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| Dates: | June 1–12 | |||||||||
| MVP: | Kevin Durant (Golden State Warriors) | |||||||||
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| NBA Finals | ||||||||||
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| ← 2016 | ||||||||||
| 2018 → | ||||||||||
The 2017 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 2016–17 season of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and conclusion of the season's playoffs.
The Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors defeated the defending NBA champion and Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers four games to one. Kevin Durant was won his first championship as well being named the NBA Finals MVP for the first time. This Finals was the first time in any of North America's four major professional sports leagues that the same two teams had met for a third consecutive year. The Cavaliers sought to repeat as champions after winning the championship in 2016, while the Warriors won the first meeting in 2015. Golden State earned home-court advantage with a 2016–17 regular-season record of 67–15, while Cleveland finished the regular season with a 51–31 record. The Warriors entered the 2017 Finals after becoming the first team in NBA playoff history to start 12–0, while the Cavaliers entered the 2017 Finals with a 12–1 record during the first three rounds of the postseason. The Warriors' 15–0 start in the playoffs is the most consecutive postseason wins in NBA history and their 16–1 record is the best winning percentage (.941) in NBA playoff history. The Cavaliers became the first team since the Seattle SuperSonics against the Chicago Bulls in 1996 to avoid being swept after being down 3-0. However, they would be swept by the Warriors in next year's Finals.
It marked the seventh consecutive finals appearance, and eighth overall, for LeBron James as well as Durant's second final appearance; the first being 2012. LeBron and Durant played with the Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder in 2012 (where the Heat won in five games), respectively, making it the first time in NBA history that the same two players met again in the Finals with two different teams.
As of 2021, this was the last time that a team won in 5 games in the NBA Finals.
Background[]
Golden State Warriors[]
This was the Golden State Warriors' third consecutive trip to the NBA Finals and ninth appearance overall, having come short of back-to-back titles in the 2016 NBA Finals by losing in seven games after having a 3–1 lead. With the acquisition of free agent Kevin Durant in the offseason, the Warriors were hailed as a "Superteam" by the media and fans, forming a new All-Star "Big Four" of Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green.
The team equaled their 2014–15 championship regular-season record of 67–15, their second most wins in franchise history. They won the Pacific Division title and Western Conference Championship for the third consecutive season. The club became the fastest team in NBA history to clinch a playoff berth, achieving the feat on February 25, 2017, two days earlier than last season when they clinched on February 27, 2016. They also became the first team in NBA playoff history to start 12–0, sweeping the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round, the Utah Jazz in the Western Conference semifinals, and the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals. Entering the Finals, this twelve game win-streak tied third for the most consecutive wins in the postseason. The Warriors also entered the Finals with the largest playoff points differential in NBA history, with a +16.3 winning margin per game.
Cleveland Cavaliers[]
This was the Cleveland Cavaliers' third consecutive trip to the NBA Finals, and fourth appearance overall, seeking to repeat as NBA champions. This was also the seventh consecutive NBA Finals appearance for LeBron James (and eighth overall), and the sixth for James Jones (who technically qualified for the 2011 NBA Finals with the Miami Heat along with James, but did not play).
The Cavaliers finished the 2016–17 regular season with a 51–31 record, securing the 2nd seed in the Eastern Conference. In the playoffs, the Cavaliers swept the Indiana Pacers in the first round, swept the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference semifinals, and defeated the Boston Celtics in five games in the Eastern Conference Finals.
2017 NBA Playoffs[]
| Golden State Warriors (Western Conference Champion) | Cleveland Cavaliers (Eastern Conference Champion) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 67–15 (.817)
1st Pacific, 1st West, 1st Overall |
Regular season | 51–31 (.622)
1st Central, 2nd East, 5th Overall | ||
| Defeated the (8) Portland Trail Blazers, 4–0 | First Round | Defeated the (7) Indiana Pacers, 4–0 | ||
| Defeated the (5) Utah Jazz, 4–0 | Conference Semifinals | Defeated the (3) Toronto Raptors, 4–0 | ||
| Defeated the (2) San Antonio Spurs, 4–0 | Conference Finals | Defeated the (1) Boston Celtics, 4–1 | ||
Regular-season series[]
The regular season series was split 1–1, with each team winning at home:
| December 25, 2016 | Recap | Golden State Warriors 108 Cleveland Cavaliers 109 | Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio | |||
| January 16, 2017 | Recap | Cleveland Cavaliers 91, Golden State Warriors 126 | Oracle Arena, Oakland, California | |||
Series summary[]
Legend: OT denotes a game decided in overtime
| Game | Date | Road Team | Result | Home Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | June 1 | Cleveland | 91–113 (0–1) | Golden State |
| Game 2 | June 4 | Cleveland | 113–132 (0–2) | Golden State |
| Game 3 | June 7 | Golden State | 118–113 (3–0) | Cleveland |
| Game 4 | June 9 | Golden State | 116–137 (3–1) | Cleveland |
| Game 5 | June 12 | Cleveland | 120–129 (1–4) | Golden State |
Roster[]
Cleveland Cavaliers[]
Template:Cleveland Cavaliers roster
Golden State Warriors[]
Template:Golden State Warriors roster
Player statistics[]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Barnes | 5 | 0 | 1.8 | .333 | .500 | .000 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.6 |
| Ian Clark | 4 | 0 | 11.1 | .438 | .273 | 1.000 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 4.8 |
| Stephen Curry | 5 | 5 | 37.7 | .440 | .388 | .897 | 8.0 | 9.4 | 2.2 | 0.0 | 26.8 |
| Kevin Durant | 5 | 5 | 39.7 | .556 | .474 | .927 | 8.4 | 5.4 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 35.2 |
| Draymond Green | 5 | 5 | 35.4 | .345 | .280 | .667 | 10.2 | 4.8 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 11.0 |
| Andre Iguodala | 5 | 0 | 28.2 | .529 | .333 | .333 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 8.6 |
| Shaun Livingston | 5 | 0 | 15.0 | .536 | .000 | 1.000 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 6.6 |
| James Michael McAdoo | 4 | 0 | 2.8 | .667 | .000 | .000 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
| Patrick McCaw | 5 | 0 | 6.8 | .273 | .200 | 1.000 | 2.0 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 2.2 |
| JaVale McGee | 4 | 0 | 5.6 | .667 | .000 | .750 | 2.5 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 2.8 |
| Zaza Pachulia | 5 | 5 | 13.2 | .538 | .000 | .400 | 2.8 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 3.2 |
| Klay Thompson | 5 | 5 | 36.5 | .429 | .425 | .714 | 4.8 | 2.2 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 16.4 |
| David West | 5 | 0 | 10.0 | .588 | .000 | .500 | 2.0 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 4.2 |
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Channing Frye | 1 | 0 | 11.2 | .200 | .000 | .000 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 |
| Kyrie Irving | 5 | 5 | 40.3 | .472 | .419 | .900 | 4.0 | 4.4 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 29.4 |
| LeBron James | 5 | 5 | 42.4 | .564 | .387 | .649 | 12.0 | 10.0 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 33.6 |
| Richard Jefferson | 5 | 0 | 16.6 | .444 | .111 | .667 | 2.4 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 5.8 |
| Dahntay Jones | 3 | 0 | 3.5 | .667 | .500 | 1.000 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 |
| James Jones | 3 | 0 | 2.8 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Kyle Korver | 5 | 0 | 19.3 | .368 | .313 | 1.000 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 4.4 |
| Kevin Love | 5 | 5 | 32.2 | .388 | .387 | .800 | 11.2 | 1.0 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 16.0 |
| Iman Shumpert | 5 | 0 | 13.3 | .235 | .222 | .800 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 3.6 |
| J.R. Smith | 5 | 5 | 29.2 | .541 | .581 | .333 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 11.8 |
| Tristan Thompson | 5 | 5 | 26.4 | .545 | .000 | .667 | 5.8 | 2.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 5.6 |
| Deron Williams | 5 | 0 | 12.2 | .125 | .111 | .000 | 1.6 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
| Derrick Williams | 3 | 0 | 3.4 | .333 | .500 | 1.000 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.3 |
Media coverage[]
In the United States, the NBA Finals aired on ABC with Mike Breen as play-by-play commentator, and Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson serving as color commentators. ESPN Radio aired it as well and had Marc Kestecher and Hubie Brown as commentators. ESPN Deportes provided exclusive Spanish-language coverage of The Finals, with a commentary team of Álvaro Martín and Carlos Morales.
| Game | Ratings (households) |
American audience (in millions) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10.5 | 18.7 |
| 2 | 10.7 | 19.7 |
| 3 | 11.3 | 20.0 |
| 4 | 10.7 | 19.0 |
| 5 | 13.5 | 24.5 |
| Avg. | 11.3 | 20.4 |
| Preceded by 2016 |
NBA Finals 2017 |
Succeeded by 2018 |