The Golden State Warriors won their first NBA title in 40 years as they closed out the series against the Cleveland Cavaliers 104-97, thus clinching the series 4-2.  Stephen Curry took a while to warm up to the series but from game four onwards he showed why he was the Most Valuable Player in the NBA during the regular season.  LeBron James was his usual self as he averaged 40 points in the first five games of this series but his supporting cast was not quite up to it.

The Cleveland Cavaliers had already lost Kevin Love during the regular season coupled with the fact that they also lost Kyrie Irving in game one of the Finals.  However this could not be used as an excuse as the more flexible and agile Warriors found a way to overcome a 2-1 deficit in this series to clinch the title.  Their support cast was much better.

Draymon Green scored a triple double in the final but the surprise of the series was Andre Iguodala, who had not started a game all season until game four of the NBA final when his coach Steve Kerr decided to put his faith in him. What a decision that was to be rewarded with Iguodala winning the NBA Final MVP trophy.  There were others who also made valuable contributions to the Warriors including Klay Thompson who was not quite at the level he was during the regular season but he still made a significant contribution to emulate the success of his father, who won two NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 80s.

JR Smith who left the New York Knicks during the regular season for Cleveland saw his influence wane after the game three, as he just could not get going. The worse was in game four when he was 0 from 8.  LeBron did well to get the Cavaliers back to the final for the first time since 2007 coupled with the fact that they won a game in the finals for the first time, having been swept by San Antonio Spurs in 2007. 

The problem for the Cavaliers was that due to the fact that LeBron was their only marquee player he could not have the deserved rest he needed to revitalize him during games. He averaged 43 minutes on the floor during this final series. Matthew Dellavedova made a significant contribution to the Cavaliers but that was up till game three. After that game he spent time in hospital due to dehydration and his influence on the series began to wane.

The Cavaliers refused to go away in game 6 but every time they got close the likes of Curry and Iguodala proved lethal from down town as they dropped three to increase their lead. In fairness game six was probably the most complete performance from the Warriors who bossed the game over the four quarters and at times kept the partisan crowd quiet.

The likes of Festus Ezeli also came off the bench to make a significant contribution to the success of the Warriors as he scored ten points in game six.  Steve Kerr had previously won five NBA titles as a player. He won three with the Chicago Bulls and two with the San Antonio Spurs. All that experience as a player should not be under estimated.

This Warriors team can only get better. In the state of California the Warriors have watched from afar as their neighbours the Los Angeles Lakers won title after title in comparison previous three including 1975.  There is a new sheriff in that state now and it is the Ultimate Warriors.