NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — Hours after St. Louis smacked around Newport Beach to complete an impressive COMO Finals sweep, general manager Aaron Connolly took a private jet to Washington, D.C., consumed several beverages at the Trump Hotel ("Don't judge ... Didn't vote for the guy ... Great bar, though") and reflected on a dream season. Under the guidance of Connolly and second-year coach Jimmy Chitwood, the Hornets won 64 regular-season games (a record 45-win improvement over last year), beat down three-time defending champion Shorewood in the semifinals, then raced past Newport Beach, 4-0, to capture the city of St. Louis' first basketball title since 1958. All of this after moving operations from Hollywood to the Show-Me State in late September. "The city has hope again," he said. "The riots will end, and it will be a big step in bringing everyone together ... Holy s---, my team scored out of its mind." Holy s---, indeed. All eight players who saw COMO Finals action for St. Louis averaged 20 bones or more. Longtime Hornet Jimmy Butler secured Finals MVP honors after averaging 37.71 (29.4/6.4/8.7), while Paul George completed a red-hot playoff run with a 31.12 Finals average (29.3/7.3/4.4/2.4stl) and John Wall (30.00, 25.4/4.1/9.5/2.4stl) put the finishing touches on the best season of his career. On the other side, Newport Beach got a trio of elite Finals performances from Russell Westbrook (40.14), LeBron James (33.43) and James Harden (30.67), but did not have the firepower to stick with St. Louis. This is the second straight Finals disappointment for coach Jesus Shuttlesworth and GM Peter Mayer, and it had to hurt more than last year's "happy to be here!" moment against Shorewood. In hindsight, the Grizzlies' decision to retire John Wall's uniform number before Game 3 was a poor one; Wall exploded for 45.5 bones in a blowout win for St. Louis. "L-O-L," Connolly said. "Yeah, Peter brought that one on himself. He didn't #TrustTheProcess. Also, RIP Craig Sager." Mayer had a simple message for Connolly: a middle-finger emoji. He'll likely be forced to let Harden go in free agency, and will need to figure out how to build a title-worthy roster around Westbrook and James. St. Louis also faces plenty of attrition this offseason, including Butler's potential departure. The Finals MVP has now played four full seasons for the franchise, and he shares an alma mater — Marquette — with his GM. "Stayed through it all with last year's 19-win team," Connolly said. "Biggest turnaround in COMO history, and it's all because of him. Makin' Marquette Great Again." 2017 All-COMO Playoffs team
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