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Another great season of NBA ended last night with the Toronto Raptors winning their first NBA championship in the franchise history, defeating the two-time defending champions, Golden State Warriors.
The Warriors have had an incredible 5-year run, winning 3 NBA titles, 2 Western Conference titles and have given the fans infinite memories to cherish for the rest of their lives.
With Kevin Durant rupturing his right Achilles tendon and Klay Thompson tearing his ACL, the future of this Warriors team is uncertain at this point in time and this year's off-season is expected to be wild.
While the Warriors failed in their quest for a three-peat, they definitely had a great season and no one can take that away from them. Wishing Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson a speedy recovery, we take a look at the top three individual performances this year for the Warriors.
#1 Kevin Durant vs Toronto Raptors - 51 points
Stat line: 51 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists on 58.1 % shooting
It was a rough stretch for the Warriors at the beginning of the season with Stephen Curry missing 13 straight games due to a strained left groin. In his absence, Kevin Durant led the team in scoring in 12 games but the Warriors went 5-8 before Curry made his return.
During that 13-game stretch, Durant had several standout performances but his performance against the Toronto Raptors on the road was easily his best this season. The Warriors lost four straight road games and entered the Scotiabank Arena low on confidence.
The two-time Finals MVP erupted for 51 points on a red-hot 18-for-31 shooting but the Raptors took a 131-128 win in overtime. For the Raptors, Kawhi Leonard (37 pts) and Pascal Siakam (26 pts) both stood out and at one point, the Warriors were down by as many as 15 points.
However, with Durant taking over, the Warriors would storm back to send the game into overtime. It is worth mentioning that it was Durant who knocked down two quick back-to-back three-pointers in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter.
The Warriors went on to lose the game and suffered a fifth straight road-loss but Durant definitely reminded us all once again that he is the best player in the league. This was also his third straight 40-point game.
#2 Kevin Durant vs Orlando Magic - 49 points
Stat line: 49 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks on 48.5 % shooting
Three nights before he dropped 51 points on the Raptors, Kevin Durant scored 49 points in the home game against the Orlando Magic to lead the Warriors home.
Even though the Dubs started the game well clinching the first quarter 26-25, the Magic responded back, winning the second quarter 39-21 and walked into the tunnel with a 64-47 lead at the halftime.
Durant showed his mid-range excellence in the second half and torched the Magic as they ended up blowing their 17-point half-time lead. KD stuffed the stat sheet with his all-around performance and brought out his best on both ends of the floor.
With 21.0 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and up by one point, Durant knocked down a dagger three-pointer in the defender's face to push the lead to four points. The Dubs would go on to pick up a 116-110 victory.
#3 Stephen Curry vs Dallas Mavericks - 48 points
Stat line: 48 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks on 53.1 % shooting
The Golden State Warriors, riding on a three-game win streak, were in Dallas to take on the Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. This was Mavericks' first game after losing their backup point guard, J.J. Barea for the rest of the season.
Stephen Curry netted 11 3-pointers in the game and could not be stopped as he helped the Warriors register their fourth straight win. With 1:39 remaining in the final period, Curry hit a running floater to tie the game at 114.
With Doncic missing a potential game-winning three-pointer at the other end, Curry knocked down a three-pointer over Finney-Smith to give the Warriors a three-point lead. Steph's 19 three-pointer attempts that night was the highest ever by a Mavericks' opponent.
Guess the Lakers players!
