NBA Finals, Game 7: Golden State Warriors vs Cleveland Cavaliers live coverage
THE Cleveland Cavaliers are the 2016 NBA champions. Lebron James had a triple double and Kyrie Irving shredded the Warriors in a historic comeback in Game 7.
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POWERED by an amazing effort from LeBron James, the Cleveland Cavaliers have completed the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history, dethroning defending champions Golden State 93-89 to capture their first NBA title.
The Cavaliers won the best-of-seven series 4-3 to claim the first league crown in their 46-season history and deliver the first major sports champion to Cleveland since the 1964 NFL Browns, ending the longest such title drought for any American city.
THE MOMENT: LEBRON’S HUGE BLOCK ON STEPH
The Warriors, who won the title a year ago by beating the Cavs, had led the series 3-1.
#NBAFinals
— NBL (@NBL) June 20, 2016
ðŸ’ðŸ’💠Longley
💠Gaze
💠Baynes
💠Mills
💠Bogut
💠Dellavedova
The victory means Matthew Dellavedova becomes the sixth Australian to win a championship ring.
But the story of the seventh game was all about James, who was named the Finals MVP.
James delivered on a promise from two years ago to bring a championship to his native northeast Ohio, and he and the Cavs became the first team to rally from a 3-1 finals deficit.
IT'S OVER: @KingJames brings a ring to Cleveland @cavs finally https://t.co/IDhpdQU99L pic.twitter.com/KxTLHXypjc
— Herald Sun Sport (@heraldsunsport) June 20, 2016
James almost single-handedly carried the Cavs back into this series and finished with 27 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds as the Cavs captured their first championship in franchise history and gave their city its first major sports winner since the Browns won the NFL title in 1964.
An emotional James fell to the floor at the buzzer after a second win in six days on Golden State’s imposing home floor, surrounded by his teammates. Only seconds earlier, he went down in pain with 10.6 seconds left after being fouled by Draymond Green while going for a dunk, then came back out to make the second of two free throws.
Kyrie Irving scored 26 points to cap his brilliant finals, including a 3-pointer over MVP Stephen Curry with 53 seconds left.
Curry sat briefly on the bench to take in the scene after the Warriors made their last basket with 4:39 left.
Green had 32 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists, but the Warriors’ record-setting season ended without the only prize this close-knit “Strength In Numbers” crew cared about from way back in the beginning — through the record 24-0 start as Coach of the Year Steve Kerr was out, Curry’s second consecutive MVP campaign, and the 73 regular-season wins to break the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls’ mark.
They might always be remembered as one of the best teams ever that couldn’t close it out.
“It hurts, man,” said Curry, who stayed on the court after the game to watch James lead celebrations.
“We’ve been on the other side of the situation last year and know how great that feeling is when you accomplish that goal.
“Win or lose you appreciate the stage we were on and the back and forth we live for. It stung, it sucked to watch them celebrate, but at the end of the day you congratulate them for accomplishing what they set out to do.”
Curry was below his best, outgunned by Kyrie Irving late in the game, and by James across the latter stages of series.
“I had some good moments but didn’t do enough to help my team win,” said Curry. “It will haunt me for a while.”
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