After Game 1, who would have expected this year's NBA Finals to be so intriguing'The Golden State Warriors needed overtime to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers in the opening contest, but Cavs All-Star guard Kyrie Irving fractured his kneecap in the waning minutes of the game. Irving was out for the series, and many believed the Warriors would then win easily behind their vastly superior depth.But that didn't happen.Cleveland's LeBron James led the ragtag bunch to two consecutive wins in Games 2 and 3 before falling in six contests to the Warriors. For the most part, the games were tightly contested.Let's look at the players who stood out, the series' defining statistics and some of the top plays.The Biggest StarsLeBron JamesJames, the NBA's best player, contributed one of the greatest Finals performances in league history this June, even if it resulted in a losing effort.Short Irving and Kevin Love, the Cavaliers chose to isolate LeBron aninordinate number of offensive possessions to get the most of his scoring and playmaking abilities. The superstar forward rose to the challenge, turning in video game-like statistics: 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds and 8.8 assists per game.LeBron did struggle with efficiency, however. His .398/.310/.687 shooting slash wasn't the most picturesque.Stephen CurryUntil halftime of Game 3, the NBA Finals just weren't looking like Stephen Curry's series. The 2014-15 regular-season MVP had shot 16-of-49 (32.7 percent) from the field to that point in the matchup, including just 5-of-25 (20 percent) from three-point range.The Cavs' Matthew Dellavedova had frustrated Curry into several difficult shots, but the Warriors guard was also missing his fair share of gimmes.Then, Steph exploded.He canned six second-half threes in Game 3, and his traditionally deadly stroke was back. Curry finished the series with averages of 26 points, 5.2 rebounds and 6.3 assists per contest.Andre IguodalaJames and Curry started the series as its headliners, but Iguodala ended it as its MVP.Iggy guarded LeBron most of the series and made life difficult for him, even if the Cavs superstar still got his stats. The Warriors swingman's unexpected offensive punch (16.3 points and four assists) was a godsend, and by Game 4, he had traded in his sixth-man role for a full-time starting gig. He ended up averaging 36.8 minutes per game during the series.Never underestimate the impact a hungry, talented veteran can have.The Key Stats13.0: The number of rebounds Tristan Thompson averaged per gameWithout the offensive services of Irving and Love, the Cavs were going to miss a lot of shots. If Cleveland was to have any chance in the series, it needed to crash the offensive glass hard.Enter Tristan Thompson.The Cavaliers' 6'9" power forward grabbed 32 of his teammates' own misses in the series, 14 more than any other player. That number doesn't even take into account all the loose-ball fouls the 2015 free agent drew as the Warriors tried (and failed) to box him out.Go get that money, Tristan.+7.2:The Warriors' average assist differentialAlthough the series was decently close, there's no question which squad embodied "team" betterthe Warriors.While LeBron dribbled around for much of Cleveland's possessions, Golden State head coach Steve Kerr had his troops running a creative, ball movement-heavy offense that kept the Cavs defense moving.The Warriors led the league in assists per game during the regular season (27.4) and the playoffs(24.5), and they had their passing game going for them once again during the Finals. Golden State averaged 23.0 dimes in the series to Cleveland's 15.8.40.8:LeBronJames' usage percentageJameswasthe Cavsoffense in the Finals. For head coach David Blatt, his offensive game plan was mostly just getting the ball to LeBron, isolating him and hoping he scored or passed for an open layup, dunk or three-point shot.That plan resulted in James using more than two-fifths of Cleveland's offensive possessions. His usage percentage was the second highest of any player in the Finals besides Michael Jordan in 1998.The Exciting HighlightsChef Curry Cooks at the DellyMany regard Curry and Irving as the NBA's two best active ball-handlers, and they have even gotten some high praise from a retired dribbling maestro. Unfortunately, the latter didn't have the opportunity to validate that title after suffering an injury in Game 1.But the Warriors point guard had no problem dancing on Irving's backup on his way to 37 points in Game 5.LeBron Rewards Mozgov with a No-Look FeedJames' passing ability is well-respected around the league, and he showed why here with a gorgeous over-the-head dish to a cutting Timofey Mozgov in semi-transition early in Game 4.The dime was great, but give a lot of credit to Mozgov for realizing what was happening, cleanly grabbing the ball and slamming it over Iguodala.Barnes Delivers the Southpaw SpikeSorry, Mozgov, but you already got your highlight. Harrison Barnes is a former Sprite Dunk Contest participant, and he used his bunnies to pull off a difficult lefty slam over the hulking Russian. Mozgov protected the rim well all series, but Barnes' power and dexterity were too much for him here in Game 5.All statistics and measurements are fromBasketball-Reference.com,NBA.comandESPN.comand updated through June 19 unless otherwise indicated.Follow @jaredtjohnson21.
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