On June 16th in 2015, the Golden State Warriors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 105-97 in Game 6 of the NBA Finals for the Championship.
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On May 25, 1975, the Golden State Warriors swept the Washington Bullets to win the 1975 NBA Finals. It was the first championship for the Warriors in the Golden State era. The Warriors beat Washington, 96-95, to finish the sweep. While the Warriors won four straight games to take home the title, the series was extremely close throughout. The Warriors twice beat the Bullets by just one point.
Rick Barry was named Finals MVP as he averaged 29.5 points, 5.0 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game while playing 43 minutes per game. Barry was a one-man show for the Warriors when it came to getting buckets. The next-highest scoring average for Golden State was Jamaal Wilkes at 11.5 points.
On this date in Dubs history, the 1975 Warriors swept the Washington Bullets & captured the 1975 NBA Championship. pic.twitter.com/AbuXbD4Gme
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) May 25, 2020
The Warriors didn’t win another championship for 40 years.
On June 16th in 2015, the Golden State Warriors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 105-97 in Game 6 of the NBA Finals to clinch their fourth championship in franchise history and the first in 40 years.
The Warriors captured its first championship trophy since 1975, using the formula it had relied upon all season long. With the leadership and incredible shooting of Stephen Curry and contributions from their roster, the Warriors dazzled teams with the highest-scoring offense.
In the process, Warriors swept New Orleans, rallied from a 2-1 deficit to beat Memphis and then blew through Houston in five games to make the finals for the first time since 1975.
As a result, Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr became the seventh first-time head coach to win an NBA title. Having won five titles as a player in his 15-year NBA career, Kerr became the 13th head coach in NBA history to have also won championships as a player.
“The dream season is now complete. The Golden State Warriors are the 2015 NBA Champions, their first title in 40 years!”
Five years ago today ? pic.twitter.com/yFktmtAszK
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) June 16, 2020
The three biggest stars for the Warriors in the Finals were Stephen Curry (25 points, 8 assists), Draymond Green (16 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 steals), and Andre Iguodala (25 points).
Andre Iguodala, came off the bench in 95 of the 98 games played in the 2014-15 season (regular-season + playoffs). Iguodala was named the Finals MVP with averages of 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.0 assists. He became the first Finals MVP to have not started a single game in the regular season. He was also the first Finals MVP ever to have not started every game of the championship series.
In the three games he started (Games 4, 5 & 6), he averaged 20.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 2.0 steals in 39.4 minutes. Whereas, in the first three games of the series, he averaged just 12.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.0 assists in 34.8 minutes.
3x NBA champion, 2015 NBA Finals MVP, SIX STRAIGHT trips to the Finals!
Look back at Andre Iguodala’s top highlights from his previous Finals appearances! #NBAVault pic.twitter.com/MqGk76i8Hp
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) September 29, 2020
His insertion into the starting line-up helped the Warriors change the tempo of the game and pull off three straight wins.
Outside of signing Iguodala as a free-agent in 2013, the franchise constructed nearly all of this championship roster through trades and draft picks.
For the Cavaliers, losing starting point guard Kyrie Irving in Game 1 left them with virtually no depth. LeBron James’ herculean effort went in vain, not just in the game but for the entire series. In Game 6, he finished with 32 points, 18 rebounds, and nine assists while averaging a near triple-double for the series – 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 8.8 assists at an average playing time of 45.7 minutes.
The 2015 NBA Finals had it all ? pic.twitter.com/aOxjb1eZcd
— ESPN (@espn) May 13, 2020
“Doesn’t matter if I’m playing in Miami or playing in Cleveland or playing on Mars,” James said after the finals. “You lose in the finals, it’s disappointing.”
