The Golden State Warriors defeated the host Cleveland Cavaliers 105-97 Tuesday to win the 2014-15 National Basketball Association championship series.
The Warriors got 25 points each from Stephen Curry, the NBA's regular season most valuable player, and Andre Iguodala, to help the franchise take the best-of-seven series by a margin of 4-2, in its first NBA championship since 1975. Iguodala, who spent the entire season as a reserve player until the fourth game of the series, when Golden State was down 2-1, was named the Finals' MVP.
Superstar LeBron James led the Cavaliers with 32 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists, putting in yet another dominant performance during the championship series. But James was playing without fellow stars Kevin Love, who was injured early in the playoffs, and Kyrie Irving, who suffered a knee injury in Game 1 of the Finals, leaving Cleveland without another dominant scorer to go against a deeply-talented Golden State team, which won 67 regular season games.
Tuesday's loss was a bitter one for the Ohio-born James, who began his career with the Cavaliers and returned last year after four seasons with the Miami Heat, where he won two NBA championships. It also marks another season of heartbreak for Cleveland sports fans, who have gone over 50 years without a championship from either of its major league teams -- the Cavaliers, the Browns of the National Football League, and the Indians of Major League Baseball.
