<P> After the 2014 Finals, LeBron James became a free agent and returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers where he teamed up with Kyrie Irving . The Cavs also traded for Kevin Love to form a new "Big Three" in Cleveland . In the 2015 postseason, the defending champion Spurs were eliminated in the first round while the reigning finalist Heat failed to qualify for the playoffs . Golden State, spearheaded by 2014 - 15 MVP Stephen Curry, achieved a 67--15 record and managed to take the West, while the Cavs won the East as James, along with James Jones who played for both the Heat and Cavaliers, made their fifth straight finals appearance--the first two players to do so since the 1960s Celtics . The Warriors defied conventional wisdom and traditionalist ideas with a small - ball, three - point shooting, fast - paced team . The Cavs were without star Love due to an injury suffered earlier in the playoffs, and also lost Irving to injury in a Game 1 overtime loss in the 2015 NBA Finals . James rallied the Cavaliers to win Games 2 and 3, but the Warriors won the next three games after coach Steve Kerr made the adjustment of inserting sixth man Andre Iguodala into the starting lineup in place of center Andrew Bogut, thus achieving the desired small - ball offense . The Warriors won the title, with Iguodala becoming the first player to win the Finals MVP award without starting a regular season game that season . </P> <P> During the 2015--16 season, the Warriors broke the record for most wins in a season with a record of 73--9 and Curry won his second straight MVP award, as well as becoming the first unanimous MVP in history and shattering his own record for three - pointers made in a single season by over one hundred in the process . The Warriors fell to a 3 - 1 deficit in the Western Conference Finals against a Kevin Durant - led Oklahoma City Thunder team, but won three straight elimination games to take the series and advance to a second straight Finals . The Cavaliers finished the season as the top - seed in the Eastern Conference and won their first 10 straight playoff games, ultimately defeating the Toronto Raptors 4--2 in the Eastern Conference Finals to ensure the rematch of last year's Finals . In the 2016 NBA Finals, the Warriors got out to a 3 - 1 lead, but James and Irving led the Cavs to two straight victories to force a deciding Game 7 . In a key sequence with two minutes remaining in Game 7, LeBron James made a memorable chase - down block on Iguodala to keep the game tied, while Irving hit a 3 - point shot a minute later to take the lead . Cleveland managed to hold on to the lead to win the title and end the city's 52 - year championship drought, with James earning his third Finals MVP honor . </P> <P> In the 2016 offseason, the Warriors acquired Durant through free agency . After finishing 67--15, they became the first team in history to win 67 + games in three straight seasons, they went to the Finals with a 12--0 sweep of the West, the first team to do so since the first round changed to best - of - seven in 2003 . Meanwhile, though the Cavaliers slipped to the second seed going into the playoffs, they only lost one game en route to defeating the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, setting up another match against the Warriors in the 2017 NBA Finals . The Warriors started strong with a 3 - 0 lead over the Cavs, eventually winning the series in five games with Durant being named Finals MVP . The Warriors set a playoffs record of 15 consecutive wins and a 16 - 1 final record, as well as a 13.5 - point differential in the Finals . The Cavaliers and Warriors met for a fourth consecutive Finals in 2018 . The Warriors went on to sweep the Cavaliers, and Durant was again named Finals MVP . </P> <P> The statistics below refer to series wins and losses, not individual games won and lost . For individual game statistics, scroll further downwards . </P>

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