The 2015 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 2014–15 season of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors defeated the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers in six games (4–2) for the Warriors' first title in 40 years and their fourth in franchise history, becoming the first team since the 1990–91 Chicago Bulls to win a championship without any prior Finals experience from any player in their roster. Golden State's Andre Iguodala was named the Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP). The Warriors were led by 2014–15 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Stephen Curry, while the Cavaliers featured four-time league MVP LeBron James. Both teams entered the series with title droughts of four decades, with the Cavaliers having never won since their 1970–71 inception and the Warriors' last title having been in 1975.[1] This was also the first time that both participating teams had first-year head coaches since the inaugural league finals in 1947, when the NBA was known as the Basketball Association of America (BAA).[2] It was the fifth consecutive finals appearance for James who played for the Miami Heat the previous four seasons,[3] making him the first NBA player since the Boston Celtics dynasty of the 1960s to achieve this. James also became the first player in NBA Finals history to lead both teams in points, assists and rebounds for the entire series. He averaged 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds and 8.8 assists for the series, although he shot below 40% throughout the series. [4][5] For the second straight year, the Finals was played in the 2–2–1–1–1 format (Games 1, 2, 5, and 7 at Golden State, Games 3, 4, and 6 at Cleveland). The series began on June 4, 2015 and ended on June 16, 2015, and was televised in the United States on ABC and in Canada on TSN. Game 6 The Warriors finished off the Cavaliers 105–97, winning the series 4–2. The Warriors outscored the Cavaliers 28–15 in the 1st quarter. However, the Cavaliers went on a big run to cut the deficit to 2 at halftime, trailing 45–43. The Cavaliers led 47–45 early in the third quarter, their only lead of the second half. However, the Warriors outscored the Cavaliers 28–18 in the 3rd quarter, leading by as many 15 before taking a 12 point lead into the 4th, leading 73–61. In the 4th quarter, the Cavs cut the deficit down to 7, but the Warriors pushed the lead back to 15. The Cavaliers, led by J.R. Smith, made a late surge to cut it to 4 with under 40 seconds remaining. However, the Warriors hit their free throws and closed out the series, giving the franchise their first title since 1975, and the city of Oakland its first major league sports championship since the Oakland Athletics won the 1989 World Series. Andre Iguodala, who did not start for the Warriors until Game 4 of the Finals, was named the Finals MVP for his instrumental defense against LeBron James, who led the Cavaliers with 32 points. Iguodala had the third lowest scoring average of any Finals MVP in NBA history. James became the youngest player to score 5000 career points in the playoffs. It was the first time since the 2011 Finals that a team has won the NBA championship on its opponent's home venue.

• published: 10 Dec 2015
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