Stick a fork in the Cav's, nothing else matters, this series is done.

Not quite so fast Sir..........we've got a series now..........thanks to Irving and James. First time in NBA history that teammates have each scored 40 or more in the Finals.

Just in case, I like my humble pie with vanilla ice cream! 😉 😛

There will be no excuses coming from the Bay area tonight.

First time two players on the same team each scored 40 or more in a Finals game: James and Irving in game 5. First time a team has come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a championship series. And most important, the first championship in Cleveland in ANY professional sport in 52 years.

Congrats to the Cavs, and congrats to the people of Cleveland. As Sam Cooke said, "It's Been A Long Time Comin'!"

Classy post bro, & like the wrecking-crew 2008 Pats -- Warriyz are top dogs all-time in regular-season play & beyond -- one block does not a season make -- that block LeBron made against the backboard near the end of the game, coming from out of nowhere like that -- I thought that was a hellacious play -- his competitive spirit makes him the player he is

personally I thought the Warriors mailed in the first quarter of the fifth game & couldn't recover (31-11) -- but both teams were clearly playing their hardest & best in a great seventh game of awesome hoops

It was great to see a close game (finally) end this series. This reminds me a little of the 2013 Heat-SA series that went 7 games - the two best teams battling it out and one of them ran out of time. I didn't think the Cavs would be able to pull this out, and not to take anything away from Cleveland, but the Warriors seemed to run out of gas these past few games. Big shots that had been going in just weren't going in as often the past three games. I don't think the loss of Bogut was a big deal since, like last season's finals, he probably wouldn't have gotten as many minutes since this series was such a fast transition series.

This was also some of the best basketball I've seen from LeBron. He did everything in his power to make sure the Cavs were in it. Great series, great season.

I agree with Bob as it was nice to see a close game.

Kyrie's 3-pointer near the end was huge as was that block from Lebron.

That said I think the GSW lost the game more than the Cavs won it. Not sure if that makes any sense to anyone. I think it showed GS's weakness in being a one trick pony team. They had the lead and just needed to maintain and at home that should have been a given and all pressure should have been on the Cavs. But they kept chucking up those 3-pointers and they stopped going in. If they had drove the net and shot from inside then they win most likely.

Curry is an amazing shooter as are others on the team and Green was nailing the 3s also until he wasn't. But he kept it up.

I have laughed at all the comparisons that get thrown around about best team in history and best player. Curry getting compared with Jordan makes me laugh. No way Jordan loses that game last night an especially with having the lead with minutes left. Jordon losing 3 straight games to lose the Championship? Not a chance and I doubt anyone would disagree. Even Jordon's biggest haters would not go there.

Curry is amazing as is GS obviously but greatest team ever? I said no in debates for months and guess what? I was right. They did not even end as the best team this season.

The greatest team ever didn't even win the Championship of it's best season? That definitely ends that best ever debate. Media driven BS but people did hop on the debate. Can't compare eras really but you have to win the Championship to even enter the debate.

Two best team this season met in a rematch. It was a good final and nice to see it end close.

Next year makes it a best of three for these two teams?

Cleveland's defense is what won the series for them. The Warriors had 13 fourth quarter points last night, 11 fourth quarter points in the previous game. It was obvious that Curry was frustrated by their defense. Last night he had four turnovers. Not a HUGE amount, but it was the type of turnovers he made that really bothered me. Just dumb, errant passes that are completely atypical of him. You can't use the injury excuse for THAT.

Give Cleveland credit. No one is going to applaud a team or a player for doing the dirty work. Rebounds show in the stats; when you shut the other team down on defense, announcers, sportswriters and fans very rarely talk about it, they say the offensive team was "cold". But fact is, and it has always been this way, that defense wins championships. You can talk about the run and gun Lakers of the 70's/80's, and everyone will talk about Magic's passing and the fast break offense. But they were one of the greatest defensive teams of all-time, coached by the great Pat Riley. Cleveland did a great job climbing out of a nearly impossible 3-1 hole. They wanted it BAD...............especially, you know who: King James.

The Cavs defense definitely was a difference in the series and as you mention - in any series.

That said the GSW had plenty of opportunities and had the lead near the end. The 3 -pointers were the downfall. But what can you do when those same 3 pointers got them to the Finals.

Like I mentioned with kids, it becomes contagious and every guy on GS started tossing up 3s. Green's first 4 went in but that stopped and it also made him play a different game and keep on the outside. Needed to get under peoples' skin more as he did in all the previous games.

But the Cavs definitely deserve it. Played a great team game. Lebron gets the press but Irving's consistent play throughout the series (and playoffs) was huge. Played well even during losing games.

kyrie stepped up big in the finals that's for sure

Someone here in the Bay area posted just now on Facebook:

"Congrats to the Cavs! And Thank You Warriors for putting the fun back in basketball."

It's true. The Warriors DID put the fun back in basketball. They captivated the nation with their exciting brand of play and their historic 73 win season. They lost their title in the last minute of the final game. But you cannot take away what they did this year.

They have an owner with $$$ and a very savvy management team. The Warriors are not going away!

[Edited on 6/21/2016 by robslob]

Captivated the nation Rob ?

Your side of the country, sure. The nation ? No.

Captivated the nation Rob ?

Your side of the country, sure. The nation ? No.

Oh really? Then why when watching the Warriors this year, no matter where they played, even New York or Atlanta, they would show fans in the stands in Warriors gear. Dallas coach Rick Carlisle even commented after playing them this year that they were like The Rolling Stones on tour, fans in every city waiting to greet them. You're really not that ignorant, are you? Warriors merchandise surpassed any other team in sales, and it wasn't even close, and the phenomenon went on in every NBA city in the nation, and a lot of non-NBA cities.

Believe what you want to believe, if it makes you feel better. Ignorance is bliss. I know you're ecstatic that they didn't get the title. You can't take away their many accomplishments, like most wins in history in the regular season.

[Edited on 6/21/2016 by robslob]

Not ecstatic about them losing, I am ecstatic about the Cavs winning in historic fashion.

I stand by my comment.

I think maybe captivated is not the right word. But they definitely were the team to watch and interest was at its' peak. Whether you loved them or hated them - you noticed them.

But as far as merchandise goes that happens whenever a team wins as all sorts of bandwagon jumpers hop on board. Which is cool as that is how teams gain fans. But there are also lots of people that jump on a team's wagon and then jump right off when another wins. Who is selling stuff today? Lebron and the Cavs.

Most regular season wins is great but means far less with no Championship, Rob.

as they say

73-9 isn't bad
But 72-10 just has a better ring to it.

The greatest team ever stuff was media driven and turns many off. Especially in a showboat sport like basketball where these guys egos are already gigantic. It is league with terrible sportsmanship.
What other sport do the players not shake hands after the Final game? Green was the only guy that I saw that showed any class and shook hands. Curry was on his way to the locker room within seconds. Losing is part of the game and everyone is disappointed when they lose. Suck it up.

Was an amazing season, Rob. But the response to that record number of wins will always be that they lost in the end.

The NBA is not a level playing field as even a child can pick the few teams with a chance to win. Amazed that fans of some of the teams continue to support them when they have zero chance of winning. Baseball is the same. Already the talk has started about which superstar that GS will add for next season. Talk of Durant or Nowitzki.

Add Durant and someone is supposed to beat them? They will win 82 games unless egos interfere which they likely would. It is why the "super teams" always fall apart. Not team players. Obvious when you watch the players congratulate themselves after a play.

I have laughed at all the comparisons that get thrown around about best team in history and best player. Curry getting compared with Jordan makes me laugh. No way Jordan loses that game last night an especially with having the lead with minutes left. Jordon losing 3 straight games to lose the Championship? Not a chance and I doubt anyone would disagree. Even Jordon's biggest haters would not go there.

You're right.....Jordan wouldn't have lost game 7 in the Finals. Jordan didn't play game 7's.

Captivated the nation Rob ?

Your side of the country, sure. The nation ? No.

I'm not a Warriors fan, and I live in NYC (the opposite side of the country) but I will say they were definitely the story of the NBA this season. I was blown away watching them toss up and make INSANE 3-pointers all season. The Cavs won and won big, which not a lot of teams who dump their coach halfway through can do, but they were not the lead on Sportscenter every other night.

Especially in a showboat sport like basketball where these guys egos are already gigantic. It is league with terrible sportsmanship.

I saw Curry stick around for a while, but of course he's going to get off the court. What do you expect from these guys after they pour their heart and souls into months of grind it down basketball? Their bodies and their minds are exhausted. MLB and NFL have plenty of show boaters, too (and plenty of cranky fans complaining about Cam leaving the field or bat flippers).

It's true. The Warriors DID put the fun back in basketball.

The greatest NBA series I have ever seen was Baron Davis' Warriors knocking off the #1 seed Mavs 7 or 8 years ago - that series was NUTS. Even go back to Run TMC, there is something wild about the Warriors. After years of the Spurs grinding people down, it is refreshing to see a team play and succeed a different way. They didn't win their last game, which is what people will remember. But like the 2008 Patriots who won big during the regular season and ran out of gas, people will still remember this team.

The NBA is not a level playing field as even a child can pick the few teams with a chance to win. Amazed that fans of some of the teams continue to support them when they have zero chance of winning. Baseball is the same.

I do agree with this to some degree, however, the smaller market of Cleveland did just win, Oklahoma City nearly made it back to the finals, and of the 5 teams from the 3 biggest markets (NYC, LA, Chicago) only 1 made it to the playoffs (Clippers), so it's not hopeless. You just need to give stars a good reason to go to smaller market teams, which I think the NBA is getting better at. Unlike MLB and the NFL, the NBA knows its bread and butter are the big TV markets and/or their historically successful teams. They want the Lakers, Knicks, Bulls, Heat, Celtics, etc, to do well because ratings for 7-game series are a tougher sell than a single Super Bowl, which the whole planet watches. How many people actually watched the Toronto Raptors outside of Toronto? Most good players want to go to big markets so they can increase their advertising presence. Sure, LeBron won in Cleveland, but he went to Miami to win first.

I also just don't think there are many savvy GMs and owners out there, which keeps older teams like the Hawks, 76ers, Kings, Bucks, etc, from being competitive. Smaller market teams don't make more money if they win (usually means a bigger payroll). Cheap owners will keep their teams mediocre rather than spend money on success on the court (see Donald Sterling, Herb Kohl) and bad owners will mess up a team for years (see James Dolan).

I have laughed at all the comparisons that get thrown around about best team in history and best player. Curry getting compared with Jordan makes me laugh. No way Jordan loses that game last night an especially with having the lead with minutes left. Jordon losing 3 straight games to lose the Championship? Not a chance and I doubt anyone would disagree. Even Jordon's biggest haters would not go there.

You're right.....Jordan wouldn't have lost game 7 in the Finals. Jordan didn't play game 7's.

LOL - there you go.

I saw Curry stick around for a while, but of course he's going to get off the court. What do you expect from these guys after they pour their heart and souls into months of grind it down basketball? Their bodies and their minds are exhausted. MLB and NFL have plenty of show boaters, too (and plenty of cranky fans complaining about Cam leaving the field or bat flippers).

They showed Curry in the hall to the dressing room right away.

What do I expect? Sportsmanship - shake the other teams hand like every other sport does. Are NHL players not exhausted? Hell the NFL goes over board and they all hug after every game.

The NBA and basketball itself are selfish. Watch Curry (and many others) congratulate themselves, pat themselves and tell the world that they are " the man". "Look what I just did" type mentality.

Perhaps it is because of so much court time or maybe a statement on todays society.

The NBA is not a level playing field as even a child can pick the few teams with a chance to win. Amazed that fans of some of the teams continue to support them when they have zero chance of winning. Baseball is the same.

I do agree with this to some degree, however, the smaller market of Cleveland did just win, Oklahoma City nearly made it back to the finals

At the start of the season did you not know that the chances of Cleveland, OKC and GSW of being in the Final 4 was pretty much a sure thing? Toronto was the only surprise.

I didn't mention that it was the big markets that were sure things. Often large markets don't need it as you mentioned because of greedy owners.

Without Lebron, Cleveland never wins and if he didn't win would he stay there? The pressure on him was huge obviously. Now he is free to go where he wants in the future.

If Durant leaves OKC, they will be nowhere near the Final 4.

Both teams could wait decades before having similar success.

The trouble is stacked teams that the vast majority of the league can't compete against. MLB is as bad or even worse. Some teams are out of it before the first game is played.

No idea how they keep season ticket holders.

At the start of the season did you not know that the chances of Cleveland, OKC and GSW of being in the Final 4 was pretty much a sure thing? Toronto was the only surprise.

Without Lebron, Cleveland never wins and if he didn't win would he stay there? The pressure on him was huge obviously. Now he is free to go where he wants in the future.

If Durant leaves OKC, they will be nowhere near the Final 4.

Both teams could wait decades before having similar success.

Well duh, I'm not really sure what your point is - I thought you were saying the league isn't a level playing field, but now you're saying any team's fortune can quickly change.

12-man squad, 2 big stars typically, you subtract 1 and the team isn't as good anymore - that's how the NBA works. The Cavs were able to build a great squad around LeBron, the Warriors assembled a great squad largely through the draft, the Super Sonics were pretty bad before they assembled a squad in OKC through the draft. These aren't teams with deep recent historic success. The Bulls were pretty bad in the 10 years after Jordan left. The Celtics were pretty mediocre/lousy in the 15 years after Bird left. The Knicks have been terrible for nearly 15 years. Yes, you have your basement dwellers, but even the Kings had a solid squad in the early 2000s. Hell, the Clippers (the CLIPPERS!) have been better than the Lakers for nearly 5 years now. The Hornets (former Bobcats) made the playoffs and took Miami to 7 games. Let's not forget that OKC surprised everyone by knocking off the Spurs, who had the 5th greatest record in NBA history this season, and nearly knocked off the GSW, who had the greatest regular season ever.

In the NFL, didn't we anticipate that Denver, New England, Arizona, and Green Bay would be excellent teams (Carolina was a surprise)? Didn't we all know that Jacksonville and Cleveland would be absolutely awful? Typically you have 5-6 front runners in each league, and 1-2 surprises.

Perhaps it is because of so much court time or maybe a statement on todays society.

Right, right, "In my day" blah blah blah. When Daryl Dawkins named his dunks, it wasn't showboating. When Kermit Washington broke Rudy's face, it was no biggie. The 1980s Detroit Pistons never left the court immediately at the end of a game. People said Jordan wasn't cocky and disrespectful compared to Kareem and Magic in the 1980s. People said the same thing about Kareem in the 1970s. I think you are looking at the past through hot-pink tinted glasses.

73-9 isn't bad
But 72-10 just has a better ring to it.

The Warriors won it all in 2015 and came within one game of doing it again in 2016. That's a great two year run.

Some would call San Antonio a dynasty. Since Tim Duncan came into the league in 1997, The Spurs have won it all five times: 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2014. Now look at that history. As great as S.A. has been for SO many years, they never once repeated as champions the following year after winning it.

The triumvirate of Curry/Thompson/Green is still young and will be around for years to come. History will judge them, not one or two years.

73-9 isn't bad
But 72-10 just has a better ring to it.

The Warriors won it all in 2015 and came within one game of doing it again in 2016. That's a great two year run.

Some would call San Antonio a dynasty. Since Tim Duncan came into the league in 1997, The Spurs have won it all five times: 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2014. Now look at that history. As great as S.A. has been for SO many years, they never once repeated as champions the following year after winning it.

The triumvirate of Curry/Thompson/Green is still young and will be around for years to come. History will judge them, not one or two years.

And the Heat beat the Spurs in 2013 and then lost to them in 2014. No one has taken anything away either team.

One stat I did find interesting: the Warriors lost 9 games during the regular season; the Warriors lost 9 games in the playoffs. Granted the competition and stakes are greater in the playoffs, but they lived (succeeded wildly) and died (went cold against a great team) by the 3.

Right, right, "In my day" blah blah blah.

I don't recall ever saying "In my day blah blah blah.

Two weeks ago, the Pittsburg Penguins and San Jose Sharks shook hands and displayed sportsmanship.

If two weeks ago is "back in the day" then we are all pretty damn old.

Sportsmanship and class do not come naturally in the NBA as opposed to pretty much every other league around the world. Speaks volumes about the character of the players.

And duh, I was saying that it isn't a level playing field. Any movement can obviously affect any team. When the stars move it is to play with other stars.

Before a game has been played, what are the odds of the same two teams meeting for a third time? They will both add someone to ensure that. It renders many teams as basically farm teams.

Actually, really, truthfully? I think it's great for professional basketball that the Warriors and the Cavaliers have a genuine disdain for each other. I mean really now, that Warrior's - Cavs series was some of the most hotly contested NBA ball seen in some time IMO. GREAT players on BOTH teams! Warriors - OKC was every bit as hotly contested.

I've given Cleveland their due for coming back from down 3-1.........a historic and nearly impossible accomplishment against a team which just had a historic run.

But let's look at the full playoff picture now. The Warriors did the exact same thing to OKC that Cleveland did to them: Came back from 3-1 down. And if anyone is going to tell me that Cleveland's playoff competition prior to the championship series was anything approaching what the Warriors faced.............well, then, let me laugh you out of the gym ahead of time. They played Houston, Portland and Oklahoma City. I don't need to say anything more.

They definitely had the harder road to the Finals. But I don't think it was fatigue that did them in. It was the 3s not dropping and bad turnovers added with the Cavs strong defense.

The Warriors will add an inside man and dominate again.

The triumvirate of Curry/Thompson/Green is still young and will be around for years to come. History will judge them, not one or two years.

I agree they will be back, but other teams are going to figure out this "small ball game" and stop it at times .....its called hard nose smash mouth defense. It will take a team from the East with that mentality and talent.

I saw Curry stick around for a while, but of course he's going to get off the court. What do you expect from these guys after they pour their heart and souls into months of grind it down basketball? Their bodies and their minds are exhausted. MLB and NFL have plenty of show boaters, too (and plenty of cranky fans complaining about Cam leaving the field or bat flippers).

The NBA and basketball itself are selfish. Watch Curry (and many others) congratulate themselves, pat themselves and tell the world that they are " the man". "Look what I just did" type mentality.

Perhaps it is because of so much court time or maybe a statement on todays society.

Well said C mule . Its not the NBdivA for nothing.

I agree they will be back, but other teams are going to figure out this "small ball game" and stop it at times .....its called hard nose smash mouth defense. It will take a team from the East with that mentality and talent.

The Warriors will add an inside man and dominate again.

They will make some serious moves. I think the Cleveland series showed that they need a legitimate banger inside. Bogut is a great rebounder and a great defender but his minutes are limited and obviously he's injury prone. They need a Tristan Thompson type player...........he often ran roughshod in this series and no one on the Warriors could contain him. Ezeli also has a lot of question marks and has yet to prove his worth competing against teams like OKC and Cleveland. And at his young age, he's had two fairly serious injuries already. Speights has turned into a 15 foot jumper dude, not much of a banger.

Every team which stays competitive for an extended period must change their role players. We've got a core of Curry/Thompson/Green to build around but the role players will change. For my money, Harrison Barnes is gone. He's just too streaky. When he's hot it's wonderful but when he goes cold he's off WAY too long to get the kind of $$$ his agent is asking for.

Landing Kevin Durant would be a great coup, but to be honest I'm hesitant about that one. There's only one basketball to go around.............on a team with Curry, Thompson and Green? I'm not sure that would work.

[Edited on 6/22/2016 by robslob]

bogut plays limited minutes due to coaching not because he can't. kerr likes a small lineup once a team has subbed players

Right, right, "In my day" blah blah blah.

I don't recall ever saying "In my day blah blah blah.

Two weeks ago, the Pittsburg Penguins and San Jose Sharks shook hands and displayed sportsmanship.

When you say "a statement on today's society" it certainly sounds like you are lamenting a different time in, I'm assuming, the past.

Curry was on the court talking to and embracing other players (check this out at 1:26). Due to the sea of media that flooded the floor, I'm not sure what else he should be doing - handing out orange slices and juice boxes? Should LeBron have even celebrated until he had hugged every Warriors player? What's the standard? People ragged on Cam Newton for leaving the field after the last Super Bowl, but nobody complained when man-child Peyton Manning walked off the field in Super Bowl 44. It's just games and players get emotional. The hockey handshake is great and all, but hockey players still fight each other like children.