Andre Iguodala named as NBA Finals MVP, becomes first Arizona Wildcat to get the award

Steve Kerr also won his sixth NBA championship and Luke Walton won his third.

The NBA season came to a close on Tuesday night, as the Golden State Warriors were crowned as NBA Champions after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.

Much of the Warriors' success in the playoffs and Finals was the result of an incredible effort by former Wildcat Andre Iguodala. Iggy was given the task of trying to slow down LeBron James and did about as good of job as anyone could ask for.

Iguodala was so effective on both ends that Steve Kerr decided to start him in Game 4 of the Finals despite Andre not starting one game for the Warriors all season. It might've been a season-saving move as the Warriors trailed 2-1 in the series without Iguodala in the starting lineup, and ended up winning all three that he did start in.

For the series, Iguodala averaged 16.3 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 4.0 APG, and just over one steal per game. Normally, Iguodala is more of a pass-first player on the offensive end, but in the Finals, the Cavs understandably wanted Iguodala taking shots instead of Stephen Curry or Klay Thompson. They left him open and he made them pay. Andre shot 52% from the field and 40% from behind the arc (although he did shoot just 33% from the free throw line).

On the sideline, the Warriors were lead by former Wildcat Steve Kerr. Kerr made many key adjustments - such as benching Andrew Bogut in favor of Iguodala, and moving David Lee back into the rotation - that completely changed the complexion of the Finals. You would never have been able to guess that Kerr was a rookie head coach. This becomes Kerr's sixth NBA Finals victory, after winning five as a player.

Kerr credited the great Lute Olson in his post-game interview.

And we can't forget about Luke Walton. The former Arizona forward has been serving as an assistant coach for the Warriors, and this is his third NBA championship.

Congratulations, Wildcats.

from Arizona Desert Swarm - All Posts http://ift.tt/1GXYYg8
via IFTTT