NOT QUITE PERFECT, BUT GREAT ENOUGH
The Warriors against the Cavaliers has developed into one of the great rivalries of this generation.
The two teams headed into their third straight NBA Finals confrontation having cruised through the postseason with just one loss between them — and more than a bit of bad blood to add extra motivation. They had split their previous two Finals meetings, and each team believed that if not for an unexpected twist (Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love’s injuries in the 2015 Finals for the Cavs, and Draymond Green’s Game 5 suspension for the Warriors the next year) they would be back-toback champs.
For the Warriors, the Game 7 loss in 2016 after they squandered a 3-1 series lead still stung, and the Cavs had not let them forget about it. LeBron James’ Halloween party included decorations alluding to the “death” of the 3-1 lead, along with tombstone-shaped cookies with Steph Curry’s and Klay Thompson’s names on them. The Warriors weren’t pleased, and Thompson called James’ trolling “childish.”
So it wasn’t surprising that shutting the Cavs up and atoning for the previous season’s loss was a bigger priority for the Warriors than finishing the first undefeated postseason in NBA history. They began the job impressively, with a 113-91 win in Game 1 at Oracle Arena. Steph Curry was brilliant with 28 points, including six three-pointers, and 10 assists,
but it was hard to argue with James’ answer when he was asked what stood out to him about the Warriors. “KD,” he said. The Cavs had no answer for Durant, who had 38 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. He seemed to be holding his own personal dunk contest in the first half, when he soared to the rim for six slams with little resistance from Cleveland.
Game 2 was just as onesided, with the Warriors cruising to a 132-113 victory, but the biggest headline was on the bench, where Steve Kerr made his long-awaited return, coaching for the first time since Game 2 of the first round against Portland. He returned to the bench to a rousing ovation from the Oracle crowd, and had the best seat in the house to watch Curry accomplish his first postseason triple-double, a 33-11-10 performance that included one of the highlights of the series, a one-onone confrontation in which Curry’s dazzling ballhandling all but tied James in a knot before Curry blew past him for a layup.
Despite the two blowouts, it was clear in Game 3 that the Cavs had conceded nothing. The game was tight most of the way, and the Cavs held a 113-107 lead with 3:39 left after a J.R. Smith three-pointer. But it would be their last points of the game. The Warriors finished with an 11-0 run, and Durant supplied the dagger — a three-pointer with 45 seconds left that gave them a 114-113 lead before they closed out the 118-113 win.
With a 3-0 lead in the series, the Warriors were finally willing to publicly entertain the thought of an undefeated postseason. “It’s not something we’ve focused on,
but now that we’re one game away, it’s out there,” Draymond Green said. “We might as well go get it.”
But the Cavs had other ideas. They played their best game of the series in Game 4, scoring 49 points in the first quarter and 86 in the first half. The Warriors were down 18 at halftime, and they never made a serious run after that. Irving finished with 40 points and James put up a triple-double, and the dream of an undefeated postseason was gone.
The Warriors weren’t especially concerned about losing their chance at the first perfect postseason. They were more concerned with making sure there would be no repeat of the blown 3-1 lead. There was also the silver lining that the loss gave them a chance to win the title on their home court for the first time since the franchise moved to the Bay Area.
That, of course, is exactly what they did. Game 5 was a choppy, tightly called affair that the Warriors eventually broke open with a 28-4 second quarter run. Once again, Durant (39 points) and Curry (34) did the bulk of the scoring, with a 20-point contribution from Andre Iguodala. When the Warriors finished off the 129-120 victory, the memory of their Finals loss seemed a lifetime ago. The confetti fell. Curry and Durant hugged. Durant and his mother, Wanda, embraced. The Warriors fans who had seen their longtime doormat of a franchise become NBA royalty over the last several seasons enjoyed the one thing they had not seen in this glorious three-year run — a Warriors title won right in front of them.
The Warriors were champions again, and with a smart coach, a bold front office, a core of stars in their primes and a reliable cast of role players, there was the feeling that there will be many more celebrations to come.