Who Won the 2018 NBA Finals?

The Golden State Warriors won the 2018 NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Teams

The Golden State Warriors

The 2018 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA)’s 2017–18 season and conclusions of the season’s playoffs. In this best-of-seven playoff, the defending NBA champions and Western Conference champions Golden State Warriors swept the Eastern Conference champions Cleveland Cavaliers 4 games to 0. This marks the Warriors’ sixth NBA championship in franchise history, their second in the last three years, and their third in four years.

The series was played between June 1 and June 8, with games held at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California (Warriors’ home court), and at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio (Cavaliers’ home court). This is the first time in NBA history that two teams had met for a fourth consecutive time in The Finals. Both teams entered the series having won their respective conference finals in four games; it was also the first time since 2008 that The Finals featured a matchup of teams who had each swept their conference finals opponents. The Cavaliers entered this series without superstar forward LeBron James, who left in free agency to join the Los Angeles Lakers.

It was also the first time since 1950 that The Finals had been played between two teams based west of Chicago (Golden State is based in Oakland, while Cleveland is based in Ohio). These Finals were also noteworthy due to both teams winning at least 67% of their regular season games – making this only the seventh Finals ever between two teams with 67%+ win percentages, behind only 1986 (Boston Celtics vs. Houston Rockets), 1987 (Los Angeles Lakers vs. Celtics), 1988 (Lakers vs. Pistons), 1989 (Lakers vs. Pistons), 1999 (San Antonio Spurs vs. New York Knicks) and 2017 (Warriors vs. Cavaliers). These are also only the second Finals ever between two teams with 65+ win percentages after aforementioned 1999 series which featured a 67%+ win percentage team Spurs against a 65%+win New York Knicks team

The Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference Central Division. The team began play as an expansion team in 1970, along with the Portland Trail Blazers and Buffalo Braves. Home games were first held at Cleveland Arena from 1970 to 1974, followed by the Richfield Coliseum from 1974 to 1994. Since 1994, the Cavs have played their home games at Quicken Loans Arena in downtown Cleveland.

The Players

The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors faced off in the 2018 NBA Finals. The Cavaliers were led by LeBron James, while the Warriors were led by Kevin Durant. Other key players for the Cavaliers include Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, while the Warriors also had Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.

LeBron James

LeBron James is one of the most well-known and successful basketball players of all time. He was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003 and quickly became one of the best players in the league. He played for the Cavaliers for eleven seasons, during which time he led them to the NBA Finals five times and won two championships. In 2010, he left Cleveland to join the Miami Heat, where he won two more championships. He returned to the Cavaliers in 2014 and helped them win another championship in 2016. He currently plays for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Kevin Durant

The Finals MVP trophy might as well have Kevin Durant’s name engraved on it. The superstar forward averaged 28.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 2.3 blocks per game in the series, leading the Warriors to their third title in four years. It’s the second Finals MVP for Durant, who also won the award in 2017.

The Coaches

The Golden State Warriors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2018 NBA Finals. Steve Kerr is the head coach of the Warriors, and Tyronn Lue is the head coach of the Cavaliers. Here is a look at the two coaches and how they fared in the Finals.

Steve Kerr

Born in 1965 in San Francisco, Steve Kerr is the current head coach of the Golden State Warriors. Kerr played college basketball at the University of Arizona, and he was a member of the school’s 1988 NCAA championship team. He then spent several years playing in the NBA before retiring in 2003.
During his playing career, Kerr won five NBA championships – three with the Chicago Bulls and two with the San Antonio Spurs. He is one of only four players in NBA history to win championships with three different teams.

After retiring from playing, Kerr became a television analyst for NBA games. In 2007, he was hired as the general manager of the Phoenix Suns. He held that position for three years before being named head coach of the Warriors in 2014.

Under Kerr’s leadership, the Warriors have become one of the most successful teams in NBA history. They have won three championships (2015, 2017, 2018) and have made five consecutive trips to the Finals (2015-2019). In addition, Kerr has been named Coach of the Year twice (2016, 2018).

Tyronn Lue

Tyronn Lue is an American professional basketball coach who is the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was a point guard in the NBA for 11 seasons. He played college basketball for the University of Nebraska.

The Series

The Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers faced off in the 2018 NBA Finals. This was the fourth consecutive year that the two teams had met in the Finals, with the Warriors winning in 2015 and 2017 and the Cavaliers winning in 2016. The Warriors won the series in 2018, 4-0.

Game 1

On May 31, 2018, the Golden State Warriors faced off against the Cleveland Cavaliers in game one of the NBA Finals. The Warriors won the game with a score of 124-114.

Game 2

The Warriors entered Game 2 on Sunday night with a commanding 1-0 lead in the series, but the Cavaliers came out firing in the first quarter and took an early lead. The Warriors battled back and took a slim lead into halftime, but the Cavaliers exploded in the third quarter and took control of the game. LeBron James was unstoppable, finishing with a triple-double to lead the Cavaliers to a stunning victory. The series is now even at 1-1 as it shifts to Cleveland for Games 3 and 4.

Game 3

On Wednesday night, the Golden State Warriors took Game 3 of the NBA Finals with a 110-102 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavaliers now face a daunting 3-0 series deficit, and will need to win four straight games to claim the title.

Warriors forward Kevin Durant had a huge night, scoring 43 points on 16-of-28 shooting, including 5-of-9 from three-point range. Durant also had 13 rebounds, seven assists, and three blocks in the game. Cavaliers forward LeBron James was once again phenomenal, scoring 33 points on 12-of-23 shooting, to go along with 11 assists and 10 rebounds. However, James was unable to will his team to victory, as they were outscored by eight points in the fourth quarter.

The Warriors will now look to close out the series in Game 4 on Friday night.

Game 4

The Golden State Warriors won Game 4 of the 2018 NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday, June 8. The final score was 112-102, with the Warriors winning the series 4-0. This is the third consecutive year that the Warriors have won the NBA Finals, and they are now 5-1 in finals appearances overall.

The Aftermath

It was a close series, but the Golden State Warriors emerged victorious, winning their third NBA title in four years. The Warriors won Game 7 by a score of 108-85, with Kevin Durant being named Finals MVP. The Warriors now have the most wins in NBA history, with a total of 73.

The Warriors’ Championship Parade

On June 12, 2018, the Warriors held a parade in downtown Oakland to celebrate their third NBA championship in four years. An estimated 1.5 million people attended the parade, which began at 10:00 a.m. and ended at 3:00 p.m.

The Warriors’ championship parade route began at Broadway and 11th Street, went down Broadway to Oakland City Hall, then turned onto 14th Street and proceeded to the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center. From there, the parade went onto Lakeside Drive and ended at Lake Merritt Boulevard.