Golden State Warriors: 5 Biggest Questions From 2016 Finals Collapse
The Golden State Warriors became the first team to not win a Finals series after leading 3-1. Here is a look at the biggest questions following their epic collapse.
The Golden State Warriors were far and away the best team in the NBA during the regular season. They led the league in shooting percentage (.487); three-point shooting percentage (.416) and they made a ridiculous 1,077 three-pointers while averaging 1.32 points per shot.
Oh, and let’s not forget about the fact that the Warriors set a record with 73 wins and never lost consecutive games heading into the postseason.
Throughout the early rounds of the playoffs, the Warriors disposed of the Houston Rockets and the Portland Trail Blazers in five games despite Stephen Curry missing six games with ankle and knee issues.
In the Western Conference Finals, the Warriors became just the 10th team, at the time, to overcome a 3-1 deficit in a playoff series, adding yet another impressive accomplishment to their already historical season.
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When the Finals rolled around, the Warriors would face a familiar opponent: the Cleveland Cavaliers — a team they defeated in six games in the 2015 Finals.
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The highly-anticipated matchup was anything but that after the first four games, as the Warriors took a seemingly insurmountable 3-1 lead.
However, thanks in part to outstanding efforts by LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, the Cavaliers won three straight games — including two consecutive victories at Oracle Arena.
When it was all said and done, the Cavaliers were NBA champions, giving the city its first title since December 1964.
On the heels of what will be considered one of, if not the greatest collapses of all-time, there are a number of questions to ponder following this series.
Here is a look at a few of them.
Next: No. 5