KD DETHRONES KING
MVP Durant scores 39, gets title he sought when he joined Warriors
OAKLAND, Calif. — As the gold confetti fell and a fresh NBA championship cap sat a tad off- kilter on his head, Kevin Durant embraced mother Wanda. Then he moved across the podium and hugged Stephen Curry before accepting his shiny MVP trophy and hoisting it for everyone to see.
Durant capped his spectacular first season with the Warriors by bringing home the coveted NBA championship he joined them last July so determined to get, scoring 39 points in a Finals- clinching 129- 120 victory Monday against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 5.
‘‘ It’s just a great group of guys, great community, great arena, great fans,’’ Durant said. ‘‘ I’m just so happy to be a part of it.’’
Curry added 34 points, 10 assists, six rebounds and three steals as the Warriors closed out their second title in the last three years after squandering a 3- 1 lead to the Cavaliers a year ago to miss a repeat. That had stung ever since, and even Durant understood because he had given up the same lead to the Warriors a round earlier with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
‘‘ We learned from everything we’ve been through,’’ Curry said during the trophy celebration. ‘‘ Our perspective, being blessed to play on this stage three years in a row, it’s for these fans, for our organization, for these families. To be back here, bring [ the trophy] back home, I’m just excited to do something special. I’m ready to do it again.’’
James, who in 2012 led the Miami Heat past the Thunder in Durant’s only other Finals, wound up with 41 points on 19- for- 30 shooting, 13 rebounds and eight assists. Kyrie Irving added 26 points after scoring 40 in the Cavaliers’ victory in Game 4 and J. R. Smith 25 on 9- for- 11 shooting, including 7- for- 8 from three- point range.
‘‘ I left everything on the floor every game,’’ James said after averaging a triple- double in his eighth Finals.
This time, though, King James gave way to KD, who was the Finals MVP 10 years after being picked second in the NBA draft behind Greg Oden.
‘‘ Well, I’m not happy he won his first; I’m not happy at all,’’ James said. ‘‘ Getting that first championship for me was like having my first son.’’
Durant drove left, right and down the middle, knocked down three- pointers, dished and dunked. He made a 17- foot fadeaway over James early in the fourth quarter, then assisted on a three- pointer by Andre Iguodala the next time down as the Warriors pulled away.
Iguodala, the 2015 Finals MVP, came up big again by scoring 20 points off the bench in a testy, tightly called finale to this trilogy Finals that everyone had stamped on the calendar from the moment Durant left the Thunder to join Curry and Co. last July.
Durant shot 14- for- 20, and Curry — who took a backseat as the new big star got acclimated — finished off a brilliant postseason. Not to mention a healthy one after his injuries in 2016.
The Warriors’ Draymond Green stayed on the court in a game that featured three technicals on one play 3: 08 before halftime. He had sat out Game 5 last season after he was suspended because of flagrant- foul point accumulation for taking a swipe at James’ groin in Game 4. He had 10 points, 12 rebounds and five assists in the clincher.
‘‘ I had a letdown last year,’’ Green said. ‘‘ If KD was the consolation prize to lose, thanks for that loss, and we’re champs this year.’’