As a result of their 135-102 runaway victory in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers have punched their ticket to a third consecutive appearance in the championship round, where they’ll face the Golden State Warriors once more.
While it’s true that some members of the Cavs have been to the NBA’s biggest stage before, there are others who will be making the trip for the first time, including Kyle Korver and Deron Williams, who were once teammates as members of the Utah Jazz (2007-1010). The Cavs signed “D-Will” back in February. Since joining the team, the three-time All-Star point guard has quickly become an important part of Cleveland’s rotation. Now, three months later, Williams and Korver find themselves in the 2017 NBA Finals.
Via Chris Fedor of cleveland.com:
“Who would have thought,” Williams said. “Eight years ago was the last time we played together and who would have thought we would be teaming up here of all places and have a chance to compete for a championship.”
Williams is certainly no stranger to the postseason, as he’s made the playoffs five consecutive seasons. However, until last night, it had been ten years since he took part in a conference finals game.
“This was definitely a moment I was hoping for when I signed with the Cavs,” Williams said. “Something I think we all expected would happen. But the way the season ended, nothing was certain.”
During his post-game media availability last night, Williams was asked what making it to the final stage means to him.
“It means a lot,” Williams replied. “It’s my first time in 12 years in the league, you know? So it’s one of those things where you don’t know if it’s ever gonna happen, and you don’t know if it’s gonna happen again.”
Williams, posing with Dahntay Jones and the Eastern Conference Finals trophy, posted this photo to his Instagram account after last night’s game:
Mark your calendars, Cavs fans. The matchup everyone has been anticipating is upon us. Game 1 of the NBA Finals is set to be played on June 1st at 9PM inside Oracle Arena.