Warriors Dethrone Cavs To Regain NBA Championship

The Golden State Warriors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers to win their second NBA championship in three seasons.

The Warriors secured a 129-120 victory on Monday to cap a near-perfect run for the champions through the playoffs.

The Warriors, who beat Cleveland in the 2015 Finals only to lose to them last year after squandering a 3-1 series lead, went a record-setting 15-1 in the playoffs, their only loss coming in Game Four of the best-of-seven championship.

The signing of Kevin Durant payed off for Steve Kerr’s men as the former Oklahoma City small forward was named the Most Valuable Player of the Finals, leading the way for the Warriors with 39 points.

Durant became the first player with five consecutive 30-point performances in the NBA Finals since Shaquille O’Neal in 2000.

He also added 8.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists a game.

But it took a team effort for the Warriors to overcome a determined Cavaliers’ squad, including contributions from 33-year-old veteran Andre Iguodala and 21-year-old Patrick McCaw.

“I couldn’t sleep for two days,” Durant said. “I was anxious, I was jittery.

“I just wanted to lay it all out there. I put in work, I just had to trust in it. We were really good tonight.”

LeBron James, last year’s Finals MVP, led the Cavaliers with 41 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists but it was not enough as the home team came out on top.

James has now lost five Finals in eight appearances – only the fourth player to come up short in five NBA Finals.

“I left everything on the floor every game, all five games,” he said. “I have no reason to put my head down.”

“I played against some really, really good teams that were assembled perfectly, and they’re right up there.”

The Warriors also won titles in 1947 and 1956, when the team was based in Philadelphia, and took the crown in 1975 and 2015 after moving to the San Francisco Bay area.