5. Warriors domination is real
Golden State concluded a dominant 16-1 postseason with a 129-120 win over the Cavaliers in Game 5 of the Finals Monday night. The utter domination this team showed in winning its second title in three years simply cannot be overstated. It took a record-setting performance from the Cavaliers in Game 4 in order for the Warriors to lose even one playoff game. In the end, Golden State concluded the year having won 31 of its final 33 games.
During the playoffs, Golden State would ultimately put up 110-plus points in its final 10 games, including Monday’s 129-point performance.
More than anything, the addition of Kevin Durant made this team pretty much unbeatable. He went at LeBron James in the Finals, coming away with the MVP in the process. It was an absolutely brilliant five-game performance from Durant.
Kevin Durant finished the NBA Finals averaging 35.2 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 5.4 APG, 1.6 BPG, 1 SPG. He shot 55.6% on FGs, 47.4% on 3s, 92.7% on FTs.
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) June 13, 2017
Meanwhile, Stephen Curry averaged almost a triple-double in the Finals. It was big for the two-time reigning NBA MVP to put the past two Finals performances behind him. While he wasn’t the most talked about player on the Warriors, Curry’s light’s out performance in the Finals was a necessity to define his legacy in Oakland.
With two NBA titles in the past three years, the Warriors are likely in the midst of a dynasty. Their core players are all under 30 years old. And it looks like both Curry and Durant will return as free agents this upcoming July. A season that started out with championship aspirations concluded with Golden State hoisting the Larry O’Brien on its home court. While there wasn’t a whole bunch of drama here, the Warriors’ utter domination was historical.