After blowing a 3-1 lead in last year’s Finals, the Golden State Warriors exacted their pound of flesh from LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games this year, claiming their second title in three years. The difference maker between last year and this is obvious – Finals MVP Kevin Durant.
Amid the slings and arrows being lobbed at him by scorned and bitter Oklahoma City Thunder fans, “purity trolls” who decry “superteams,” and even some of the NBA’s current and former stars, Durant and the Warriors persisted – and conquered everybody put in their path.