Golden State Warriors Defeat LeBron's Cavs in 2017 NBA Finals; Kevin Durant Named MVP

The Golden State Warriors have triumphed over the Cleveland Cavaliers in their third consecutive NBA Finals showdown.

The Cavs were unable to repeat their magic 3 – 1 Finals comeback from 2016, falling to the Warriors in five games.

They did, however, manage to stop the Warriors from making history with a total Finals sweep, interrupting their playoffs winning streak by giving them their first loss over the weekend.

The Warriors—and the imported Kevin Durant, notching his first championship ring—nonetheless came back fighting to dominate at their home, the Oracle Arena.

They defeated a hard-fighting Cavs team 129 – 120.

It marks Golden State's second championship in three years, after their victory over Cleveland in six games from 2015. The Warriors looked to repeat in 2016, even managing a 3 – 1 lead, before LeBron James and his Cavs accomplished one of the greatest comebacks in NBA history, clinching a series victory in a nail-biting Game 7.

Alas, James, Kyrie Irving and company couldn’t top the powerhouse starting line-up of Durant, Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Zaza Pachulia in 2017.

Durant, besides collecting the first championship ring of his career, was also named Finals MVP, thanks to his 39-point performance. (He managed at least 30 points in each of this series' games.)

While Golden State celebrates, the Cavs will return home to lick their wounds, where they will either need to address the lack of depth in their bench as well as their failings in defence (both of which ultimately crippled their chances against the Warriors), or potentially lose LeBron James... again.

Photo: Twitter (warriors)