The Golden State Warriors closed out The Finals on Tuesday with a 105-97 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 6.

1. Replication of Game 4

Losing Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving to injuries resulted in the Cavaliers discovering a new identity as a power team. Playing that style worked to frustrate the Warriors in the first three games, but ultimately was ineffective against Golden State’s small lineup. Cleveland lost by 21 in Game 4 despite dominating on the offensive glass and then by 13 in Game 5 when David Blatt had the Cavs play small themselves. In Game 6, the Cavs returned to the identity that helped them build a 2-1 lead to start the series by bringing Timofey Mozgov back into the rotation. The result was a game that closely resembled what happened in Game 4 regardless of the closer margin on the scoreboard.

Like in Game 4, Mozgov and Tristan Thompson were effective on offense by rebounding and scoring inside. They combined for 11 offensive rebounds and 32 points on 60 percent shooting. However, the Warriors were fine with the production of Mozgov and Thompson because they knew that playing small meant making some concessions to the Cavs frontcourt. Golden State’s defense was again effective by limiting LeBron James and completely shutting down the rest of the Cleveland backcourt. 

*Dellavedova, Jones, Shumpert, Smith

The backcourt’s and the whole team’s scoring was only as high as it was in Game 6 because of J.R. Smith making three desperation 3s in the final minute and a half in what was their very last attempt at a comeback. 

2. Speed Kills Again

One slight difference between Game 4 and Game 6 was how the Warriors defense was most effective against the Cavs offense. In the former, Cleveland’s struggles could largely be attributed to an inability to make open jump shots. Alternatively, in Game 6, they had trouble even generating those shot attempts because too many of their possessions ended with a turnover. A turnover can be particularly damaging because it eliminates a chance at an offensive rebound and it often enables the opponent to initiate their fast break. In Game 6, the Cavs turnovers were especially problematic against the fast Warriors lineup that took advantage by converting live-ball turnovers into easy transition baskets. 

In this play, Andre Iguodala is able to get a steal, immediately start the fast break, and find a streaking Stephen Curry for an easy layup because Mozgov has no chance of keeping up. Later on, a Cavs turnover and the ensuing fast break forces LeBron to pick up the ball rather than locating his man, Harrison Barnes, who is able to spot-up and knock down an open 3-point attempt. The Warriors are dangerous in transition because of their 3-point shooting, which explains why LeBron and Mozgov both run to Curry and leave Iguodala alone for a wide open dunk in the early stages of the 3rd quarter.

The Cavs' defense did a good job of limiting Curry and Klay Thompson to 10-26 shooting from the field and 4-14 on 3-pointers. But they allowed the Warriors to put up a solid offensive performance by committing too many turnovers and thus, enabling the Warriors to fastbreak too frequently. Staying big against the small lineup made avoiding turnovers even more important because the speed disparity was such that the Cavs had no chance of keeping up with the Warriors fast breaks. The Cavs' inability to limit their turnovers was a crucial determinant of the outcome of Game 6. 

3. Wrap Up

It would be shortsighted to describe the Cavaliers season as a disappointment solely because they fell short of winning a championship. Even LeBron himself, early in the season, warned that it was “going to be a long process” and that it might be a bit too optimistic to expect a championship in Year 1. Even with their three best players in the lineup, it was never a guarantee that the Cavs would make it to the Finals. Many considered the Bulls and Hawks to be legitimate threats to win the East. Yet, the Cavs defeated the Bulls and made short work of the upstart Hawks despite Love’s absence and Irving playing hurt. Not only did the Cavs make the Finals, but they got two wins against a historically good Warriors team despite missing two all-stars due to injury. Considering the start of their season and the Cavs lack of experience as a group, I would say Year 1 of LeBron’s return to Cleveland was quite the success. In fact, the Cavs might have won the championship if not for the Finals MVP, Andre Iguodala, who had by far the most success of any Warrior in defending LeBron. Iguodala winning the finals MVP represents what the 2014-15 Golden State Warriors were all about: sacrifice and selflessness.

Players throughout the roster were asked to sacrifice playing time, egos, scoring opportunities, and more throughout the course of the season. Iguodala helped establish the theme of sacrifice by agreeing to come off the bench for the first time in his career. Another player who admirably sacrificed was David Lee, who gracefully accepted his bench role without complaining so as to not disrupt the team’s chemistry. Similarly, there was no negative response from Andrew Bogut when he went from being a starter to not playing at all in the last few games of the Finals.

The team’s success all starts with the phenomenal abilities of their superstar point guard and the reigning league MVP, Stephen Curry. His combination of never-before-seen shooting and skilled playmaking allows him to leverage the threat of his scoring to create openings and make everything easier for his teammates. The combination of Curry willingly using his ability for that purpose and his teammates consistently taking advantage of their opportunities and effectively supplementing their leader is essential to the Warriors superiority. Golden State winning the championship demonstrates how greatness is achieved through sacrifice and selflessness, two traits that the Warriors embodied on their journey to becoming champions.