2017 NBA Finals

gswbwitt

A look back on one of the most impressive and entertaining seasons in NBA history.

The days and moments in the immediate aftermath of the Warriors’ 2017 NBA Championship have been quite a blur. There were trophies to be raised, champagne to be sprayed and parades in which to partake. But when the dust settled and the thousands of pounds of confetti were swept up from the streets of downtown Oakland on Thursday, one resounding truth emerged from the crazed scene that had just unfolded:

You could make the case that no team in NBA history entered a season with as big or bright a spotlight focused on them as this year’s Warriors team. Adding Kevin Durant and others to a core contingent that won 73 games a year prior placed a gigantic target on their backs, and there would be no easing into the pursuit of a third-straight trip to the NBA Finals. They had the talent, sure, but winning in the NBA is about more than just that. When you’re getting the opposition’s best shot on a nightly basis, the process of integrating a half-new roster demands expedition.

There were growing pains along the way, although their record may not have obviously reflected it. There were feeling-out stages, new systems to acclimate to and new tendencies to learn. There was adversity, pain and depletion – and not just limited to the players.

"Obviously Steve [Kerr] leaving out was definitely unexpected," said Draymond Green. "We thought we had went through that before and were never going through it again, and yet he needed to step down.  But the great thing that Steve does is he empowers everyone."

In the end, they accomplished what they set out to do. The Golden State Warriors are NBA Champions once more, having placed the cherry on top of a season full of delectable treats. The massive volume of noteworthy numbers and statistics is enough to make your head spin.

Let’s work backwards, shall we? Start with Game 5 of the Finals, in which Golden State capped a 16-1 (.941) run through the postseason on their way to the Championship – that’s the highest single-season postseason winning percentage in NBA history. Over the course of those 17 games, the Warriors outscored their opponents by an average of 13.5 points per contest, the second largest average scoring margin in a single postseason in NBA history (minimum five games played). Their average of 121.6 points per game in the Finals was the fourth highest mark all-time and the highest in 50 years.

Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry combined for 62.0 of those points per game, the third highest combined scoring average by a winning duo in Finals history. Durant was the unanimous Finals MVP after becoming the fourth player ever to score at least 30 points in every game of the Finals for the winning team, and joined Magic Johnson and Moses Malone as the only players in league history to win the Finals MVP award in their first season with a team. Outside of Durant, Michael Jordan is the only other player to ever average at least 35 points, eight rebounds and five assists per game in the Finals prior to being named MVP of the series.

"I'm just so happy for Kevin," said a grinning Steve Kerr at the Championship podium. "I'm happy for all of our guys.  It's interesting, when you look at championship teams, each player kind of has their own story...but Kevin has a very unique story. I'm just happy for him.  He's had an amazing career, but he just took it to the next level.  He was incredible all season long.  He had an amazing series, just dominated."

Before dispatching the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Finals trilogy, the Warriors had to get there first. They went ‘four-four-four’ on their way through the Western Conference bracket, sweeping each of the Trail Blazers, Jazz and Spurs in the first three rounds. It marked the first time in franchise history the Warriors had swept three playoff series in a single postseason, and only the fourth instance in NBA history that a team recorded three consecutive series sweeps in one playoff campaign. To further highlight the rarity of their accomplishment, consider this: Golden State had just two four-game sweeps in franchise history coming into the 2017 postseason.

Golden State entered the playoffs as the number one overall seed for the third consecutive year after finishing the regular season with a record of 67-15. In doing so, they became the first team ever to win at least 65 games in three-straight seasons, and their 207 regular season victories over that period are the most over a three-season span in NBA history. As the lead man at the helm, Steve Kerr joined Pat Riley and Rick Carlisle as the only coaches to win division titles in each of their first three seasons as head coach.

"Steve is just, he's got a great brain," Andre Iguodala related following Game 5. "It's always working.  He's trying to figure everything out like, okay, I know what I got, I know how to get the best out of each one of these guys.  But we're going to take it to the next level.  He's always trying to take it to the next layer, the next layer.  It's like an onion, keep peeling it back.  It's so intricate...But he does a great job of knowing how to communicate with the each individual, which is key, because everybody's different."

The Warriors finished the season with the NBA’s best home and away records, going 36-5 at Oracle Arena and 31-10 on the road. After going 34-7 on the road a year ago, the Dubs joined the Chicago Bulls (1995-96 and 1996-97) as the only teams to win 30 road games in back-to-back seasons.

15 of Golden State’s 67 regular season victories came after trailing by double digits. In six of those wins, the Warriors came back to win after trailing by 15 points or more, including a 22-point deficit the Warriors overcame in San Antonio on March 29. According to ESPN Stats &amp; Info, the Warriors are 3-0 when trailing by more than 15 points after the first quarter in the last three seasons; the rest of the NBA has a 14-163 record (.079) in that span.

Offensively, the Warriors were the cream of the crop during the regular season, a harbinger of things to come in the playoffs. In a year that saw the best league-wide offensive efficiency since the NBA started charting turnovers in 1977-78, Golden State scored 113.2 points per 100 possessions, the top offensive rating in the NBA and a full 7.0 points better than the league average. With an effective field goal percentage (which adjusts for the added value of three-pointers) of 56.3 percent, the Warriors set the NBA record in that category for the second-straight year. They shot 50.0 percent or better from the field in 39 games, and went undefeated in those contests. Golden State posted 19 40-point quarters, including the fourth 50-point quarter in franchise history in the third frame against the Clippers on February 23. Twice they notched two 40-point quarters in the same game.

The Dubs led the NBA with an average of 30.4 assists per game during the regular season, the most by a team since the Lakers averaged 31.4 in 1984-85. Golden State dished out 30-or-more assists a franchise-record 50 times (second-most in NBA history), and finished 49-1 in those games. Three times over the course of the season they notched at least 40 assists in a single game, while the entire rest of the league combined to do so just once.

Golden State was also relatively dominant on the defensive end of the floor. Their 101.1 points allowed per 100 possessions trailed only San Antonio for the best defensive rating in the league and had plenty to do with the Warriors leading the NBA in average point differential (plus-11.6 points per game) during the regular season. They ranked first in the league in steals (9.6) and blocks (6.8) per game, and held their opponents to the lowest field goal (.435) and three-point field goal (.324) percentages of any team in the Association. They also ranked among the top three finishers in deflections, loose balls recovered, contested two-point shots and contested shots per game.

From a player perspective, the Warriors’ regular season was littered with fantastic individual performances. Klay Thompson scored 60 points in three quarters while taking only 11 dribbles. Draymond Green, a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year, recorded the first triple-double in league history that didn’t include points. Curry finished with the second-most single-season three-pointers in NBA history, and Durant became the first Warriors player in the Shot Clock Era to score at least 40 points on fewer than 16 shot attempts. All members of that quartet made the Western Conference All-Star team, giving the Warriors four All-Stars for the first time in franchise history. Of the four, only Thompson missed out on making an All-NBA team.

It wasn’t just star power, though. The Warriors’ bench scored 50-or-more points in eight regular season games, and Golden State was 26-3 in games in which their reserves outscored that of the opposition. In fitting right in with the team’s ‘Strength In Numbers’ motto, Ian Clark, Shaun Livingston, JaVale McGee, Zaza Pachulia and Sixth Man of the Year Finalist Andre Iguodala all registered the best field goal percentages of their respective careers. David West, who had never played the center position before in his previous 13 years in the NBA, became an integral spoke in Golden State’s three-headed center rotation. Patrick McCaw, a rookie second round pick, started 20 regular season games and played 12 crucial minutes in the Warriors’ championship-clinching victory.

Every team has weaknesses, but thanks to Golden State’s enviable collection of talent and depth, those points of vulnerability were few and far between. The ‘Strength in Numbers’ principle wasn’t restricted solely to the players, either. Lest we overlook the contributions of Mike Brown, who helped guide the team to 11 consecutive postseason victories while Kerr was out due to health reasons.

Sure, they made it look easy at times, but then again, looks can be deceiving. Winning in the NBA is hard – really hard – and the Warriors had to leave it all on the floor in order to complete one of the more impressive seasons in the history of the league.

"Coach always said, that's why you spray champagne on yourselves and teammates in the locker room after you win a championship, because you understand how hard it is to get this job done," said Curry wearing a drenched 2017 NBA Champions t-shirt at the podium following Game 5. "No matter what people said about us going into this season, a lot of hard work went into it."

"So to be able to be back in this position, be world champs again, be able to celebrate and enjoy this experience, it's unbelievable," Curry continued. "It's hard to compare what that feeling was the first time, but it's pretty darn close. So I'm going to enjoy this whole summer, as a champion."

As he, the rest of the Warriors and the entirety of Dub Nation absolutely should.

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A Fitting End To A Season For The Ages

Andy Fahey

It goes without saying that one of the best parts of winning a championship is the celebration that comes with it. The raw emotion in the immediate moments following the final buzzer of Game 5 is something that Dub Nation can hold on to for years beyond this title. And it’s the same with the players and coaches, who absolutely took joy with becoming the first Bay Area sports team in more than 40 years to capture a title in their home digs. That joy took many forms, and fortunately for you, we captured several of them in GIF form.

Enjoy the postgame scene of an NBA Championship won on Warriors Ground with some of our favorite GIF-able moments from last night.

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Celebrating an NBA Championship in GIF Form

The Golden State Warriors won the 2017 NBA Championship after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 129-120 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday night. Golden State went on a 15-0 run in the second quarter to turn a deficit into a double-digit lead, and the Warriors never trailed from that point on. Kevin Durant was sensational, totaling 39 points, seven rebounds and five assists on his way to being named 2017 NBA Finals MVP. Stephen Curry added 34 points, six rebounds and 10 assists, while Andre Iguodala notched a 2017 postseason-high 20 points off the bench.

When the NBA Finals began, only one of the seven 2017 All-Stars involved in the series lacked a championship on their career resume. That all changed when Kevin Durant joined the club at the conclusion of Game 5 on Monday night, and he added a Finals MVP trophy to his collection to boot. In doing so, he joined Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain as the only players in NBA history to win at least four scoring titles and one NBA title.

With their season on the line, Cleveland came out of the gate with the desperation of a team facing elimination. They made six of their first seven shot attempts and took a 13-9 lead on back-to-back layups by Kyrie Irving and LeBron James off of consecutive Warriors’ turnovers. James would add a jumper at the 6:26 mark to increase the Cavaliers’ advantage to 20-12, but that would prove to equal Cleveland’s largest lead of the entire night. Trailing 30-25 with 2:17 remaining in the opening quarter, Stephen Curry and Patrick McCaw would combine for six consecutive free throws to put Golden State momentarily back in front, but a 5-0 Cavaliers’ run to close the frame would put the Dubs behind 37-33 at the end of one.

James provided the first two baskets of the second quarter to rebuild Cleveland’s eight-point advantage, but it would only dwindle from there. David West cut the deficit in half with consecutive scores, after which Andre Iguodala brought Golden State within two with a thunderous one-handed jam.

Tristan Thompson interrupted the burst with a layup, but those would prove to be Cleveland’s only points over the next three minutes. Over that span, the Warriors rediscovered their three-point stroke, and broke the game open in the process. Curry followed consecutive treys by Durant with one of his own to ignite a 15-0 Warriors’ run that gave Golden State their first double-digit lead of the game at 54-43 with 4:39 remaining in the first half. J.R. Smith finally got Cleveland back on the board with a three-pointer of his own, but Draymond Green and Kevin Durant answered right back with consecutive treys in response. Following a Durant jumper, Curry provided the Warriors’ their largest lead of the entire contest with two free throws with 1:09 left in the second quarter, but Cleveland wouldn’t go away without a fight. Smith knocked down two more three-pointers in the remainder of the half, including one with two seconds remaining to cut the Warriors’ lead to 71-60 going into halftime.

The Cavaliers continued to encroach upon Golden State’s advantage throughout the third frame, but try as they might, they proved unable to climb all the way back. Klay Thompson converted two three-pointers within the opening two minutes of the second half, but an 11-3 Cleveland run ignited by yet another Smith three-pointer brought the Cavaliers within 82-77 just prior to the midway point of the third quarter. Curry then scored four-straight points to regain some breathing room, but after Golden State had rebuilt a 10-point lead on two separate occasions, Irving and James combined for six consecutive points to cut the deficit to 90-86 with 3:33 remaining in the third frame. Durant then provided one of numerous timely buckets in the game on the ensuing possession with a three-pointer from the wing, and Golden State would go on to add one more point to their advantage through the remainder of the quarter before Smith’s fifth three-pointer of the contest sent the game into the fourth and final frame with the Warriors clinging to a 98-93 lead.

James scored 26 seconds into the fourth quarter to make it a single-possession game, but that would prove to be as close as the Cavaliers would get. Durant answered with a jumper 16 seconds later, and little by little Golden State would rebuild their cushion. Cleveland cut it to a five and six-point game on two separate occasions over the next three minutes, but both times Durant was there with an immediate response to keep the Cavaliers at bay.

After James cut the deficit to 114-106 with 6:13 remaining in regulation, Durant scored the next four points in the game, and Golden State would go on to maintain a double-digit lead until the final seconds. Following another James’ layup, Curry then accounted for four-straight points, and would put the exclamation point on the night when he splashed home the Warriors’ final points of the season on a three-pointer with 42 seconds left to increase their lead to 129-115. Cleveland scored the final five points of the contest, but the damage had been done, as the Golden State Warriors ran out the final 15 seconds to claim their fifth NBA Championship in franchise history, and second in the last three years.

As the confetti rained down from the rafters, the Warriors embraced each other and raised the NBA Championship Trophy at center court amid raucous cheers from the Oracle Arena crowd. In winning Game 5, Golden State finished the 2017 postseason with a 16-1 (.941) mark, the best single-season winning percentage in NBA postseason history. Their average point differential of plus-13.5 points per game in the playoffs ranks as the second-best mark in NBA postseason history behind only the 1971 Milwaukee Bucks (plus-14.5). Kevin Durant was presented with the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP Trophy after averaging 35.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 5.4 assists in the series to join Magic Johnson and Moses Malone as the only players in NBA history to win Finals MVP in their first season with their team.

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Warriors Beat Cavaliers in Game 5 to Win NBA Championship

The Golden State Warriors and the City of Oakland hosted a parade and rally to honor the 2017 NBA Champion Golden State Warriors on Thursday, June 15, 2017. The parade began on Broadway at 11th Street, turning right on Grand Avenue, turning right on Harrison to 19th St, and right on Lakeside Drive, ending on Oak and proceeding to the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center.

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2017 Warriors Championship Parade and Rally

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Photos: Warriors vs. Cavaliers - Game 5

Tonight’s national anthem will be performed by cast members from the national tour of HAMILTON.  Airing live on ABC at 9 p.m. ET, Joshua Henry, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Solea Pfeiffer and Amber Iman will perform their rendition before Game 5 of The Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif. 

The national tour of HAMILTON is currently playing at the SHN Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco now through August 5. SHN is the preeminent theatrical entertainment company in the Bay Area, bringing live entertainment experiences to San Francisco’s premier venues. SHN presents current hits fresh from Broadway, original Broadway cast productions, pre-Broadway premieres and one-of-a-kind events that are at the forefront of the national theater scene. https://www.shnsf.com/Online/default.asp

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Cast Members from the National Tour of Hamilton to Perform the National Anthem at the NBA Finals Tonight

Up 3-1 in the NBA Finals, the Warriors will try and secure the championship on their home court on Monday night.

Warriors vs. CavaliersGame 5Monday, June 126:00 p.m.Oracle Arena

WATCH: ABC
    RADIO: 95.7 The Game, ESPN RadioMore Listening Options

A CHANCE TO MAKE HISTORY ON WARRIORS GROUND
The Warriors will look to do something on Monday that they’ve never done before: Win a championship in front of their Bay Area fans. Going into Game 5, the Dubs own a 3-1 series lead in the NBA Finals, and a win would give them their championship in the last three seasons. The Warriors’ two most recent titles were clinched on the road – in Cleveland in 2015 and in Washington, D.C. in 1975, and the team’s prior championship seasons took place while the franchise was based in Philadelphia. Monday night presents a golden opportunity for the Warriors as they attempt to fend off the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers, who will be looking to once again prolong the series. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. the game can be seen on ABC or heard on 95.7 The Game, ESPN Radio and the Warriors Radio Network.

LAST TIME OUT
What had been a perfect postseason run suffered its first blemish as the Dubs suffered a 137-116 defeat in Cleveland on Friday in Game 4 of the NBA Finals. The Dubs dug themselves a hole early in this one, and Cleveland’s perimeter shooting, along with 22 free throw attempts, had everything to do with it. When all was said and done, the Dubs were down by 16 at the end of the first quarter, and they were never able to fully recover. Full Recap

GSW
            3-1
            118.7 PPG (1st)
            46.0 RPG (2nd)
            28.3 APG (1st)

CLE
            1-3
            116.0 PPG (2nd)
            42.3 RPG (9th)
            22.1 APG (6th)

GSW: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Zaza Pachulia

CLE: Kyrie Irving, J.R. Smith, LeBron James, Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson

CLE: Edy Tavares (right hand fracture) is out. Team Notes

A SPLASH OFF?
In each of the first three games, the Warriors made more 3-pointers and a shot a higher percentage from the perimeter than the Cavs. The Warriors won those three games. In Game 4 on Friday, Cleveland more than doubled the Dubs’ total 3-point output, and the Cavs shot 53 percent from the perimeter to just 28 percent for the Dubs. And as you well know, the Cavs won Game 4. That’s not to say that 3-point shooting is the only factor in these games, but it certainly is a key factor. The Dubs and Cavs were two of the most prolific 3-point shooting teams during the regular season. Actually, the Cavs had a slight edge in both 3-point shooting percentage, makes and takes.

GSW
            PTS: Durant (27.8)
            REB: Green (8.9)
            AST: Green (6.5)

CLE
            PTS: James (32.4)
            REB: Love (10.6)
            AST: James (7.8)

RISE TO THE OCCASION
There is no shortage of starpower in this series. Between the two squads, there are seven 2017 NBA All-Stars, and already we’ve some incredible performances that will go down win the annals of the NBA Finals. From Stephen Curry and LeBron James posting triple-doubles to Kyrie Irving’s sensational Game 4 offensive display to Kevin Durant’s iconic game-winner in Game 3, basketball fans have relished in the opportunity to see some of the game’s best players do work. So who’s next? Is Klay Thompson in store for one of his patented offensive takeovers? Can Cleveland’s Kevin Love build off the hot shooting he showed off in Game 4? Or will it be Draymond Green taking advantage of the opportunities afforded to him by the Cleveland defense double-teaming Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry? Whatever happens, it’s sure to keep Dub Nation on the edge of their seats. Can Monday night get here already?

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Game 5 Preview: Warriors vs. Cavaliers - 6/12/17

What had been a perfect postseason run suffered its first blemish as the Dubs suffered a 137-116 defeat in Cleveland on Friday in Game 4 of the NBA Finals. The defeat decreases the Dubs’ advantage series to 3-1, with Game 5 set for Monday night at Oracle Arena.

The Dubs dug themselves a hole early in this one, and Cleveland’s perimeter shooting, along with 22 free throw attempts, had everything to do with it. When all was said and done, the Dubs were down by 16 at the end of the first quarter, as the Cavs put up an NBA record 49 points in the opening quarter.

Cleveland’s three-point barrage would continue in the second quarter, and their 13 first half treys marked another NBA record, as was their 86 points. Every time the Warriors tried to make a run, Cleveland seemingly answered with a 3-pointer, which masked the fact that the Dubs were still able to put up 68 points in the first half.

That the Dubs were even within 18 points was thanks in large part to Kevin Durant. He shot 6-for-9 from the field and had 22 of his 35 points over the first two quarters, which he punctuated with a slashing dunk and a 3-pointer at the buzzer. Additionally, Durant took full advantage of his free throw opportunities, going 15-for-16 from the charity stripe for the game.

A back-and-forth third quarter saw the Dubs trailing by 19 entering the fourth quarter, and the Dubs looked to get back into it with an 8-0 spurt to open the period that was sparked by 3-pointers by Patrick McCaw and Klay Thompson. But again, a Cleveland 3-pointer stalled the Dubs’ momentum, this one an off-balance shot by Kyrie Irving.

That shot was part of an epic night for Irving, who was 7-for-12 from distance and finished with 40 points. LeBron James was also huge for Cleveland, tallying his second triple-double of the series (31 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds), while Kevin Love knocked down six treys for 23 points. All total, the Cavs drained an NBA Finals record 24 3-pointers to go along with other Finals records for points in a quarter (49) and a half (86).

The Warriors’ offense wasn’t bad in the defeat, it just couldn’t match the Cavs’ hot shooting on this night. The Dubs were 45 percent from the floor and 28 percent on 3-pointers, while Cleveland was 53 percent and slightly better than that from the perimeter.

Stephen Curry (14 points, 10 assists) and Draymond Green (16 points, 14 rebounds) each tallied double-doubles, but in the end the Dubs just could not come back from Cleveland’s hot start.

Now up 3-1 in the series, the Warriors will have a chance to close out the series and hoist the Championship trophy on their home court with Game 5 coming up on Monday at Oracle Arena. For ticket information, visit warriors.com/finals.