The Golden State Warriors have officially done it. After defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers in game five of the 2017 NBA Finals with a final score of 129-120, the Warriors scraped through with victory, defeating the Cavaliers 4-1 in the best of 7 series. This is Golden State's second NBA championship in three years, a huge milestone for a team that was bouncing around the first few rounds of the playoffs just a few years prior. As for the Cleveland Cavaliers, this is their second finals defeat in the last three years, 2016 was the year they broke the curse and won their first NBA title.
But as a franchise, Cleveland is now 1-3 in the bright lights of the NBA Finals, a record they will be hoping to improve in the coming years.
Kevin Durant was very emotional and excited after the Golden State Warriors clinched the NBA championship, he spoke with media after the game and discussed the role his teammates played on helping the team succeed, talked about his joy after winning his first chip of his career and he also discussed what it was like going up against a man he considers to be his rival, LeBron James.
Kevin Durant compliments LeBron as an opponent
After the 129-120 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors celebrated with some champagne and beer in the locker room.
Shortly after, KD came to the microphone to discuss what had just happened with the Warriors placing their name in the history books, winning two championships in three years. Durant discussed his team, himself, his family and also a man he had to go through to win this coveted trophy.
KD on finally beating LeBron James:
"Feels great to win.
But to go against somebody as view as like a rival, personally, it's an amazing feeling to beat him. But one thing I know about LeBron James though, he'll probably be back in the gym, start of July, getting ready for next season. So I probably gotta beat him to the gym."
Kevin Durant also dived into talking about the respect factor they have for eachother, something which is often criticized by the media and fans due to the fact they're competing against eachother.
KD said:
"The mutual respect. We talk about guys being too friendly but it's a game and we compete on a court as hard as we can, both of us, after the game it's respect. I respected him when he won his first one in 2012 and he reciprocated that... I got nothing but love and respect for him and I can't wait to compete against him again next season."
KD was tired of being second to LeBron
Kevin Durant once expressed his feelings with the grief he faces after time and time again, being 'second'. Durant featured on the front page of a Sports Illustrated magazine in 2013 where he was quoted on it. Since that time he won an MVP award, which almost silenced this idea. But the agony of being second to LeBron James would still constantly penetrate the 2014 MVP.
So he made a decision, to join the 73-win Warriors team after failing to beat them in the 2016 West Finals. He made this decision, as he feels he would grow as a player, or as many feel, the easy path to a championship.
And this is the result. The Warriors went an incredible 16-1 in the 2017 NBA playoffs, and defeated the Cavaliers in the Finals in six games. Giving Kevin Durant a reason to celebrate, and LeBron a reason to lay in despair. The narrative will now be that Durant has finally defeated James, which has been something KD has dreamt of for a long time. Even though he joined a team with a bunch of other all stars, he finally achieved his goal, even though many believe this is a unsatisfactory way of winning it all.
