Main article: 2018 NBA playoffs Cleveland Cavaliers ( Eastern Conference champion) The Warriors entered the series as heavy favorites, aiming to repeat back-to-back titles after losing their quest in 2016. In the playoffs, Golden State defeated the San Antonio Spurs in five games in the first round, eliminated the New Orleans Pelicans in five games in the Western Conference semifinals, and despite major obstacles, they defeated the top-seeded Houston Rockets in seven games in the Western Conference Finals. ![]() The Warriors finished the 2017–18 regular season with a 58–24 record, winning the Pacific Division and securing the 2nd seed in the Western Conference. A major free agent acquired during the offseason was guard Nick Young. Golden State also re-signed Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, Zaza Pachulia, and David West. During the 2017–18 offseason, the Warriors re-signed their core players, including point guard Stephen Curry to a five-year contract worth $201 million, and Kevin Durant to a two-year, $53 million contract. ![]() This was the Golden State Warriors' fourth consecutive trip to the NBA Finals. Main article: 2017–18 Golden State Warriors season In the playoffs, the Cavaliers defeated the Indiana Pacers in seven games in the first round, swept the top-seeded Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference semifinals, and defeated the Boston Celtics in seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Cavaliers finished the regular season with a 50–32 record, securing the 4th seed in the Eastern Conference. Multiple writers argued at the time that the trades made the Cavaliers significantly better. in exchange for Thomas, Rose, Crowder, Wade, Channing Frye, Iman Shumpert, and their own 2018 first-round pick. On Febru– just before the NBA trade deadline – the Cavaliers radically changed their roster in a little more than an hour, acquiring George Hill, Rodney Hood, Jordan Clarkson, and Larry Nance Jr. Other major changes included shooting guard Dwyane Wade signing with the Cavaliers, thus reuniting with James from their time together on the Big Three-era Miami Heat, and the signing of point guard Derrick Rose to a one-year contract. Miami's second round pick was added as compensation after Isaiah Thomas failed his physical. Although James was against the idea of trading him away, the Cavaliers agreed to Irving's request, trading him to the Boston Celtics in exchange for point guard Isaiah Thomas, small forward Jae Crowder, center Ante Žižić, the first-round pick from the Brooklyn Nets in the 2018 NBA draft and the Miami Heat's 2020 second round pick. Prior to the 2017–18 season, All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving requested to be traded away from the Cavaliers. This was also the eighth consecutive NBA Finals appearance for Cavaliers small forward LeBron James. This was the Cleveland Cavaliers' fourth consecutive trip to the NBA Finals, and fifth appearance overall. Main article: 2017–18 Cleveland Cavaliers season The series broke the record set by the 2014 NBA Finals for highest average scoring differential per game (15.0) for an NBA Finals series. The 2018 Finals began on May 31 and ended on June 8. Entering the matchup, the Warriors were also noted by various sports media outlets as one of the biggest NBA Finals favorites in recent history. The Warriors entered the series having home-court advantage with a regular season record of 58–24, compared to the Cavaliers' regular season record of 50–32. Warriors small forward Kevin Durant was named NBA Finals MVP for the second straight year. ![]() LeBron James, in his eighth consecutive NBA Finals appearance and tenth appearance overall, suffered the second Finals sweep of his career, having also played in the 2007 Finals. This was also the first time that a team was swept in the NBA Finals since 2007, in which the Cavaliers were also the losing team. This year's Finals was the first time in any of North America's four major professional sports leagues that the same two teams met for the championship four years in a row. The Warriors became the 7th NBA franchise to win back-to-back championships, joining the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets, and Miami Heat. In this best-of-seven playoff, the defending NBA champion and Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors swept the defending Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers four games to zero. The 2018 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2017–18 season and conclusion of the season's playoffs.
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