Look At How Things Have Changed

             First off congratulations to the Golden State Warriors on winning the 2017 NBA finals and big shout out to NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant. Since the 2012 Finals where we saw a Lebron led Miami Heat team beat a young up and coming team led by Kevin Durant in 5 games; there was a feeling that these 2 superstars will meet again for all the marbles. At the end of the day no matter how you get to the finals, it means nothing if you don't perform in the finals and that is what Kevin Durant did this finals. Dropping 30 plus points every game while going up against Lebron James is not something to just look over as a Lebron fan and definitely as a basketball fan. Kevin Durant didn't just come to play ball, he came to make a statement on the world’s biggest stage against the world’s best player. Of course, not to be forgotten the 2x MVP Stephen Curry; who hasn't lived up to his greatness in past finals appearances, was the steph we all come to love and hate this year as he recorded a double double in every game of this finals while also recording a triple double in game 2. He had an impact on the game that I have and many of his supporters have been waiting for since he exploded into the NBA superstar spotlight just 3 seasons ago.

               As one team enjoys the taste of redemption in the champagne another had nothing but the taste of defeat. As Lebron James walked off the court with his right-hand man Kyrie Irving he repeated the words "We'll be back, we'll be back" as Kyrie Irving nodded his head. We will for sure see these 2 again in NBA Finals to come; they have already shown the NBA that their duo is a real problem when they are both clicking on all cylinders. Lebron had a phenomenal final in terms of performance as he averaged a triple double with 33 points 12 rebounds and 10 assists and became the first player to ever average a triple double in a finals. With these crazy stats, he also struggled down the stretch in game 3 which was an essential must win for the cavs as he they ultimately lost that game and fell down 3 games to none.

               Game 5 was probably the best game of the series as it was filled with lead change after lead change, physical from the start, and fairly officiated. What ultimately cost the cavs the game and the series was that dreadful 30-2 run that happened just before the end of the first half. During this run if my memory is correct, the only bucket that the cavs scored during that run was a dunk by Lebron James over Kevin Durant that looked like a clear foul that wasn't called. That would've been Durant's third foul which would've easily sent him back to the bench again. Nevertheless, basketball is a game of runs and about putting the ball in the basket by any means; which Kyrie Irving couldn't do come 4th quarter as Lebron and JR Smith seemed to be the only Cavalier players to keep them within striking distance. Kyrie Irving was not the closer that we usually expected with 26 points and zero in the 4th. As one player for the cavs seemed to be missing one from the warriors simply showed the world how important he really is in Andre Igoudala. As the 2015 finals MVP iggy has always been the veteran glue that kept the warriors intact at times whether it was defending the other team’s best player, leading the fast break, or knocking down a 3 when the opposition was making a comeback of their own. Iggy scored 20 points off the bench which played a huge role in their victory.

                And not to be forgotten in this discussion is the play of 3x champion Lebron James. Last night Lebron dropped 41 points 13 rebounds and 8 assists in the loss and with the talk of who is the GOAT that has been going around a lot this year his performance this finals and playoffs entirely can support that. The thing is that in this league we count the rings; you might be the best player on the court and showed that you are but if it doesn't result in a W when it matters most it all goes out the window. With all that being said Kevin Durant captures his first ring as Lebron James falls to 3-5 in finals play. This isn't the last time we will be seeing these two facing off in a finals as we assume the juggernaut known as Golden State stays intact for the years to come and the Cavaliers being the beast in the east make tweaks to their roster to stay in championship contention. Although this years free agency seems to be a very interesting one for teams in the east and out west as the chess pieces will be rearranged once again.