After 40 long years, the Golden State Warriors are once again the NBA Champions. They did it with a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, 105-97, in Game 6 of their best-of-seven Finals series.
To add emphasis and context, Golden State's last title came in 1975 when there was an NBA player named Rick Barry, disco fever was the craze, and Gerald Ford was the president of the United States, as per the NBA's official website.
Sixth man Andre Iguodala was judged as the Finals MVP as he was voted 7-4 on top of Cleveland's LeBron James. Together with regular season MVP Stephen Curry, the two led Golden State with 25 points apiece in the concluding game.
This sharing of recognition and responsibility pretty much sums up the Warriors' entire season. Head coach Steve Kerr set the tone from the outset when he asked Iguodala to come off the bench for Klay Thompson. The veteran shooting guard's sacrifice proved to be a great decision as he is now experiencing its consequences.
Their motto, "Strength in Numbers," was clearly demonstrated as five Warriors, including three bench players, scored in double figures to turn back the Cavs.
Fittingly, Iguodala and Curry also had help from third-year power forward Draymond Green, who excellently provided his own Finals triple-double of 16 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists for Golden State.
Meanwhile, James was his usual superb self, just missing an unprecedented third Finals triple-double by scoring 32 points, grabbing 18 monstrous rebounds, and dishing off nine assists to cap off perhaps the greatest individual Finals performance in NBA history.
But championships are for teams, not for individuals.
It was not James' fault, though, as fellow All-Stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love were both unfortunately sidelined by injuries by the time the Cavs reached the Finals.
One consolation for Cleveland fans, though, is the truth that only LeBron could have made this series last until Game 6. Any lesser human being in James' place would have showcased the championship with four consecutive 30-point losses, as per Bleacher Report.
In the end, five will always beat one. It is something that LeBron and company would have to keep in mind as they try to end Cleveland's own championship drought next time.