James and the Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the Golden State Warriors in Game 5, 129-120, Monday night at Oracle Arena in Oakland.
Durant capped his first season with the Warriors in triumphant fashion with another big shooting night that helped Golden State avoid a repeat of last year's Finals collapse when Cleveland rallied from 3-1 down to win the title.
Durant became the first player with five consecutive 30-point performances in the NBA Finals since Shaquille O'Neal in 2000.
Durant didn't really need a hard sell that day in the Hamptons.
Green even saved Klay Thompson from a potentially calamitous fall by alertly grabbing him after Thompson had been upended in midair. Then, they added Kevin Durant.
He hugged mother Wanda many a time.
There were no immediate reports of any violence or arrests, but skirmish lines of Oakland police were trying to corral the partiers and keep them from spreading too far.
After dropping last year's title to Cleveland making the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history from a 3-1 deficit, the Warriors vowed not to stumble again. "Like I said, tried to be myself, be aggressive and sacrifice as well".
"The way that he embraced the opportunity in the Finals, it was unbelievable", Curry said. Love picked up two fouls in the first three minutes and had to go to the bench and was just not the same player we saw earlier in the series.
Highlanders beat Lions in thriller
Gatland will have been pleased with the response as the Lions scored what was their third try of the tour just four minutes later. And here referee Angus Gardner certainly felt the hosts had the upper hand in the decisive skirmish.
James toiled hard on Monday with 41 points and 13 rebounds but was denied his fourth National Basketball Association championship ring, while teammate Kyrie Irving scored 26 points. I just wanted to put it all out there.
"These guys are so gifted and committed to each other and so unselfish", Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. He had an fantastic series, just dominated. You want to achieve the highest honour in the team sport, which is winning the championship. "There were times where I was just stunned looking at the talent on the floor". Still, he insisted he had another notch to raise his game, and he certainly found it.
For the third straight quarter, Smith buried a three-pointer in the final 20 seconds of play, as he connected on an off-balance, contested triple from the left wing with just 18 seconds remaining in the period.
Ten years after becoming the No. 2 draft pick behind Greg Oden, Durant has reached the pinnacle. He can't do it alone.
"There are a lot of superteams that haven't worked", Durant said.
"I told him, "we're tied up now, we'll try to do this thing again". I've been waiting a whole year to smoke this". But this is not an individual sport. "It was a proud moment for me".
This is a major start.
But in accepting the trophy today Durant thank his much beloved Mum, asserting that it was a promise made at 8-years-old finally come good. "And he showed that". 2015 Finals' MVP Andre Iguodala scored 20. But it could have been so much better for Cleveland.
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