LeBron, Cavs beat Warriors 93-89, capture title
Indeed, the Warriors capped the greatest collapse ever in the NBA Finals instead of the most successful season in league history. Green was 5-of-5 from three-point range, grabbed 6 rebounds and dished out 5 assists in the first 24 minutes, and the Warriors needed every bit of it, as the rest of the team struggled.
The Golden State Warriors, not the champion Cleveland Cavaliers, head into an intriguing offseason as the favorites to win the 2017 National Basketball Association title in Las Vegas.
In perhaps the biggest game of his career, LeBron James had the game of his life.
When asked why this championship felt different, James kept his answer simple: “I’m home”.
And this is how it had to go down: James leading the Cavaliers back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals to beat the Golden State Warriors, the team that won an NBA-record 73 regular-season games, on the road for the NBA championship.
“I’m happy to be a part of history”, James said, then added, “I’m home”. Get on my back and I’m going to carry you. “That’s definitely when I strive the most”.
“This is what I came back for”. The city gets to celebrate its first title n 52 years on Wednesday with a long-awaited parade. Curry misfired on another three with 30.7 seconds left that Cleveland rebounded.
James moved into a class of his own after winning another championship. “We’ve been through so much adversity these last two years”. I was calm. I was focused.
“I blame myself for everything”, Green said. The 39-year-old took over the team January 22 when David Blatt was sacked despite a 30-11 record. “Cleveland, Ohio, we’re coming back, baby!”
Curry sat briefly on the bench to take in the scene after the Warriors made their last basket with 4:39 left.
“It hurts, man”, Curry said. “Understand that we hopefully will have many more opportunities to fight for championships and be on this stage because it is what it’s all about”. There was good news for the Warriors early on, as Harrison Barnes finally hit a three (but was 1-of-5 at the end of the quarter, so he didn’t really improve).
However, Kerr paid tribute to the Cavs and said they had simply outplayed the Warriors in the series finale.
Cleveland’s historic comeback was completed against the best regular season team in history. Kyrie Irving added 26 points and six rebounds. That team is not even in the conversation when it comes to the best team ever. It’ll haunt me for a while.
Kevin Love has taken more than his fair share of criticism throughout his two seasons in Cleveland, and in the Finals in particular. The three-pointer has always been the Warriors’ greatest advantage, and in the first half, they outscored Cleveland by 27 points from behind the line.
“Kyrie, the player he is, he’s not scared of the big moment, and he made a big shot for us”, Lue said. James, an Akron, Ohio, native, shouted through tears in a post-game interview with ESPN.
James is now 4-2 all-time in Game 7s, including 2-0 when those ultimate games come in the NBA Finals.
Cleveland were the first team to draft a Canadian player with the first overall draft pick when they selected Anthony Bennett in 2013.