OAKLAND—It all boils down to this. Coming into this dramatic game 7, despite the fact the Warriors amassed the most wins in NBA history, the season would be deemed a failure if they were unable to repeat as NBA champions. The Warriors were in danger of being the first team in NBA Finals history to blow a 3-1 series advantage.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, after clawing back from a 3-1 defecit in the series, led by LeBron James, and his back to back 41-point performances, King James is either the prodigal son returning to Cleveland, bringing the city it’s first pro sports title since 1964, or the superstar who was staring at a 2-5 mark in the NBA Finals.
So the game would be decided on the court, the whole season reduced to one game. The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Golden State Warriors 93-89, to capture their first NBA title in franchise history. LeBron James had a triple double-27 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. He was named Finals MVP, unanimously, for leading all players in every category. Most points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. This is the first time a player in league history has accomplished this remarkable feat.
“Our fans, they ride or die, no matter what. The Browns, the Indians, the Cavs… they continue to support us For us to be able to end the drought, they deserve it,” said James.
In addition, the Cavaliers became the first team since the 1978 Washington Bullets to win Game 7 of the NBA Finals on the road.
Oracle Arena was boisterous from the get go. Draymond Green was sensational with 32 points, 15 rebounds and 9 assists. It was electrifying, heart pounding action, the only game of the Finals that was actually close. Kevin Love had an impressive game with 9 points and 14 rebounds.
Two critical plays in the closing minutes helped the Cavs lift the Larry O’Brien trophy. As Andre Igoudala went up for a seemingly simple layup, LeBron James came out of nowhere to make a superhuman block. Knotted at 89-89 with under a minute, Kyrie Irving crossed over, dribbled between his legs and buried the game winning three in Curry’s face.
The Warriors had the worse collapse in NBA Finals history. How did this happen? Steph Curry and Klay Thompson went a combined 6 of 24 from beyond the arc for starters. They squandered a 7-point halftime lead, and failed to score down the stretch. The last 4:39 of the season the team that revolutionized the game of basketball, did not score a single point.
Although Steph Curry is the two-time MVP, LeBron proved he is still the greatest basketball player in the world!
