Who Won the 2018 NBA Finals?

The 2018 NBA Finals were one of the most exciting in recent memory, with the Golden State Warriors coming out on top over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Here’s a look at who won the Finals and how they did it.

The Teams

The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors faced off in the 2018 NBA Finals. The Warriors were the defending champions, having won the 2017 NBA Finals. This was the fourth consecutive year that these two teams had met in the Finals.

The Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Western Conference Pacific Division. The Warriors have reached nine NBA Finals, winning four NBA championships in 1947, 1956, 1975, and most recently in 2015 when they defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers. Their four NBA championships are the fifth most in history behind only the Boston Celtics (17), Los Angeles Lakers (16), Chicago Bulls (6), and San Antonio Spurs (5).

The Cleveland Cavaliers

The 2018 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA)’s 2017–18 season and conclusion of the season’s playoffs. In the Finals, the defending NBA champions and Western Conference champions Golden State Warriors swept the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers 4 games to 0, making this the first time in NBA history a team has been swept in a four-game Finals. This was also the second consecutive year that both teams met in the NBA Finals, with the Cavaliers winning in seven games in 2017. The Warriors entered these playoffs as two-time defending NBA champions, having won back-to-back titles in 2015 and 2016. They defeated the Houston Rockets 4–3 in the Western Conference Finals to extend their playoff streak to 13 straight wins (dating back to last year’s conference finals). Meanwhile, Pau Gasol did not play with any team during this year’s playoffs due to injury, instead watching from home as a spectator.

The Cavaliers entered these playoffs as the Eastern Conference’s fourth seed after enduring a tumultuous regular season which saw them fire their general manager David Griffin and head coach Tyronn Lue being replaced by assistant coach Larry Drew on an interim basis. Nevertheless, they easily swept both the first seed Toronto Raptors and second seed Boston Celtics en route to their fourth consecutive Eastern Conference Finals appearance. In spite of this achievement, questions remained about their ability to defend their title against Warriors, who had defeated them in three out of four Finals series dating back to 2015. Making matters worse for Cleveland was that All-Star forward Kevin Love missed most of the conference finals due to concussion protocol while reserve forward Rodney Hood refused to play during garbage time of Game 4 due to feeling disrespected by Drew after he declined to enter earlier when the game was still close.

The Players

The Golden State Warriors won the 2018 NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers. It was a close series, but the Warriors prevailed in the end. The main contributors for the Warriors were Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and Klay Thompson. For the Cavaliers, LeBron James put up a valiant effort, but it was not enough.

Stephen Curry

Stephen Curry is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A six-time NBA All-Star, he has been named the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) twice and won three NBA championships with the Warriors.

LeBron James

LeBron James is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is widely considered to be one of the greatest basketball players of all time. James played high school basketball at St. Vincent–St. Mary High School in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, where he was highly promoted in the national media as a future NBA superstar. A prep-to-pro, he joined the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003 as the first overall draft pick.

The Game

The 2018 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA)’s 2017–18 season and conclusion 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 4–0. This marked the first time in NBA history that a team had swept the Finals in a four-game sweep.

The First Half

In the first half, both teams played well, but the Golden State Warriors managed to take a slight lead. The Warriors seemed to be in control of the game, but the Cleveland Cavaliers managed to stay within reach.

The Second Half

The third quarter was all about the Warriors’ bench. They outscored the Cavs 25-13 in the period, with Livingston and Bell giving them a big lift. The two combined for 17 points, four rebounds and two assists in the quarter.

Livingston was particularly effective, scoring nine points on 4-of-4 shooting. He also had a plus-minus of +11 in the quarter, which was the best of any player on either team.

The Cavs’ bench, meanwhile, struggled to make an impact. They were outscored by 19 points in the quarter and shot just 5-of-20 from the field.

The fourth quarter was more of the same, with the Warriors’ bench continuing to dominate. They outscored the Cavs 30-16 in the period, with Livingston and Bell once again leading the way.

The two combined for 15 points, five rebounds and three assists in the quarter. Livingston was once again superb, finishing with a game-high 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting. He also had a plus-minus of +17 in the quarter, which was by far the best of any player on either team.

With their bench players leading the way, the Warriors closed out an easy victory and took a 2-0 lead in the series.

The Results

The 2018 NBA Finals were held between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Warriors won the series, 4-0.

The Winner

The Golden State Warriors are the 2018 NBA champions! They defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in four games to secure their second consecutive NBA title. This is the third championship for the Warriors in four years, and they cemented their place as one of the greatest teams in NBA history. Congratulations to the Warriors on an incredible season!

The Loser

The Loser of the 2018 NBA Finals was the Golden State Warriors, who lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in four games.