Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors reacts during the second half against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals at ORACLE Arena
LeBron James, majority owner Dan Gilbert and the rest of the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrate Sunday after winning the NBA title. PHOTO: GARY A. VASQUEZ/REUTERS
OAKLAND, Calif. (Diya TV) — Golden State’s record-setting 73-win regular season became a footnote in the team’s history column Sunday night after they became the first team in NBA history to lose a championship opportunity after leading 3-1.
LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love combined for 62 points in the nail-biting 93-89 final before a sell-out crowd of 19,596 at Oracle Arena. James, who was playing in his sixth straight Finals, was also named Finals MVP, he led all players — on both teams — in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks in the series.
Game 7 was the exact opposite of the previous six. It was a 48-minute brawl of desperation, for both teams. There were 20 lead changes in the game, the expected shooting prowess of James and Stephen Curry, mixed in with that of Draymond Green and Kyrie Irving. In the end, the win brought the Warriors, the team to win more regular-season games than any other in league history, crashing back down to earth, and effectively removing the stamp they sought to punch as the greatest team in NBA history.
Just one more win would have sent these Warriors charging into the same territory as that of the 1986 Boston Celtics, the 1987 Los Angeles Lakers and the 1996 Chicago Bulls, all widely observed as the sport’s most iconic teams.
James stood in their way, scoring 27 points, dishing 11 assists and grabbing 11 rebounds, leading the way in delivering the city of Cleveland its first professional sports championship since the year 1964. He also had three blocked shots and two steals.
“The curse is over,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said as he presented the Cavaliers with the Larry O’Brien trophy.
Irving scored 26 in the game and snagged six rebounds; Love scored nine and finished with 14 rebounds, seven of which came in the first quarter.
“I’ve had goal for two years since I came back to bring a championship to the city,” said an emotional James, who returned to the Cavaliers in 2014 after a four-year stint with Miami that included a pair of NBA championships.
“I gave it everything that I had. I poured my heart, my blood, my sweat and my tears into this game.”
For Golden State, Green perhaps played the most dominate game of his career, he scored 32 points, adding another 15 rebounds and finishing just one assist short of capturing a triple-double. In a display of sportsmanship, Green returned to the court during the trophy presentation to congratulate his Cavalier opponents, and Warriors general manager Bob Myers ordered the winning nets be cut down from their respective hoops, delivering them himself to the Cleveland players.
Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors reacts during the second half against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals at ORACLE Arena
Afterward, Curry said that he was hurt but at the same time proud of his teammates for what they had accomplished this season, despite falling short of their ultimate goal of repeating as NBA champs.
“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.”
The league’s first unanimous MVP finished the night with 17 points, shooting 6 for 19, while Klay Thompson added 14 points of his own during a 6 for 17 shooting performance.
”I didn’t do enough to help my team win,” Curry said. “It will haunt me for a while.”
These Warriors might be remembered in the end as the greatest team that couldn’t close it out, and the aforementioned Green assumed a heavy amount of responsibility for that after he sat out Game 5 on Monday courtesy of a one-game suspension for accumulating too many flagrant fouls.
Sunday’s victory marked the 100th postseason win in the history of the Cavaliers organization, and also helped them become just the fourth team in league history to win a Game 7 on the road during the NBA Finals.
When it was all said and done, James had just one thing on his mind: the fans back home in Ohio.
“I understand what everyone in northeastern Ohio have been through the last 50-plus years and I am happy to be a part of history,” he said. “I can’t wait to get back home. I am ready to get to you guys.”
