There were no answers Tuesday night for the versatile Golden State Warriors' lineup. In Game 6 at Quicken Loans Arena, the Warriors got off to a quick start and never looked back at the Cleveland Cavaliers.
A team that had no NBA Finals experience on their roster was unfazed by the task of winning a championship and was able to power through the entire 2015 season. After having the best regular season record in the NBA, the Warriors proceeded to mow down opponents in the postseason who had potential MVPs and players likely to win awards for their regular season performances. First-year head coach, Steve Kerr, guided his team through the likes of Anthony Davis, Marc Gasol, and James Harden and, at the end of the day, holds a 16-5 playoff record with the title of 2015 NBA Champions.
Game 6 Tuesday night went exactly the Warriors way. After getting off to a hot start, which was something they were unable to accomplish in Games 3 and 4, Golden State played excellent fundamental basketball for 60 minutes. The Cavaliers looked lost and played with no extra edge in an elimination game at home. In fact, it seemed to be the opposite and all of the aspects of their game that worked earlier in the series did not come to fruition. Nine first quarter turnovers set a terrible precedent and the Cavaliers' offense that once had plenty of energy was spent.
The Eastern Conference Champions finished with 19 total turnovers for the game. LeBron James contributed a game-high six giveaways and, while The King approached another huge triple-double, it was poor shooting that held him and the Cavs back from forcing a Game 7. James was 2-for-10 from three-point range and a game-high 13-for-33 from the floor as his team shot 23 percent from beyond the arc and just under 40 percent for the night. He made one final push for Finals MVP, finishing with a game-high 32 points, 18 rebounds, and nine assists.
But, for the second straight season, the NBA's best team beat LeBron James. The Warriors finished Game 6 with 28 assists as a team and eight of the nine players that took the floor contributed. Draymond Green found his shooting stroke and finished with a triple-double (16-11-10). Green, who finished second in both Most Improved Player and Defensive Player of the Year voting (per Yahoo! Sports), battled adversity and made his presence felt on both ends of the floor in Game 6. After struggling in various facets of the game throughout the series, the third-year man became just the sixth player in NBA history to record a triple-double in a title-clinching game.
Just as the Warriors had done all season, it was a variety of players who found success against the Cavaliers. Veteran Shaun Livingston and the blossoming, young Festus Ezeli scored 10 points each in quality minutes off the bench. Harrison Barnes contributed nine points on a trio of three-pointers. Leandro Barbosa added five points with a couple of big steals and timely rebounds at crucial parts in the game. Klay Thompson was the only Warrior who underperformed. Thompson fouled out after 24 minutes on the floor, finishing with five points and five rebounds.
The top performers for the Warriors, as was the trend all series long, were Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala. Each had a team-high 25 points and continued to add to an already-impressive highlight reel against the best team from the East. Chef Curry dished out eight assists and also snatched six rebounds and three steals. The regular season MVP drained three of his 11 shots from long range and made eight of his 19 total shots. But it was Iguodala who snatched up the 2015 NBA Finals MVP. The 31 year-old continued his stellar defense on the "best player in the world" and scored in double figures for the fourth straight game. Iggy also had five assists and five rebounds to go along with a pair of steals. He beat out James in the MVP voting 7-4. Curry did not receive a single vote (per Washington Post).
Although the Cavaliers would not have made it this far without James, Iguodala was the appropriate choice. After proving his worth on the defensive end against James earlier in the series, the eleventh-year veteran was inserted into the starting lineup. Iggy, who did not start a single regular season game, rose to the occasion. His shooting percentage increased with his minutes and, after averaging 7.8 points-per-game during the regular season, Iggy increased his average to 10.4 in the postseason. A gifted athlete who can erupt for a game-changing slam at any moment, Iguodala showcased his skills in all areas of the game and continued to knock down big-time shots in Game 6.
The Golden State Warriors proved how deadly great fundamental team basketball can be and have now been crowned NBA Champions for the fourth time in team history and the first since 1975. Steve Kerr became the tenth person to win an NBA Title as a player and a coach and Steph Curry became the third player in the past 15 years to win regular season MVP and an NBA Finals in the same season (LeBron James, Tim Duncan).
As for the Cavaliers, who now look ahead to the offseason, they will have several roster moves to think about as they continue their quest to end the drought in Cleveland. And, as was the case in the NBA Finals and throughout the season, LeBron James is the presumed constant that all other pieces will revolve around.