As players from the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors warmed up for Game 5 of the NBA Finals, members of the musical Hamilton offered a preview of their national anthem set for a few hours later.
The Golden State Warriors secured their second National Basketball Association championship in three seasons with a 129-120 Game Five win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday, capping a near-perfect run through the playoffs.
Whether you like his move from Oklahoma City to Oakland or not, Kevin Durant left no doubt as to who the NBA Finals MVP recipient would be.
Fellow All-Star Stephen Curry added 34 points.
Whether it's extending a season with a pair of 40-point performances or hitting the series-deciding 3-pointer in a Game 7 win previous year, Irving's already stellar game has risen to another level whenever the Cavs have faced elimination.
Golden State's bench outscored Cleveland's bench 35 to seven. Both men have faced off in the 2012 Finals when James' Miami Heat beat Durant's OKC Thunder. Cleveland fell behind Golden State 3-1 a year ago and came back to win three straight and take the title.
Irving has scored almost seven more points per game in Cavs wins than losses in the past two Finals with the biggest difference being his long-range shooting; he is shooting 27 percent in the six losses and 53 percent in the five wins.
Irving (7 of 12), Kevin Love (6 of 8) and J.R. Smith (5 of 9) were all hot from 3-point range in the stunning turnaround.
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"So I would hope we're more ready, more prepared tonight".
LeBron James reacts following the Game 5 loss.
The run helped the Warriors win the second quarter by 15 points. "I thought we played well, got better each game, but against good teams you can't give away games", he said.
Having added Durant last off-season to the talents of Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green among others, it was perhaps hardly surprising they should sweep all before them. Without their best player, the Warriors would have had more difficulty matching up with James and Kyrie Irving.
It's the first time in NBA history the same two teams have met in the NBA Finals, and Cleveland is trying to become the first team to come back in the Finals after being down 3-0.
"I think he was a little nervous at the beginning, because it was such a change for him", Wanda Durant said.
What made them great: With a dominant inside-outside combination of O'Neal and Bryant, the Lakers stormed to their second of three straight titles, sweeping three 50-win teams along the way in the Western Conference playoffs.
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