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PHOTOS: Warriors beat Cavaliers to clinch NBA title

Last updated on: June 17, 2015 11:24 IST

The Golden State Warriors celebrate with the Larry O'Brien Trophy after beating the Cleveland Cavaliers in game six of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio on Tuesday

The Golden State Warriors celebrate with the Larry O'Brien Trophy after beating the Cleveland Cavaliers in game six of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio on Tuesday. Photograph: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports/Reuters

The Golden State Warriors capped a brilliant season with a 105-97 victory over LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday to win the NBA Finals for the first time in 40 years.

The Warriors, the top-seeded team in the playoffs after bringing the best record from the regular season, won the best-of-seven championship series 4-2.

Stephen Curry and NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Andre Iguodala had 25 points apiece for Golden State while James once again led the way for the injury-hit Cavaliers by pouring in a game-high 32 points.

 Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert (4) 

Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James dunks against the Golden State Warriors in the fourth quarter. Photograph: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (left) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert. Photograph: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports/Reuters

The victory made Golden State the first NBA team to win a title behind a roster without any previous finals experience since the 1991 Chicago Bulls.

Having trailed by 13 points late, home team Cleveland pulled within four in the final minute, but the Warriors held firm to clinch the title.

Cleveland opened with a 7-2 run to whip an anxious home crowd into a frenzy but Golden State weathered the storm with a solid finish to the opening quarter and built a 28-15 lead.

Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James dunks against the Golden State Warriors in the fourth quarter

Golden State closed out the quarter with an 8-0 run that included three-pointers from Iguodala and Shaun Livingston sandwiched around a put-back basket from Nigerian Festus Ezeli.

After a quiet start to the game, James helped Cleveland narrow the gap with a three-pointer from the corner as part of his team's 11-4 run to open the second quarter.

The Golden State Warriors' Andre Iguodala dunks against Cleveland Cavaliers' James Jones in the third quarter

The Golden State Warriors' Andre Iguodala dunks against Cleveland Cavaliers' James Jones in the third quarter. Photograph: Tony Dejak-Pool/Getty Images

Cleveland, despite a slew of turnovers, battled mightily throughout the second before finally cutting the deficit to two points when Tristan Thompson slammed down a put-back dunk as time expired in the first half.

The Cavaliers carried momentum into the early moments of the second half where they moved in front for the first time since early in the game but the Warriors responded brilliantly with an 8-0 run that forced the Cavaliers to call a timeout.

Cleveland Cavaliers' Iman Shumpert goes up against Golden State Warriors' Harrison Barnes

Cleveland Cavaliers' Iman Shumpert goes up against Golden State Warriors' Harrison Barnes. Photograph: Jason Miller/Getty Images

Golden State, powered by Iguodala, then built a game-high 15-point lead with a minute left in the third.

The Cavaliers came out hard in the fourth quarter and showed they were ready for a fight when James forced a turnover before racing down the court for a dunk.

James' basket capped an 8-0 run that put Cleveland within seven points with 10 minutes to play.

But from there the Warriors used a slew of three-pointers to hold the Cavaliers, who were largely undone by 19 turnovers in the game.

Source: REUTERS
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