The Warriors Waited Four Decades For This NBA Championship

It's not about LeBron James. It's not about Cleveland. It's about the Golden State Warriors' first time in four decades hoisting the NBA Title.

The Bay area was hungry for some hardware, which they collected with gusto in Game 6, by the tune of 105-97. In Steve Kerr's first year as a head coach, he found the magical mix to collect another ring. Kerr made Draymond Green a starter when David Lee went down...and kept him in once he earned his keep and them some. How did Green reward him? With a triple double (16 pts, 11 rebs, 10 ast) in the culminating game of their first NBA Finals together.

It doesn't stop there. Andre Iguodala was an All-Star, and Kerr asked him to come off the bench and let the young Harrison Barnes develop in his spot. Iggy accepted that role, begrudgingly at first. It paid off in the end, when his Head Coach decided to reinsert him into the starting lineup. From Game Four on, Iguodala's presence shaped the course of the series. Iggy was the first player in NBA history to win the NBA Finals MVP coming off the bench.

When faced with the mic, his head coach nailed it.

"The sacrifice that every guy made, from Andre and David stepping away from the starting lineup to throughout the playoffs, different guys stepping in and playing whatever matchup we needed, " Kerr said. "We just played, and they were all in it just to win."

Kerr then went on to give credit to Lute Olsen, Phil Jackson, Lenny Wilkins and Gregg Popovich for his immediate success. With that coaching pedigree, should anybody be surprised that he took the League's MVP and an incredibly talented supporting cast to a trophy? Unfortunately, the loser is going to catch some heat, which is wholly unfair.

Despite Golden State being one of the best basketball teams in NBA history, LeBron James' "legacy" will be attacked with nonsensical arguments of his shortcomings. He couldn't have done anything more for his team without sending himself to the hospital. Are triple doubles not enough? Beyond that, David Blatt should be shielded as well. With Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love rendered ineffective, the Cavs did their best to keep up with a team that had them significantly overmatched.

"He was of great assistance to me in many ways, and it's an honor to coach him." Blatt said of James, "He should be proud of what he did this year. I thought he had one of the best seasons of his career."

It's the truth. James and Blatt guided a hobbled roster to the NBA Finals, which should be applauded. Hypercritical analysts will point to another loss in the Finals for LeBron, but that would be missing the target by about a mile and a half. It's OK to admit the best player on the planet was overmatched. After all, it's a team game. When you have five effective pieces attacking one and some change, there's really only one result to expect.

Let's just all be happy that Riley Curry was there to celebrate with her father. It might not be the last time we see that adorable sight either.