Warriors defeat Cavaliers 129-120. win Finals series 4-1

The Golden State Warriors proved to be too much for the Cleveland Cavaliers and completed one of the greatest all-time playoff performances in NBA history with a 129-120 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers to win the championship four games to one.

The Warriors finished their playoff run as the first team with a 16-1 record in the postseason. It marks the team’s second NBA title for the Warriors in three years as they staked a claim as a modern-day dynasty.

Kevin Durant, who was the easy choice for Finals MVP, became just the sixth player in NBA history to score 30 or more points in each game of a finals, had 39 in the series-clinching Game 5 victory. He proved his value all over the court with dominant play inside, great outside shooting and tenacious defense.

Stephen Curry was incredible for the entirety of the Finals, averaging 25 points, nine assists and eight rebounds while forcing the Cavs to alter their defense to try and limit his destruction. He might have not reached the scoring average of Durant, but the threat of Curry constantly forced Cleveland's defense to adjust to him and open lanes for his teammate

Despite having nearly the entire roster eligible for free agency, the Warriors are expected to bring the entire core back next year. Curry, Green, Thompson and Durant are all just now entering the true primes of their careers. If they all sign on to four- and five-year contracts then this is a group that could dominate the league as a whole for the next few years. It’s not a stretch to say the Warriors have the seeds for a dynasty, with two titles in three seasons to go with a record-setting three-year regular season run (207-39 record).

“These guys are so gifted and committed to each other and so unselfish,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.“It’s a combination of talent and an unselfish nature.”

Considering the Cavaliers’ dominance in the Eastern Conference, there is little to reason these teams will not be back next season for a fourth finals match-up in a row.

Lebron James has stood in the way of Golden State each of the last three seasons. He stole a title last season, but this year he was only able to prevent the sweep in Game 4. He was incredible throughout the entirety of the series, but his game-high 41 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists wasn't enough to send the series back to Cleveland for Game 6.

On a losing team, James became the first player to average a triple-double across the duration of an NBA Finals series.

“I left everything on the floor every game, all five games,” James said after the Warriors’ 129-120 victory. “So for me personally I have nothing to be — I have no reason to put my head down. I have no reason to look back at what I could have done or what I shouldn’t have done or what I could have done better for the team. I left everything I had out on the floor every single game for five games in this Finals, and you come up short.”

Kyrie Irving followed up his 40-point gem in Friday's Game 4 with 26 points but shot 9 for 22. JR Smith added 25 in the losing cause.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, there have been only seven times a player scored at least 40 points to win when facing elimination in the Finals and Irving and James have each done it twice the past two years. Elgin Baylor did it twice in the 1960s and Wilt Chamberlain did it in 1970 for the Lakers.

LeBron has three rings and is breaking a new NBA record every game he plays. This year, he passed Michael Jordan in playoff scoring, Magic Johnson in playoff triple-doubles and became the first player to ever average a triple-double in the playoffs. He's, simply put, an incredible player.

However, what many will choose to point out when it comes to James is that he's now 3-5 in the NBA Finals. In comparison, Michael Jordan was 6-for-6 in the NBA Finals. For some that's a criticism, but it's hard to not be amazed that he can be in the Finals enough times to even reach that kind of record, let alone play in seven straight championships.

The turning point to Game 5 was a missed foul call that would have seen Kevin Durant forced to spend a lengthy spell on the bench.

Durant swatted LeBron James in the face in the first half as the Cavs star was driving to the bucket on a fast break. The blatant foul was overlooked by the referees as James managed to slam down the ball for a monster jam.

The foul would have been Durant’s third early in the second quarter and would have forced Warriors coach Steve Kerr to give him a spell on the bench to protect him from his foul trouble.

In the eyes of many commentators, the no-call on Durant was the decisive moment of the game as Durant stayed on the court and proved to be the difference between the two teams.

It hurt the Cavs all the more that Durant caught fire in the second half.

Lebron James had a simple message to Kyrie Irving following the Cleveland Cavaliers loss to the Golden State Warriors in five games in the 2017 NBA Finals: "we'll be back."

The city of Cleveland and all of the Cavaliers' fans can not wait.

Thank you Cleveland Cavaliers for a great season.