The 2015 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2014âÂÂ15 season and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. In this best-of-seven series, the Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors defeated the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers in six games, winning their first championship since 1975, and fourth overall. The Warriors' Andre Iguodala was voted the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP), after he averaged 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and was the main defender on LeBron James for the series. He became the first and only player to win the award without starting every game of the series. Iguodala received seven out 11 votes; the other four went to James, who played in his fifth consecutive Finals appearance. The series began on June 4 and ended on June 16.
In the opening game, the Warriors won in overtime, a game which saw Kyrie Irving's knee injury. In another tight game decided in overtime, the Cavaliers, aided by James's offense, withstood the injuries of the Cavaliers' principal players Irving and Kevin Love and won Game 2 before ultimately taking a 2âÂÂ1 series lead. Entering Game 4, the Warriors head coach Steve Kerr inserted Iguodala into the starting lineup and moved Draymond Green to the center position. With this new lineup, Warriors went on to win three straight games to clinch the NBA championship.
In a losing effort, James became the first player in NBA Finals history to lead both teams in points, rebounds, and assists for the entire series, after averaging 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 8.8 assists per game. A first-time NBA champion, Stephen Curry was the last NBA MVP to win an NBA championship in the same season until Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2025.
This was also the last NBA Finals to be played on a ThursdayâÂÂSundayâÂÂTuesday scheme, with the schedule format being changed beginning the following Finals.
The Warriors entered the 2014âÂÂ15 season after replacing Mark Jackson with Steve Kerr as head coach. This was Kerr's first ever head coaching job. After retiring as a player in 2003, he served as a broadcast analyst from 2003 to 2007 and 2010 to 2014, and as general manager of the Phoenix Suns from 2007 to 2010. Revamping Golden State's offense, Kerr employed elements of the triangle offense from his playing days with the Chicago Bulls under Phil Jackson, the spacing and pace of Gregg Popovich from his playing days in San Antonio with the Spurs, and the up-tempo principles Alvin Gentry used in Phoenix when Kerr was the general manager.
In Kerr's first year, the Warriors finished with the best regular season record at 67âÂÂ15, including an incredible 39âÂÂ2 in home games. Kerr became the winningest rookie head coach in NBA history, passing Tom Thibodeau and his 62 wins with the Chicago Bulls in 2010âÂÂ11. Point guard Stephen Curry set the NBA record for three-pointers made in a regular season with 286, eclipsing his own record set in 2012âÂÂ13. Curry also won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award for the 2014âÂÂ15 season. He and fellow guard Klay Thompson, known as the Splash Brothers, finished first and second in the league in three-pointers made, respectively, and combined to make 525 threes, surpassing their previous league record for a duo by 41, while also converting an impressive 44% of those shots. During the season, the backcourt mates both started in the NBA All-Star Game and were each named to the All-NBA team, the first time in decades that either has been achieved by guards on the same team. Golden State advanced to the Finals after sweeping the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round of the playoffs, defeating the Memphis Grizzlies in six games during the second round, and eliminating the Houston Rockets in five games in the conference finals.
The Cavaliers entered the 2014âÂÂ15 season after firing Mike Brown and replacing him with David Blatt as head coach, signing free agent forward LeBron James, and trading for forward Kevin Love. James previously played for Cleveland from 2003 to 2010, leading the Cavaliers to their only previous Finals appearance in 2007. James then played for the Miami Heat from 2010 to 2014, leading the Heat to two NBA championships in 2012 and 2013. During the 2014 NBA draft on June 26, 2014, Cleveland held the first overall pick and used it to select Andrew Wiggins. Later on August 23, a three-team trade was completed involving the Cavaliers, the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Philadelphia 76ers. As part of the deal, Cleveland dealt Wiggins and Anthony Bennett and received Love.
James, Love, and guard Kyrie Irving became known as the Big Three. The Cavaliers got off to a shockingly bad start that led to intense media scrutiny and caused many to question Blatt's job security, going 19âÂÂ20 in their first 39 games, which included a stretch where they were 2âÂÂ10 in 12 games, starting with a December 25 road loss to Miami. Injuries to James and "chemistry issues," with James "still learning how to play with his new teammates and vice versa," were considered the primary reasons for the underwhelming start. A number of trades turned the season around. The Cavaliers acquired J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert from the Knicks in exchange for draft picks while sending Dion Waiters to the Thunder. They then acquired Timofey Mozgov. James's return to the Cavaliers' lineup (following a 2-week layoff) on January 12 completed the turnaround. The Cavaliers closed out the season on a high note, going 34âÂÂ9 for a 53âÂÂ29 regular season record and the Central Division title, the second best record in the Eastern Conference behind the Atlanta Hawks. The Cavaliers advanced to the Finals after sweeping the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs, defeating the Chicago Bulls in six games during the second round, and sweeping the Hawks in the conference finals.
The Cavaliers and Warriors tied the regular season series 1âÂÂ1, with each team winning its home game.
For the first time in NBA Finals history, the first two games went into overtime. After Golden State had fallen behind 2âÂÂ1 in the series, Kerr moved swingman Andre Iguodala into the starting lineup and brought center Andrew Bogut off the bench. The Warriors' small lineup, which came to be known as the Death Lineup, helped turn the series around. Golden State won the series in six games, claiming their first title since 1975 and their fourth in franchise history. The Warriors played small ball in the Finals to a greater extent than any prior champion. Combining regular season and playoff games, Golden State finished 83âÂÂ20, the third-best record ever behind the Chicago Bulls in 1995âÂÂ96 (87âÂÂ13) and 1996âÂÂ97 (84âÂÂ17).
Iguodala was named the Finals MVP, becoming the first and only player to win the award without having started every game in the series. He averaged 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game in the series. Iguodala was also tasked with guarding Cleveland star LeBron James, who made only 38.1% of his shots when Iguodala was in the game, but still averaged 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 8.8 assists per game. James received four of the 11 votes for Finals MVP even though Cleveland lost by an average of 14 points in the final three games. Stephen Curry was just the sixth player to win his first league MVP and his first NBA title in the same season; the last player to accomplish this feat was Shaquille O'Neal in 1999âÂÂ2000. Kerr became the first rookie coach to win a title since Pat Riley in 1981âÂÂ82.
The Warriors were the first team since the 1990âÂÂ91 Bulls to win a title with a roster that did not have any players with Finals experience. James and teammate James Jones made their fifth consecutive trip to the Finals, having qualified the previous four seasons with the Miami Heat, though Jones did not play in the 2011 Finals. It was the first time since 1998 that the Finals did not include the Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, or Heat. This was also the first NBA Finals since then not to have featured Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, or Dwyane Wade.
The Warriors defeated the Cavaliers 108âÂÂ100 in overtime, taking Game 1 and the 1âÂÂ0 series lead. The Cavaliers got off to a strong start, opening up a 29âÂÂ15 lead before settling for a 10-point lead after the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Warriors went on a big run and led 46âÂÂ41. Cleveland then went on a 10âÂÂ2 run to close out the first half, capped off by a J. R. Smith three-pointer with .7 seconds left to take a 51âÂÂ48 halftime lead. The second half was a back-and-forth affair, with neither team able to gain separation. Late in the fourth quarter, Timofey Mozgov hit two free throws to tie the game at 98. Golden State ran a play for Stephen Curry out of a timeout. Curry beat Kyrie Irving to the basket and went for a go-ahead layup, but Irving blocked the shot, and the Cavaliers called timeout after Smith secured the rebound. The Cavaliers had two chances to win in the final seconds of regulation. James' potential game-winning jumper was off, and then Iman Shumpert got the offensive rebound and threw a shot at the buzzer, but also missed, sending the game to overtime. In overtime, the Warriors dominated with a 10âÂÂ0 run consisting of seven free throws and a three-pointer by Barnes. Cleveland's only score in the extra period was James' layup with 9.5 seconds left as the Cavaliers shot 1/12 and committed 3 turnovers in the game's final 5 minutes.
Only three players scored for the Cavaliers after halftime: James, Irving, and Mozgov. The trio combined for 83 of the Cavaliers' 100 points. James had a career NBA Finals high of 44 points, while attempting a postseason career-high 38 shots, and Curry led Golden State with 26 points. The Warriors' bench outplayed the Cavaliers' bench, outscoring them 34âÂÂ9, with all nine Cavaliers bench points coming from Smith. Andre Iguodala led the Warriors' bench in scoring with 15 points. Irving suffered a knee injury in overtime and was forced to leave the game early. The following day, he was diagnosed with a fractured left kneecap that would require surgery and was ruled out for the rest of the Finals, joining Kevin Love, who suffered a dislocated shoulder against the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs, and Anderson Varejão.
The Cavaliers defeated the Warriors 95âÂÂ93 in overtime, tying the series at 1âÂÂ1 and stealing homecourt advantage heading into Cleveland. For the first time in NBA Finals history, the first two games were decided in overtime, with the Cavaliers winning their first Finals game in franchise history. LeBron James tallied his fifth Finals triple-double with 39 points, 16 rebounds, and 11 assists while moving solely into second all-time in Finals triple-doubles behind Magic Johnson's eight. James, who shot 11-for-35 in the game, played 50 minutes and led all scorers. James either scored or assisted on 66 of Cleveland's 95 points, and his 83 points in the first two games of a Finals was also second all-time to Jerry West's 94 in the 1969 Finals. Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 34 points. Curry added 19, but he struggled mightily against the Cavaliers' defense, shooting 5-for-23 from the floor, including 2-of-15 from three-point range. Curry set an NBA record for most missed three-point attempts in an NBA Finals game with 13. Matthew Dellavedova's defense on Curry was huge as Curry was 0âÂÂfor-8 against him.
The margin was close through the first three quarters, with neither team leading by more than eight points. The Warriors jumped out to a 20âÂÂ12 lead, but the Cavaliers closed the quarter on an 8âÂÂ0 run to tie the game at 20. The Warriors led 31âÂÂ25 early in the second quarter, but the Cavaliers went on a 15âÂÂ2 run to take a 40âÂÂ33 lead. They settled for a two-point lead at halftime, leading 47âÂÂ45. The third quarter was low scoring, with the Cavaliers scoring 15 points and the Warriors 14 points. Heading into the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers led 62âÂÂ59. After three tight quarters, the Cavaliers began to pull away, building an 83âÂÂ72 lead with just over three minutes remaining in the fourth. However, the Cavaliers squandered the 11-point lead as the Warriors went on a 15âÂÂ4 run to tie the game at 87, capped off by a Curry finger roll layup with eight seconds remaining. Out of a timeout, James drove towards the basket as he went for a game winning layup, but he misfired, and the rebound tip back attempt by Tristan Thompson was unsuccessful.
In overtime, Iman Shumpert hit a three-pointer, and James made two free throws, giving the Cavaliers a 92âÂÂ87 lead. However, Draymond Green answered with back-to-back baskets, and Curry hit two free throws to give the Warriors a 93âÂÂ92 lead. Out of the timeout, James' go-ahead layup was blocked by Green and recovered by Andre Iguodala, but he threw it out of bounds, giving possession back to the Cavaliers. The ensuing Cavaliers possession resulted in a three-point attempt by James Jones which missed, but Dellavedova grabbed the offensive rebound and was fouled. Dellavedova hit both free throws to give the Cavaliers a 94âÂÂ93 lead with 10.1 seconds remaining. After a timeout, the Warriors went to Curry, who airballed the potential go-ahead jumper. James rebounded the miss and was fouled.
James hit one of two at the line, giving the Cavaliers a 95âÂÂ93 lead with four seconds left in overtime. With no timeouts remaining, the Warriors had to go the length of the court to get off a game-tying or game-winning shot attempt. However, Curry's pass near midcourt was stolen by Tristan Thompson, and the Cavaliers ran out the clock. After getting badly outplayed in Game 1, the Cavaliers' bench outscored the Warriors 21âÂÂ17 in Game 2. The Cavaliers handed the Warriors their fourth home loss of the season (including the postseason) and were only the second Eastern Conference team to win at Oracle Arena (the Chicago Bulls also won in overtime on January 27). The victory for Cleveland was their first ever single game Finals victory, having lost Game 1 of this series, and being swept in the 2007 Finals by the San Antonio Spurs.
Following the game, James had dubbed the undermanned Cavaliers as "The Grit Squad", due to adopting a slower paced, more physical style of play in the absence of All-Stars Irving and Kevin Love. This new moniker was quickly embraced by Cavaliers fans, in hopes that this new tough style of play would be enough to offset the Warriors' depth advantage.
The Cavaliers led wire to wire as they defeated the Warriors 96âÂÂ91 and took a 2âÂÂ1 series lead. The first half was close throughout, with the Cavaliers leading 24âÂÂ20 after the first quarter. They led 44âÂÂ37 at halftime. Stephen Curry's struggles in Game 2 carried over to the first half of this game as he was held to three points in the first half. In the third quarter, the Cavaliers seized control, outscoring the Warriors 28âÂÂ18. They led by as many as 20 in the third quarter before taking a 72âÂÂ55 lead heading into the fourth quarter. The 55 points scored by the Warriors was their lowest scoring output through three quarters all season, but the Warriors fought back, making it a one-point game as they cut the deficit to 81âÂÂ80 late in the fourth quarter. However, Matthew Dellavedova banked in a circus shot as he tumbled to the floor while being fouled by Curry. He made the free throw to put the Cavaliers up 84âÂÂ80. After Curry committed a turnover, LeBron James hit a three-pointer to give the Cavaliers an 87âÂÂ80 lead. Curry hit a handful of three-pointers down the stretch, but the Cavs made their free throws and closed out the win.
James led all scorers with 40 to go along with 12 rebounds, eight assists, and four steals. Through three games, James scored 123 points, the most points scored by any player in the first three games of any NBA Finals series, surpassing Rick Barry's 122 from the 1967 NBA Finals. Dellavedova scored 20, a playoff career high. Curry led the Warriors with 27 points, 17 of which came in the fourth quarter. This win marks the first time that the Cavaliers held a lead in an NBA Finals series in their franchise history, as well as their first home win in an NBA Finals series in their franchise history.
The Warriors routed the Cavaliers 103âÂÂ82 in Game 4, evening the series at 2âÂÂ2 and reclaiming homecourt advantage. Despite stating that there would be no changes to the starting lineup on the morning of Game 4, Kerr inserted Andre Iguodala into the starting lineup in place of Andrew Bogut, while moving Draymond Green to the center position. The Cavaliers scored the first seven points of the game and led 16âÂÂ9, but the Warriors closed out the first quarter on a 22âÂÂ8 run to lead 31âÂÂ24. In the second quarter, the Cavaliers got a scare when LeBron James suffered a laceration on his head from a courtside photographer's camera lens after a hard foul on Bogut, but James stayed in the game without any stitches. The Warriors outscored the Cavaliers 23âÂÂ18 in that period and led 54âÂÂ42 at halftime. The Cavaliers outscored the Warriors 28âÂÂ22 in the third quarter as they cut a 15-point deficit down to three in two instances. The Cavaliers had it down to 65âÂÂ62, but Harrison Barnes hit a three-pointer out of the timeout to stop the run.
With the Warriors leading 73âÂÂ70 late in the third quarter, Stephen Curry hit a three to give Golden State a 76âÂÂ70 lead heading into the fourth quarter. The Warriors dominated the final period, leading by as many as 23 as they outscored the Cavaliers 27âÂÂ12. The Cavaliers shot 4-for-27 from behind the three-point line for the game and were 6-of-45 outside the paint, a season worst. The 82 points that the Cavaliers scored were a postseason low while the Cavaliers' bench scoring production (seven points) was also a postseason low. Curry and Iguodala led the Warriors in scoring with 22 apiece. Timofey Mozgov led the Cavaliers with 28. After averaging 41 points in the first three games of the Finals, James was held to 20 points on 7-of-22 shooting. After the game, Kerr admitted to his deception regarding the starting lineup, quipping, "I don't think they hand you the trophy based on morality."
Coming into this game with the series tied at 2 games apiece, the Game 5 winner had gone on to win the NBA championship in 20 of the previous 28 instances.
The Warriors defeated the Cavaliers 104âÂÂ91 and took a 3âÂÂ2 series lead heading back to Cleveland. The first three quarters were tight, with neither team leading by more than seven points, and both teams scored 22 points in the first quarter. The Warriors led 51âÂÂ50 at halftime on a Harrison Barnes' three-point play following a dunk. They took a six-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, leading 73âÂÂ67. The Cavaliers opened the fourth quarter on a 13âÂÂ6 run. LeBron James' deep three-pointer gave the Cavaliers an 80âÂÂ79 lead with just over 7:30 remaining in the fourth quarter. However, the Warriors responded with a huge run, outscoring the Cavaliers 25âÂÂ11 the rest of the way. Curry scored 37 points on 13âÂÂ23 shooting in the victory, including 7-of-13 from three-point range. 17 of his 37 points came in the fourth quarter.
James had his second triple-double of this NBA Finals series, posting 40 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists. James led all players in points, rebounds and assists, and was responsible for 70 of 91 Cavaliers points (40 scored, 30 assisted). It was his sixth career finals triple double, second all-time behind only Magic Johnson with eight. James also tied Oscar Robertson for most 30âÂÂ10âÂÂ10 playoff games with eight. James became the second player in NBA Finals history to score 40 points in a triple double after Jerry West in 1969.
The Warriors finished off the Cavaliers 105âÂÂ97, winning the series 4âÂÂ2. The Warriors outscored the Cavaliers 28âÂÂ15 in the first quarter, but the Cavaliers went on a big run to cut the deficit to 2 at halftime, trailing 45âÂÂ43. The Cavaliers led 47âÂÂ45 early in the third quarter, their only lead of the second half. However, the Warriors outscored the Cavaliers 28âÂÂ18 in the third quarter, leading by as many 15 before taking a 12-point lead into the fourth, leading 73âÂÂ61. In the fourth quarter, Cleveland cut the deficit down to seven, but Golden State pushed the lead back to 15. The Cavaliers, led by J.R. Smith, made a late surge to cut it to 4 with under 40 seconds remaining. However, the Warriors hit their free throws and closed out the series, giving the franchise their first title since 1975, and the city of Oakland its first major league sports championship since the Oakland Athletics won the 1989 World Series. Andre Iguodala, who did not start for the Warriors until Game 4 of the Finals, was named the Finals MVP for his instrumental defense against LeBron James, who led the Cavaliers with 32 points. Iguodala had the third lowest scoring average of any Finals MVP in NBA history. James became the youngest player to score 5,000 career points in the playoffs.
|- | style="text-align:left;"| || 6 || 0 || 10.7 || .462 || .429 || 1.000 || 1.7 || 0.5 || 0.5 || 0.2 || 5.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| || 6 || 6 || 32.9 || .373 || .421 || .778 || 5.8 || 0.8 || 0.8 || 0.5 || 8.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| || 4 || 3 || 18.4 || .444 || .000 || .500 || 6.0 || 1.5 || 0.3 || 1.3 || 2.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| || 6 || 6 || 42.5 || .443 || .385 || .885 || 5.2 || 6.3 || 1.8 || 0.2 || 26.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| || 5 || 0 || 10.0 || .467 || .000 || .727 || 3.4 || 0.4 || 0.0 || 0.6 || 4.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| || 6 || 6 || 37.0 || .381 || .263 || .735 || 8.3 || 5.0 || 2.2 || 1.2 || 13.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| || 1 || 0 || 2.1 || .000 || .000 || .000 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 |-! style="background:#FDE910;" | style="text-align:left;"| || 6 || 3 || 37.1 || .521 || .400 || .357 || 5.8 || 4.0 || 1.3 || 0.3 || 16.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| || 4 || 0 || 9.7 || .533 || .000 || .545 || 2.5 || 1.5 || 0.3 || 0.0 || 5.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| || 6 || 0 || 20.1 || .480 || .000 || .750 || 3.5 || 2.2 || 0.3 || 0.3 || 5.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| || 1 || 0 || 1.2 || .000 || .000 || .000 || 1.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| || 3 || 0 || 5.3 || .308 || .000 || .500 || 1.7 || 0.3 || 0.3 || 0.0 || 3.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| || 6 || 6 || 37.9 || .409 || .300 || .917 || 4.3 || 1.7 || 0.5 || 1.0 || 15.8
|- | style="text-align:left;"| || 6 || 5 || 31.8 || .283 || .231 || .818 || 2.7 || 2.7 || 1.2 || 0.0 || 7.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| || 2 || 0 || 1.6 || .000 || .000 || .500 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| || 1 || 1 || 43.6 || .455 || .250 || 1.000 || 7.0 || 6.0 || 4.0 || 2.0 || 23.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| || 6 || 6 || 45.7 || .398 || .310 || .687 || 13.3 || 8.8 || 1.3 || 0.5 || 35.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| || 6 || 0 || 18.8 || .316 || .308 || 1.000 || 1.3 || 0.3 || 0.7 || 0.2 || 3.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| || 5 || 0 || 5.7 || .500 || .500 || .000 || 0.2 || 0.0 || 0.2 || 0.0 || 0.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| || 6 || 6 || 28.3 || .551 || .000 || .750 || 7.5 || 1.0 || 0.5 || 1.5 || 14.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| || 1 || 0 || 3.1 || .000 || .000 || 1.000 || 1.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 2.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| || 6 || 6 || 35.9 || .256 || .320 || .643 || 3.8 || 0.7 || 1.8 || 0.7 || 6.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| || 6 || 0 || 33.6 || .312 || .294 || .600 || 4.3 || 1.0 || 0.5 || 0.8 || 11.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| || 6 || 6 || 41.1 || .500 || .000 || .600 || 13.0 || 0.3 || 0.7 || 1.0 || 10.0
In the United States, the 2015 NBA Finals aired on ABC (including the local affiliates WEWS-TV in Cleveland and KGO-TV in San Francisco/Oakland) with Mike Breen as play-by-play commentator, and Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy serving as color commentators. ESPN Radio aired it as well and had Mike Tirico and Hubie Brown as commentators. ESPN Deportes provided exclusive Spanish-language coverage of The Finals, with a commentary team of ÃÂlvaro MartÃÂn and Carlos Morales.