Cavaliers Beat Warriors 93-89 In Game 7 For First NBA Title

LeBron James and Kyrie Irving led the Cleveland Cavaliers to their first championship in franchise history after defeating the Golden State Warriors 93-89 in Game 7 of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena on Sunday night.

Cavaliers Beat Warriors 93-89 In Game 7 For First NBA Title

Though vilified when he left Cleveland for Miami, James was celebrated when he returned to play for his hometown’s team.

“I came back for a reason,” James said. “I came back to bring a championship to our city.”

James won two championships with the Miami Heat.

The victory also marked Cleveland’s first major sports title since 1964, when the Browns defeated the Baltimore Colts in the NFL Championship Game. The Cavs had been trailing the final series 3-1, and became the first team to rally from this deficit to win a championship.

James finished with 27 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, and was named the finals’ most valuable player. Irving had 26 points, including a 3-pointer with 53 seconds left that gave Cleveland the lead.

The Cavaliers formed a giant mob at the buzzer. On the post-game dais, James held the championship trophy to his chest and held back tears. At his press conference, he wore one of the nets around his neck as he answered questions with his two children by his side. The star forward expressed how excited he was for the victory parade, scheduled for Wednesday. He invited everyone, including the media.

“It’s going to be the biggest party that Cleveland has ever seen,” said James, who averaged 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds and 8.9 assists during the series. “If you guys still have a little money left over in your budget, you guys better make a trip to Cleveland and get a little piece of it.”

From the moment the Warriors began seeking 73 regular-season wins to beat the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls’ historical NBA record, they said this would mean almost nothing without a championship win, too.

“We’re stunned,” Coach Steve Kerr said. “We thought we were going to win.”

Draymond Green had 32 points, 15 rebounds and 9 assists for Golden State, and Stephen Curry scored 17 points but shot just 6 of 19 from the field. In the final minute, Curry missed a 3-point attempt that would have tied the game. James, who spectacularly blocked Andre Iguodala’s layup attempt with less than two minutes left by leaping from behind him, then made one of two free throws with 10.6 seconds remaining to seal the win.

James also blocked a layup attempt by Curry in the opening minutes of the game, which caused Curry to get up in James’s face and an official to consequently separate them.

The postseason proved to be a difficult one for Curry, who was hampered by injuries and spats with officials, which culminated with him throwing his mouthpiece at a fan in Game 6 after being ejected. In addition, critics took jabs at everything, from his poor shooting to his choice of sneakers.

“It will haunt me for a while,” Curry said, “because it means a lot to me to try to lead my team and do what I need to do on the court and the big stages. Done it before. Didn’t do it tonight.”

The Cavaliers were no strangers to adversity. General Manager David Griffin fired the team’s head coach, David Blatt, midway through the season and replaced him with Tyronn Lue, one of Blatt’s assistants. Griffin made the move even though the Cavaliers were sitting firmly atop the Eastern Conference standings.

Green went 5 of 5 from 3-point range and scored 22 points to guide the Warriors to a 49-42 halftime lead. The Cavs then rallied in the third quarter. After a turnover from Curry, Irving raced for an acrobatic layup, drawing a foul. His free throw gave Cleveland a five-point lead. A small subset of fans at Oracle Arena began chanting, “Let’s go, Cavs!”

However, James and Irving exploded in the final moments to secure the championship victory for the Cavaliers.

OAKLAND, CA – JUNE 19: LeBron James #23 and Kevin Love #0 of the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrate after defeating the Golden State Warriors 93-89 in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals at ORACLE Arena on June 19, 2016 in Oakland, California.

Article by Pablo Mena