COMEBACKS, CUPCAKES, AND BEATING THE CAVS
JUNE 12 Game 5 win over Cleveland
Three nights after dropping Game 4 of the NBA Finals by 21 points in Cleveland, the Warriors held off the Cavaliers 129-120 in Game 5 for their second NBA title in three years. Kevin Durant, who was lured from Oklahoma City for this moment, led the way with 39 points before being named Finals MVP.
The Cavaliers’ potent tandem of LeBron James (41 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists) and Kyrie Irving (26 points, six assists) wasn’t enough to overcome arguably the most loaded roster the NBA has seen in decades. That Game 5 win was a fitting cap to a dominant season for Golden State, which won 31 of its final 33 games (including 16 of 17 playoff games).
It was payback for last year’s Finals collapse to Cleveland and helped hush those still critical of the Warriors for signing Durant. The question now is how many more titles Golden State, which has a core of players in their prime, can win.
FEB. 11 Durant’s return to Oklahoma
It was a regular-season game, but Durant’s first return to Oklahoma City had a playoffcaliber atmosphere. Cupcakes — a reference to the jab that Thunder players use to call each other “soft” — were the theme: a young girl dressed as one; an obese man near Oklahoma City’s bench bore one in paint on his chest; signs with cupcakes dotted the crowd. It was all more fuel as Durant helped propel Golden State to a 130-114 win.
On a night dominated by tension, the player once considered Oklahoma City’s adopted son reminded Thunder fans why his July 4 departure caused such heartache. Durant overcame a shaky start to finish with 34 points and nine rebounds.
The game reached a boiling point of sorts late in the third quarter. With the Warriors up 20, Durant was fouled by Andre Roberson. The two traded barbs until they were separated by team-
mates. As referees reviewed the exchange, Draymond Green got into a verbal feud with a fan sitting courtside. Soon enough, police officers intervened.
About a half-hour after the final buzzer, outside the visiting locker room, Green and Stephen Curry wore cupcake T-shirts during their media sessions. It was a sign of solidarity with Durant.
MAY 14 Game 1 reversal over Spurs
In Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, the Spurs led by 25 points in the first half. Midway through the third quarter, with the Spurs up 23, San Antonio forward Kawhi Leonard trudged to the locker room after spraining his left ankle.
Golden State unleashed an 18-0 run before eventually escaping with a 113-111 win. With Leonard sidelined the rest of the series, the Warriors swept the Spurs. The question, of course, is how different things would have been had Leonard not been injured.
This much is obvious: With Leonard on the floor, San Antonio almost definitely would have held on to win Game 1. Stealing a victory at Oracle Arena could have changed the tenor of the series for the Spurs.
NOV. 23 Assist-fest against Lakers
The Warriors are as dynamic as any NBA team in more than a decade, and that was never more apparent than during their 149-106 rout of the Lakers on Nov. 23. Only three weeks after losing to Los Angeles at Staples Center, Golden State shot 61.6 percent from the field and 19-of-36 from beyond the arc.
Most startling was the Warriors’ ball movement. Golden State has long had a penchant for the extra pass, but this was at a different level against the Lakers. The Warriors had assists on 47 of their 53 field goals to set a franchise record. It was the most assists in an NBA game since Phoenix dished out 47 in a win over Charlotte on Nov. 29, 1991.
“Forty-seven assists on 50-something field goals is one of the greatest stats I’ve ever heard or seen,” Lakers head coach Luke Walton, a former Warriors assistant, said at the time. “Unfortunately, it happened against us, but to me, that’s basketball at its best.”
JAN. 16 First rout of Cleveland
From the moment the Warriors squandered a 3-1 lead in the 2016 Finals, they turned their focus toward exorcising that memory. The entire regular season was an extended prelude to the much-anticipated Finals rematch.
As far as regular-season games go, Golden State’s late meltdown on Christmas in Cleveland was big news. Less than a month later, in the friendly confines of Oracle Arena, Golden State redeemed itself with a 126-91 rout of the Cavaliers.
The teams’ 1-1 record against each other in the regular season only amplified the intrigue as they barreled toward the playoffs. Ultimately, the Finals were a bit more lopsided.