This past NBA season will be remembered not for the hard-fought duels but for the unrelenting excellence of the Golden State Warriors. After barreling through the opening rounds of the playoffs without losing a game, the sweet-shooting Warriors met the Cleveland Cavaliers in the title bout for the third consecutive year. On June 12, Golden State avenged last year’s loss to LeBron James and Co. with a 129-120 win: Stephen Curry scored 34 points, and Kevin Durant was named Finals MVP, having averaged 35.2 points for the series en route to the first title of his storied career. Golden State’s 16-1 postseason record is the best in NBA history.
This appears in the June 26, 2017 issue of TIME.
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