff run.
The Warriors got it done in just five games but this series felt much closer than that.
In a series dominated by four players — Durant, Steph Curry, LeBron James and Kyrie Irving — Durant stood out even as James averaged a triple-double, something that had never been done in the NBA Finals. James was valiant with 41 points in Game 5.
But while James was his normal self, this win was extra sweet for Durant, who earned his first championship ring.
“I couldn’t sleep for two days. I was anxious and jittery and I just wanted to leave it all out there,” Durant said in the post-mortem.
Curry was no slouch himself in this series, but next to Durant, he was merely part of the supporting cast. Curry had 34 points in the clincher and averaged 28 in the series.
For the Cavs, James proved to be the only real threat, particularly after his wingman Irving spent much of the night hobbled with back pain.
Irving, who led the Cavs in scoring in each of Games 3 and 4, had 26 through three quarters Monday but did not score in the fourth. He was labouring visibly coming back up the court, allowing Curry a number of easy opportunities in the fourth.
Cavs’ J.R. Smith was also a factor with a 25-point night on the strength of 7-of-8 shooting from behind the arc.
At the half, the Warriors held an 11-point lead on the strength of a 21-2 run midway through the quarter.
For a while it looked like that run might just continue and the Warriors would put this one away early until Smith, the streakiest of streaky shooters, got it going.
With the lead up to 17 and halftime fast approaching, Smith hit backto-back threes on the Cavs final two possessions to get this back to a deficit that made it feel like the Cavs still had a shot.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the half was the fact that Kevin Love did not score at all. Love picked up two fouls in the first three minutes and had to go to the bench. He just wasn’t the same player we saw earlier in the series.
The Warriors had their own foul troubles to deal with as three starters — Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Durant — all finished the first half with two fouls.
Durant looked like he might get his third early in the second when he hit James on the head as the Cavs leader drove for two, but the call never came and Durant avoided what would have been a seat on the bench for the remainder of the half.