Game Issued 2018 NBA Finals Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Basketball

This ball was issued for the 2018 NBA Finals when the Golden State Warriors played the Cleveland Cavaliers. The 2018 Finals would mark the end of one of the most star-studded and polarizing eras in modern basketball: four straight Finals matchups between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers, headlined by two generational talents in LeBron James and Stephen Curry.

Golden State swept Cleveland in four games, capping off their second straight title and third in four years. Kevin Durant earned his second consecutive Finals MVP, and the series solidified the Warriors’ place as the defining team of the era.

By the time the Finals began, the outcome felt all but inevitable. Cleveland had scraped its way through a grueling Eastern Conference playoff run with a depleted roster, relying almost entirely on the brilliance of LeBron, who had authored perhaps the finest postseason stretch of his career. Meanwhile, Golden State—still loaded with Durant, Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green—had survived a tense seven-game series against Houston and were peaking at the right time.

Game 1, however, briefly threatened to rewrite the script. LeBron delivered a historic 51-point performance on 59% shooting, nearly stealing the opener on the road. But a late-game blunder by J.R. Smith and a controversial overturned charge call swung momentum to Golden State, who won in overtime and never looked back.

From there, the Warriors’ machine took over. Durant dropped 43 in Game 3, including a dagger three nearly identical to his series-sealing shot the year before, while Curry bounced back from a cold Game 3 to score 37 in the Game 4 clincher. LeBron, exhausted and playing through a hand injury suffered after Game 1, could only watch as the curtain closed on his second stint in Cleveland.

The 2018 Finals didn’t carry the same drama as previous years, but in retrospect, it marked a clear turning point. It was LeBron’s final game as a Cavalier, and the last time the Warriors’ dynasty would be fully intact before injuries and departures began to shift the balance of power. As dominant as they were, this series quietly signaled the end of an era, not just for Cleveland—but for the NBA’s superteam age as it had come to be known.