ESPN 98.1 FM / 850 AM WRUF ESPN 98.1 FM / 850 AM WRUF
After falling down 3-1 in the series against the Golden State Warriors, the Cleveland Cavaliers won three straight games to become the first team since 1978 to come from behind 3-1 in a NBA Finals series. With the 93-89 win, the Cavaliers handed Cleveland their first major sports championship since 1964.
LeBron James had himself another majestic performance in Game 7. He finished with his seventh triple-double in the Finals for his career, 27 points, 11 assists, and 11 rebounds, and won his third Finals MVP. In the Cavs’ three game win streak, James averaged 36 points per game and pushed Cleveland’s offense to overcome the mighty Warriors.
"Our fans, they ride or die. This was for them." #OneForTheLandhttps://t.co/vT0XZDQoxe
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) June 20, 2016
Along the way, James got a lot of help from Kyrie Irving. Most notably, Irving sank a three-point shot over the regular season MVP, Stephen Curry, to put the nail in the coffin for Golden State’s season and to erupt the Cleveland faithful back home. Irving finished with 26 points in Game 7 and was the only other Cavs’ player to score in double figures was J.R. Smith.
.@TheRealJRSmith delivers a powerful Father's Day message on what drives him:#OneForTheLandhttps://t.co/5E5iyVFkn4
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) June 20, 2016
A guy that should receive a lot of credit is Tyronn Lue. After David Blatt was fired towards the beginning of the season, the Cavs were broken and James was expected to carry this team forward regardless of who the head coach was going to be. Lue forced his hand on James at the end of the regular season while in a team huddle and told LeBron that this is his team and he is going to coach it his way.
"If anyone deserves it, @KingJames definitely deserves it."#OneForTheLandhttps://t.co/Fbp4j5cAFQ
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) June 20, 2016
As for the Golden State Warriors, their unprecedented season is all but forgotten. The best regular season in NBA history means nothing without the trophy in hand. With home court advantage and the two-time MVP on your side, the meltdown from this series will not soon be forgotten.
Now, Cleveland is going to thoroughly enjoy this championship for months to come. They will be making important decisions along with the rest of the NBA this Thursday for the NBA Draft.
