The King delivers: Cleveland Cavaliers are the 2016 NBA Champions!
History has been made! After a 52-year title drought, the city of Cleveland, OH finally has something to celebrate. The Cleveland Cavaliers have just been crowned the 2016 NBA Champions!
#CAVSWIN. Your 2016 NBA Champions: the Cleveland Cavaliers! Photo courtesy of Cleveland Cavaliers Facebook page.
It was a Finals series that’s one for the history books. Not only was it the first championship for the Cavaliers in their 46 years of existence, but also the city’s first championship in professional sports. They’ve also booked a place in the history books as the first team to come back from a 3-1 deficit, beating the Golden State Warriors 93-89.
The series had its ups and downs. Blowouts seemed to be the recurring theme in the series, with the first 6 games being won on double-digit leads. Game 7 proved to be the defining moment, as it all came down to the wire. Game 7 saw 20 lead changes and 11 ties, a drastic change from the first 6 games.
“It was one for the books. Literally, one for the books,” was what Kyrie Irving had to say about the Finals. Irving was sidelined during last year’s NBA Finals with an injury.
“I just knew what we were capable of even being down 3-1 versus the greatest regular season team ever. 73 and 9, and everybody counted us out. That’s when we strive the most,” said LeBron James as he was handed the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP.
James had one of those nights as he was named Finals MVP. He led the Cavs to their first championship since the club’s inception with 27 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists. Irving pitched in with 26 of his own, while Kevin Love had 14 rebounds to go with 9 points.
Draymond Green led the way for Golden State as he finished with a near-triple double: 32 points, 14 rebounds, and 9 assists. The Splash Brothers were held down for the entire game, with regular season MVP Stephen Curry getting just 17 points on 6-of-19 shooting and Klay Thompson finishing the game with 14 points.
Source: NBA.com
