Even if you don't think Lebron is the GOAT, the numbers and performances make him a firm candidate for number 2. He's been to 6 Finals and 5 straight over the past five years. He's got so much Finals experience and so much control as a leader of the Cavs that they weren't coming in "nervous". They had nothing to lose anyway, really, if what everyone was saying about how the series would turn out.

The Warriors were a statistics machine, and they were untouchable during the regular season and most of the playoffs. They have nothing in the way of Finals experience, though, from the players up to the head coach (as a coach, that is). They came in nervous, and they probably didn't expect Cleveland to be as challenging as they were. Once Steph got more comfortable and the Cavs tiny rotation demolished them, the Warriors had a little leeway to make up for a few bad games early. That only happens, though, because the Cavs played like an 8 man roster with Lebron playing insane minutes.

Not that they aren't still a great team, but that inexperience almost ruined them. Let's go into a parallel universe where Cleveland scores and takes game 1, as well, instead of going into OT. Who wins the series? Cleveland. Not because they're the better team or GS isn't a great team. Inexperience in the Finals CLEARLY was an issue early in the series for the Warriors. Curry couldn't shoot and had people believing Dellavedova was the Great White Hope, Draymond Green was playing like he was trying make it up to Lebron for his tweets, and Lebron was rested enough to play balls to the wall.

Once the Warriors settled in and Lebron was running low, it wasn't ever going to end in anything but a Warriors title. As much as I wanted to see Lebron go Super Saiyan and pull it out, I knew they were done after game 4 once they let GS back in with their confidence in tow.

My entire point is that Golden State was always a great team (again, not necessarily Top 5 or whatever), but their inexperience and nerves almost put them too far back to get comfortable.

This post was edited on 6/17/15 at 2:18 am