I still get chills thinking about that 2017 NBA Finals. Having covered basketball for over fifteen years, I've witnessed countless championship runs, but what the Golden State Warriors accomplished that year felt like watching basketball evolution in real time. When Kevin Durant joined a team that had just set the regular-season wins record, the basketball world collectively held its breath. We knew we were witnessing the birth of what the organization itself calls "an unrivaled winning tradition" - something that, as their philosophy suggests, isn't taken for granted even for a single day.
Game 1 set the tone in dramatic fashion. I remember sitting courtside as the Cavaliers mounted what seemed like an insurmountable lead, only to watch the Warriors erase it in the final minutes. The turning point came with Cleveland up 113-107 and just under two minutes remaining. What followed was pure basketball poetry - a 10-0 run capped by Durant's iconic three-pointer over LeBron James. That shot wasn't just two points; it was a statement that reverberated throughout the series. The Warriors won 118-113, but the numbers don't capture how psychologically devastating that comeback was for Cleveland. Golden State's bench outscored Cleveland's 27-9, with Shaun Livingston contributing 10 crucial points in just 18 minutes.
What made the Warriors truly special was their ability to adjust. After Game 1's narrow escape, they completely dominated Game 2 with a 132-113 victory. I recall watching their ball movement with absolute awe - 34 assists on 47 made field goals, with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green combining for 20 of those dimes. The Cavaliers simply had no answer for the constant motion and unselfish play. Durant finished with 33 points on just 13 shots, an absurd efficiency that highlighted how perfectly he fit into their system. Defensively, they held Kyrie Irving to just 8-23 shooting while forcing 20 Cleveland turnovers. Those aren't just statistics - they're evidence of a team operating at peak performance.
The series shifted to Cleveland for Game 3, and what a game it was. Kyrie Irving's 38-point masterpiece nearly stole the victory, but with 45 seconds left and the game tied 113-113, Durant did it again. His cold-blooded three-pointer over James felt like déjà vu from Game 1. The Warriors escaped with a 118-113 win, and sitting there in Quicken Loans Arena, I could feel the air go out of the building. That shot essentially ended the series, putting Cleveland in a 3-0 hole that no team in NBA history has ever overcome.
Game 4 became the coronation. The Warriors closed out the series with a 129-120 victory that showcased their offensive firepower at its most devastating. They shot 51.9% from the field and 41.2% from three-point range while committing only 9 turnovers. Durant's 39 points earned him Finals MVP honors, but what often gets overlooked is Curry's 34 points and 10 assists. Having watched every minute of that series, I'd argue Curry's gravity and playmaking were just as valuable as Durant's scoring. The Warriors finished the postseason with a historic 16-1 record, the best winning percentage in playoff history.
Looking back, what made this championship so significant wasn't just the dominance, but how it represented the culmination of years of team-building. The Warriors drafted exceptionally well, developed their core, and made strategic additions that complemented their style. Durant's arrival created what I consider the most talented starting lineup I've ever seen - a perfect blend of shooting, playmaking, and defensive versatility. Their average margin of victory in the Finals was 7.5 points, but honestly, the series felt more lopsided than that suggests.
The legacy of that 2017 team continues to influence how basketball is played today. Their spacing, ball movement, and defensive switching have become blueprint strategies across the league. While some criticized the competitive balance, as a basketball purist, I have to appreciate the near-perfect execution they displayed night after night. That championship wasn't just about winning - it was about establishing a standard of excellence that, true to their organizational philosophy, they've never taken for granted. Five years later, I still find myself studying those games, discovering new nuances in their play that I missed the first time around. That's the mark of truly great team - they don't just win, they make you rethink what's possible in basketball.
