The Golden State Warriors captured their third championship in four years on Friday, easily disposing of the Cleveland Cavaliers with a four-game sweep in the 2018 NBA Finals. The Warriors’ latest victory has rightfully sparked discussions of a new potential dynasty in the making. As the rest of the NBA scrambles this summer to figure out a way to put together the right pieces to topple the Goliaths of the league, we will take a look at how the Warriors were able to coast their way through the regular season, and turn it on in the playoffs.
The Warriors finished second in the Western Conference with a 58-24 record this season without really trying. Following the 2015-16 campaign where Golden State fell short of winning the title, the team understood that the talent on their roster could easily carry them to the playoffs every year. Their ultimate goal was to get “clicking like Golden State” when it mattered most: the postseason.
Even though the Warriors were pushed to the brink of elimination by the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference Finals, it always felt as though Golden State had everything under control. By the time they reached the Finals, it was clear that the Cavaliers didn’t stand a chance at defeating them four times in a seven-game stretch. In what could very well be their last Finals matchup, the Warriors put Cleveland away with ease. Here are the pieces to the puzzle that was the Warriors' 2018 championship run.
Sometimes, You Gotta Get Kicked in the Mouth
Quinn Cookin’
All of the attention on the Warriors is surrounding their Big 4, but this team has taught us the importance of having great bench pieces. Aside from the usual suspects of Shaun Livingston and David West, Golden State discovered some diamonds in the rough.
In March, Steph Curry suffered an MCL sprain that sidelined him for six weeks. Even though the Warriors still had Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson to lean on to take a bulk of the offensive load, it was G-League player Quinn Cook who seized the opportunity and ran with it. In a 15-game stretch that lasted from March to April, Cook averaged 16.9 points on 51.8 percent shooting from the field and 50 percent shooting from downtown.
Cook’s numbers didn’t necessarily set the world on fire, but they were enough to convince the Warriors that he deserved a spot on their roster once Curry returned. When Golden State won the title, Cook and Steve Kerr shared an emotional moment where the head coach told him, “You’ve earned your spot in the NBA.”
Cook made the most of his opportunity, and all that hard work led him to his first ring.
The Kevin Durant (Finals) Show
