NBA
OTD in 2016: LeBron’s Cavs 3-1 Comeback Capped Off Greatest Finals Ever
June 19, 2016: After falling down 3-1 in the Finals, LeBron James led the Cavaliers to a historic comeback to defeat the 73-win Warriors
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The Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the Golden State Warriors during the 2015 NBA Finals in just six games despite their second and third options being out with injuries. They had every reason to be confident that, if healthy, their odds at the 2016 title were high, and they were, at least in the preseason.
The reigning champion Warriors began their repeat hunt with a 24-0 start, the best in NBA history, and ended with a record 73 regular-season wins. The Cavs met them in the Finals with their health intact, but the Warriors had developed into one of the greatest teams of all time since their last meeting. LeBron James’ triumphant return to Cleveland seemed lost in the wake of the burgeoning dynasty when they were down 3-1 but a legendary three-game performance sparked the Cavs first championship victory in franchise history.
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS OVERCOME 3-1 DEFICIT TO WIN THEIR FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP IN FRANCHISE HISTORY
Cleveland found themselves in a 3-1 hole heading back to Oakland for Game 5. Such a deficit had never been overcome in the NBA Finals before, and against a historic team like the Warriors, the series looked finished from the outside. The Cavaliers had something to say about that. LeBron James and Kyrie Irving put up 41 points each with Draymond Green suspended to win Game 5 and then won Game 6 back in Cleveland to force Game 7.
The best player in the world conversation was heating up with Steph Curry rising as the reigning 2x MVP including the first unanimous award while LeBron had led his team to a sixth straight Finals. The winner-take-all game was packed with drama from the start. If they lost, the Warriors’ historic season would be forever stained. If Cleveland won, they would become legends. The game was tied 89-89 off of a Klay Thompson layup with 4:40 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Both teams went scoreless from there until the 53-second mark when Kyrie Irving knocked down a clutch three over Curry. All of Cleveland’s stars had iconic moments down the stretch, from Kyrie’s shot, to LeBron’s chase-down block on Andre Iguodala, and Kevin Love’s defensive stop against Steph Curry. Against all odds, the Cavaliers would win the game 93-89 and kept the NBA’s greatest offense scoreless for nearly five whole minutes to end their city’s 52-year championship drought, completing the greatest comeback of all time.
June 19, 2016: #Cavs defeated the Warriors in Game 7 winning the franchise's 1st Championship, as the 1st team to complete a 3-1 series Finals comeback. LeBron joined Jerry West & James Worthy as the only players to record a NBA Finals Game 7 triple-doublepic.twitter.com/xlytCeG57E
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) June 19, 2021
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