Golden State Warriors Claim NBA Championship

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Published on June 17 2015 6:23 am
Last Updated on June 17 2015 6:23 am

As the final seconds ticked off and the Warriors began bouncing in celebration on their bench, Stephen Curry looked up and saw LeBron James coming at him. James could do nothing more. He extended a conceding hand and congratulations.

Moments later, Curry was hoisting a trophy in the air -- one as golden as his team. Revived by Curry, their fresh-faced shooting superstar, and bonded by first-year coach Steve Kerr who made them believe, the Warriors ended a 40-year NBA championship drought Tuesday night by finishing off James and the undermanned Cleveland Cavaliers 105-97 in Game 6.

Curry and Finals MVP Andre Iguodala scored 25 points apiece, Draymond Green recorded a triple-double and the Warriors -- using a barrage of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to put Cleveland away -- won their first title since 1975, when Gerald Ford was in the White House, disco was in vogue and Rick Barry was flicking in free throws underhanded.

And these Warriors are a lot like Barry and his old crew: fluid, balanced, together. Just like Steve Kerr hoped.

"I'm kind of speechless," Curry said. "This is special. To be able to hold this trophy and all the hard work we've put into it this season, this is special. We're definitely a great team and a team that should go down in history as one of the best teams from top to bottom."

Golden State forward Andre Iguodala was named MVP of the NBA Finals following the Warriors' 105-97 clinching win Tuesday night, becoming the first player to garner the honor without starting every game.

It also marks the first time the Finals MVP has shared a team with the regular-season MVP (Stephen Curry) since Magic Johnson claimed the Finals honor in 1980 while playing on a Los Angeles Lakers squad with regular-season MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

"This has been a long ride," Iguodala said. "It's been a great season."

Prior to this season, Iguodala had started 758 consecutive games. This year, he remained in a reserve role until Game 4 of the Finals, when he was substituted into the starting lineup for center Andrew Bogut.