After 52 years of championship drought, finally the Cleveland Cavaliers able to end it with a win in Oakland Arena. However, it will be a sad loss for the Golden State Warriors as they weren’t able to defend their title and their magnificent 73-9 record during the regular season.
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Two years ago, LeBron James made a statement to Cavs fans that he will bring the championship trophy back in Cleveland but failed on their first attempt at the 2015 NBA Finals. This year, despite being down with 1-3 the Cavs were able to survive the series and became the first team in the NBA history to make a comeback and win a championship at the brink of getting eliminated.
“I’m happy to be a part of history,” James said, then added, “I’m home. I’m home. … I’m at a loss for words. This is unbelievable.”
Kyrie Irving sank a dagger 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter against the defense of Stephen Curry. The Warriors weren’t able to respond on their next position as their 3-point bombers are heavily guarded. LeBron James registered a triple-double with 27 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds along with 3 block shots.
Draymond Green was superb in Game 7 and was his best output in the 2016 NBA Finals series. He logged 32 points, 15 rebounds and 9 assists. Green was almost unstoppable in the first half as he scored 22 points and was 5-of-5 from the three-point territory. However, it was an off-night for the Splash Brothers. Steph Curry and Klay Thompson got 31 points combined and they only made 6 3-point shots out of 24 attempts.
“It hurts, man,” Curry said. “I’m proud of every single guy that stepped foot on the floor for our team this year. … Hopefully we’ll have many more opportunities to fight for championships and be on this stage. This is what it’s all about.”
LeBron James now have three championship trophies and three NBA Finals MVP under his belt after the successful campaign of the Cavaliers.
Box Score
Cavaliers (93): James 27, Irving 26, Smith 12, Love 9, Thompson 9, Shumpert 6, Jefferson 2, Williams 2
Warriors (89): Green 32, Curry 17, Thompson 14, Barnes 10, Livingston 8, Iguodala 4, Barbosa 3, Varejao 1