2018 NBA Finals Game 4 (Warriors vs Cleveland Cavaliers)
Warriors sweep Cavaliers for back-to-back titles in 2018 NBA Finals
The 2018 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2017–18 season and conclusion of the season's playoffs. In this best-of-seven playoff, the defending NBA champion and Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors swept the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers in four games to repeat as champions for the first time in franchise history, having previously won in 2017. The series began on May 31, and ended on June 8 with the first NBA Finals sweep since 2007. Golden State Warriors small forward Kevin Durant was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the second consecutive year, after averaging 28.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 7.5 assists in the series. Durant became the first and only player in the history of the Warriors franchise to win two consecutive NBA Finals MVP Awards.
Quick Facts
- Series outcome
- Warriors win 4-0
- Key performer (warriors)
- Stephen Curry
- Location
- Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland
- Significance
- Clinched 2018 NBA Championship
Lore & Background
The Finals was the first time in any of North America's four major professional sports leagues that the same two teams met for the championship for four consecutive years. Entering the series, the Warriors, who had home-court advantage over the Cavaliers, were noted by various sports media outlets as one of the biggest NBA Finals favorites in recent history. In a tightly contested Game 1, George Hill missed one of his two free throw attempts at the end of the game, and J. R. Smith got the rebound and dribbled out the clock, thinking the Cavaliers were in the lead (the game was instead tied).
The Warriors dominated in overtime and went on to win the next three games to complete the sweep. The series broke the record set by the 2014 NBA Finals for highest average scoring differential per game (15.0) for an NBA Finals series. As of 2026, the 2018 Finals are the most recent NBA Finals to have a repeat champion and the most recent where the losing team was swept.
Reader's Guide
Game 4: The Warriors led the game nearly from start to finish. Golden State led 13–3 at the start of the game. Although the Cavaliers took a narrow 39–38 lead in the second quarter, the Warriors led 61–52 at halftime. Golden State expanded their lead in the third quarter and entered the last period of play with an 86–65 advantage. With Golden State leading 102–77 with 4:03 remaining, LeBron James came out of the game, receiving a standing ovation. Stephen Curry scored 37 points and made seven three-pointers, while Kevin Durant recorded a triple-double with 20 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. The Warriors won 108–85 to sweep the series. Durant was named Finals MVP for the second straight year.
Did You Know?
- Kevin Durant scored 608 points in the 2018 NBA playoffs, the most points in a single NBA playoff run of his career.
- The 2018 Finals were the first NBA Finals sweep since 2007.
- LeBron James scored 51 points in Game 1, the fifth-highest point total for an NBA Finals game and the most in a loss.
- Stephen Curry set an NBA Finals record in Game 2 with nine three-point field goals.
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