Jitters then joy as Warriors clinch title
Game 4 erased the Warriors’ chance at playoff perfection. Game 5 brought plenty of ‘‘could this really happen, this way, again?’’ angst.
But what always felt inevitable was finally made official yesterday: the Warriors are NBA champions again, for the second time in three years, clinching the 2017 title with a 129-120 Game 5 putaway of Lebron James and his powerful Cavaliers.
Before the final buzzer sounded, the Warriors shovelled the ball over to Kevin Durant, allowing him to dribble out the clock and bask in the moment, beginning an emotional celebration of the first major sports title won by a Bay Area team at home since 1974.
For Durant, this is a longawaited NBA title No 1, finally obtained in Year 10, playing for his second franchise. And in these finals, it was well-earned. He had the dunk-fest in Game 1, the blockfest in Game 2, the iconic 3 in Game 3 and the loud closing statement to help seal Game 5, taking home the Finals MVP trophy.
After another of J R Smith’s moonshot 3s, the Cavaliers had it within five to start the fourth quarter. A James layup on the quarter’s first possession cut it to three. You could feel the nervousness circling the building.
But on the following possession, the Warriors just dumped it to Durant high up on the right post and he jab-stepped a defending James and then planted a jumper right over him. The next time down, after a defensive stop, the Warriors went back to the well and the Cavaliers, fearing the same result, tossed an extra defender Durant’s way.
Durant read the situation perfectly, fired a cross-court pass into Andre Iguodala’s shooting pocket and the super-sub continued his huge night by burying a 3, jumping the lead back to eight.
The sequence summed up the series, a third version of Warriorscavaliers but the first with a Durant injection. Cleveland had an answer for plenty, but not Durant, not in the series-deciding moments.
Durant outplayed James in Game 1 finishing with 38 points and zero turnovers. He backed it up with a 33-point, 13-rebound, 5-block Hakeem Olajuwon-like Game 2, stuffing a Kevin Love postup to punctuate the dominant win.
Then in Game 3, with the series teetering between a competition and a steamroll, he ripped out Cleveland’s hearts with a 7-0 run in the final minute, highlighted by the shot of his life - and he’s made nearly 7000 of them in the NBA - a 26-footer from the left wing, one of his favourite spots on the floor, released high above James’ helpless contest.
Both Durant and the Warriors blew their first closeout chance in Game 4.
But they were delivered a prime chance to vanquish that loss - and the 3-1 ghosts that haunted them at home in Game 5. And though the Cavaliers crawled and James played unbelievably, they were helpless to Durant’s lethal efficiency in the game’s biggest moments, impossible to contain amidst the other stars the Warriors already had.
The Cavaliers had a strong start. But two Durant 3s helped bring the Warriors back in the first half. Then, as Cleveland tried to climb back in the second half, Durant continually delivered jab after jab to stagger the Cavaliers back.
In all, he finished Game 5 with 39 points on 14-of-20 shooting, making five of his eight 3s. He scored more than 30 points in every game in the series. He led the Warriors in rebounds and blocks.
And he dribbled out the clock in that final moment, sealing the win and then - after a congratulatory hug from James - celebrated with his team-mates and family.