Finals Game 7 Recap: NBA Champion Cavaliers 93, Former NBA Champion Warriors 89 (or, A Promise Fulfilled… A Curse Broken… A History Forever Changed)

“Cleveland, this is for you!” – LeBron James

It took 52 years Cleveland… but doesn’t it taste sweet? Go ahead… pinch yourself. This isn’t a dream anymore. That’s right. More than five decades of almosts and not quites and waiting for next years finally culminated in that no longer elusive championship. It wasn’t easy. In fact… it was just about as impossibly hard as you could ask for it to be. Faced with a seemingly insurmountable task of winning three straight do-or-die games against the defending champs, who sported the best regular season record in NBA history, the Cleveland Cavaliers… no, your Cleveland Cavaliers did exactly that. They ventured into one of the toughest arenas (twice) and emerged victorious, sealing the franchise’s first ever championship in an epic Game 7 for the ages.

The stage was set. Once and former MVP vs. the reigning MVP. Three games and 610 points apiece. Two teams ready to lay it all on the line for one last winner-take-all battle for supremacy. Yet, before the game, things seemed tilted the Warriors’ direction. Few outside of Cleveland believed the wine & gold had a shot to win. Surely there was no chance the 73 win juggernaut could possibly lose a third consecutive game. Surely there was no chance the Cavs could buck the odds and become the only team in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 deficit in the Finals… and succeed where 32 other teams had failed. Surely not on the road in front of 20,000 screaming Warrior fans at Oracle arena.

Yet, the world and the Warriors fell victim to one of the classic blunders – the most famous of which is: “Never get involved in a land war in Asia” – followed by the only slightly less well-known: “Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line!” – and the now new classic: “Never bet against a LeBron James team in Game 7 of The Finals!”

To paraphrase Steph, Klay, Draymond, Steve Kerr and the gang in white, blue and gold…

The Quarter of Love

The Warriors certainly looked like they were trying to get their raucous crowd into the action early, as they got instantly hot from downtown in the opening frame, knocking down 5-11 from beyond the arc. Four different players hit triples (including a previously MIA Harrison Barnes), and it looked as though the Cavs might have their hands full. On the flip side, however, Steve Kerr made the decision to go with Festus Ezeli in the starting lineup, eschewing his “Death Lineup” with Andre Iguodala. This may have been due to Iggy’s ailing back, but it proved to be a real drawback for the Warriors, as there was no “Festivus for the rest of us” and Ezeli could neither hit a shot nor keep Kevin Love off of the glass.

It wasn’t that Kevin Love scored a ton (he went just 1-4 in the quarter and 3-9 for the game), but he did impose his will underneath the hoop, and showed he meant business with this rip-away second effort…

https://vine.co/v/5BButdwQvQt

And, even though the Cavs were as cold from the outside (0-4) as the Warriors were hot, they didn’t settle for perimeter shots, driving the ball to the hoop early and often to quiet the crowd. All but one of their buckets came inside the paint in the first, and most of them were assisted (six) as the Cavs moved the ball around. J.R. had a couple drives, and R.J. and TT had one each before LeBron jammed an exclamation point to tie the game at 16.

https://vine.co/v/5BB7za3lblV

Aside from losing shooters on the perimeter, the Cavs played some gritty interior defense and generally took advantage of Golden State on the glass. KLove in particular was aggressive, pulling down seven boards, including four of the offensive variety.

Kevin Love has seven rebounds, the Warriors have eight as a team

— Jason Jones (@mr_jasonjones) June 20, 2016

Kevin also got to the line a couple of times, and so did LBJ, as they attacked the small Warrior front line. The only other real blemish were the three uncharacteristic turnovers by LeBron in the period. After 12 minutes, and a terrific defense of Curry in the backcourt with 4.4 seconds remaining, the Cavs led 23-22.

The Quarter of Anomalies

For some unknown reason, Tyronn Lue decided to roll out the seldom used Mo Williams/Iman Shumpert back court to start the second quarter. Raise your hand if you thought there was even a remote chance of seeing this guard duo outside of garbage time in The Finals. And yet, Lue stuck with this scenario for the better part of four minutes, as if someone had dared him to do so and he was intent on either proving a point or winning a bet.

Playing Mo and Shump at the same time is playing with a garbage fire.

— HoopsDogg (@oldseaminer) June 20, 2016

While sharing the floor, the “Mumps” guard tandem went 1-4 (0-2 on threes) with a couple of fouls and a turnover. The one bucket came on a Mo Gotti runout layup in transition following an LBJ steal…

https://vine.co/v/5BBhzpQx7nO

Fortunately, not too much damage came on the other end, as the Warriors also struggled to score. Yet, it was a missed opportunity for the Cavs to build a lead with Steph off of the floor for a while. Meanwhile, the Cavs continued to struggle from beyond the arc.

Cavs now 0/7 from 3pt line. A good strategy might be to start making those.

— Jason Lloyd (@ByJasonLloyd) June 20, 2016

It got as bad as 0-8, until Shump (who wound up playing the entire second period) finally hit one, and turned it into a four-point play courtesy of a whack on the arm from Shawn Livingston. It was the highlight of Shump’s reel for the game (and possibly for the entire series).

https://vine.co/v/5BBOTh563Fw

Though the Cavs did a decent job controlling the Splash Bros. from range in the quarter, the one guy they seemed to consistently leave wide open for stand-still three point bombs was Draymond Green. This was primarily a rotational issue, but Green seemed to play with a confidence that had been lost in the previous game following his suspension in Game 5. Draymond hit his first five triples, including 4-4 in the second frame to give him a game-high 22 going into the half. He was easily the best player on the court for the Dubs, nearly matching LeBron’s triple-double.

Cleveland was able to keep the game in reach, however, with some continued exceptional defense, including two devastating chase-down blocks by LBJ. This one on Curry sparked the closest thing to a heated exchange in the game, as Bron continued his trash-talking of the unanimous regular season MVP…

https://vine.co/v/5BB5gYmWDZE

The Cavs were also buoyed by some nifty moves and finishes in the paint by Kyrie Irving. This blow-by kiss high off the glass was just an appetizer for what was to come though…

https://vine.co/v/5BB5VdllZ0Q

Still, the frigid outside shooting of the Cavs nearly doomed them by the end of the first half (they were an astonishing 1-20 outside of the paint). Especially when Golden State closed the quarter on an 11-4 run that featured triples by Green and Leandro Barbosa, as well as a put-back by Iguodala. Despite holding Steph and Klay to a combined 14 points in the first half, the Cavs trailed 49-42 after two.

The Quarter of Buckets

With just one more half of basketball remaining in the season, trailing by seven points (and frankly lucky to only be down that much given their shooting woes), the Cavs seemed determined to get at least one of their long range bombers going to start the third. Right on cue, J.R. Swish found a way to get open for back-to-back triples following a mid-range pullup. His personal eight point run helped to fuel a 12-5 Cavalier burst to tie the score at 54 and force Steve Kerr into an early timeout.

Cavs just tied it up and made this a 21 minute ballgame!

— HoopsDogg (@oldseaminer) June 20, 2016

Curry countered with a five point flurry of his own before LBJ restored order with a bail out alley oop to Love and a trip to the line for two (he finished 8-10 from the stripe for the game). Then it was Uncle Drew’s turn to “get buckets.” Fresh off of abusing Ezeli inside for a layup earlier in the quarter, Kyrie scored the next 10 Cavs’ points on a variety of circus shots to turn a one point deficit into a seven point lead. In both of the following… Draymond was the “youngblood” who should have just gotten out of the way…

https://vine.co/v/5BBT3qD11tl

https://vine.co/v/5BBF6lg22DL

The Cavs looked to have some definitive momentum on their side… until Green drew a bit of a questionable shooting foul on LBJ behind the arc for three freebies (as a side note, this was an extremely well-officiated game in my opinion, with very few egregious calls on either side). Draymond drained all three, then hit his sixth triple of the game. A Livingston dunk in transition and another Barnes three helped the Warriors see-saw the lead once more. Dueling TT and Iggy hook shots closed the scoring with the Warriors in front by one, 75-74.

The Quarter of Destiny

https://twitter.com/CoryHughey/status/744713172855095296

If there was ever a time for LeBron James to take over a game and cement his legacy as the potential GOAT, it was going to be the final 12 minutes of this Game 7. It began well enough with a silky jump shot, but then he misfired on a three-ball with the clock running down. The Cavs controlled the rebound, and then LBJ found Love down low for his 11th assist on this terrific post up…

K-Love posts and toasts on #NBAonABC. #NBAFinals WARRIORSvCAVS #Game7 https://t.co/UBBHKibfwR

— NBA (@NBA) June 20, 2016

Unfortunately, after a KLove turnover, LeBron committed his own fifth turn of the game that almost led to a Klay Thompson three (luckily he was off target). Kyrie followed up his own miss with a rare rebound and put-back and forced a Kerr timeout with the Cavs up three. Destiny was calling.

Biggest nine minutes of LeBron's career coming

— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) June 20, 2016

LBJ traded drives with Green to keep the three point cushion with seven minutes to go. Then, the Warriors started to do what they typically do. A ridiculous Curry three… some swarming defense… a Klay Thompson deep two… more swarming defense… and finally a Green tip-in put Golden State up four with five and a half minutes to go. It was at this point that the Cavs seemed to be teetering on the brink. They looked gassed… and the game could have slipped out of reach.

But just then, something significant happened. In much the same way that Draymond Green had altered the course of momentum with his three shot foul on LBJ in the third, LeBron pulled the old banana in the tailpipe trick on a switching Festus Ezeli. He calmly sank all three throws, then, following an extremely careless Curry turnover, LeBron hit his one and only three of the game to put the Cavs up by a bucket.

https://vine.co/v/5BBlX7MLXEz

Klay Thompson tied the score at 89 with just over four and a half minutes remaining, and for once it seemed like we’d have a game that might just go down to the wire. What we couldn’t have known at the time, was that those would be the last points the Warriors would score… and that the Cavs would only hit one more crucial basket and free throw.

The two teams would go a combined 0-12 over the next three and a half minutes (the Warriors were 0-9 to end the game). With three minutes to go, Andre Iguodala blocked an LBJ layup attempt at the rim. The King returned the favor with 1:50 left… but in much more dramatic fashion… a signature block that very likely saved the game…

https://vine.co/v/5BuzK6BMZpM

Then, with a dagger that might just have the power to erase/replace “The Shot” in Cleveland basketball lore… Kyrie Irving elevated right in the League MVP’s grill and stone cold drilled the greatest shot of his young and storied career.

.@kyrieirving. LEGENDARY shot. NBA champion.#DukeintheNBA #NBAFinalshttps://t.co/02eelpuBO3

— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) June 20, 2016

Once Steph missed the ensuing triple try to answer (thanks to some of the finest defense that Kevin Love has ever played), the Cavs got the rebound, controlled it and almost found a streaking LBJ for the ultimate exclamation point dunk. It didn’t go down as he was fouled by Green, and after a scary moment writhing on the floor, the King got up and split the free throws. One last pair of desperation heaves by Curry and Speights fell short… and the Cleveland Cavaliers were NBA Champs for the first time in history.

"Cleveland, this is for you." pic.twitter.com/Hpt1Pwy2kQ

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 20, 2016

The Evil:

There was no evil to be found in this cathartic, improbable and historic night. Only joy. Only jubilation. Only redemption.

The Genius:

LeBron joins James Worthy & Jerry West as only players to record triple-double in a Game 7 in NBA Finals history. pic.twitter.com/9jnRB8NEIo

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 20, 2016

There should never be another debate about whether or not LeBron James is in the running for G.O.A.T. He made a promise nearly two years ago… and he fulfilled it tonight. Cleveland’s favorite son, turned prodigal son, not only came home but was true to his word. On Father’s Day no less. There are no more adjectives to describe him. He is simply The King. Statues will be built to him. Buildings will be dedicated to him. Cleveland owes him a debt that is immeasurable and unquantifiable. He left everything he had on the court in this game and this series… and it was enough to deliver the first championship in 52 years. His emotions were on the altered black sleeves of his uniform. He knew more than anyone what this victory would mean. He has changed the narrative of this franchise and this city forever. And we should be forever grateful. Long live The King… and long may he reign.

https://vine.co/v/5BuJqAUPhVK

Kyrie Irving became a legend in his own right in this series. There may be no bigger shot in Cleveland basketball history than the one he hit to secure this victory. Give him 26 points with six assists, and some tremendous defensive strides. He has only begun to scratch the surface of what he can do… and he’s already an absolute wizard with the ball. One day, the mantle of this team will fall to him… and he’ll be ready to take on that challenge.

KEVIN LOVE STONE COLD! pic.twitter.com/ht2oP6XJN6

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 20, 2016

Kevin Love may not have scored much (just nine points), but he showed heart, grit and determination on the glass and with his defensive intensity, especially in the final moments against Steph Curry. He hauled down 14 rebounds (four offensive) and was a team leading +19 for the game. Many may have questioned his fit on this team… but there’s no question he fit perfectly tonight. Kev gave the Cavs the lift they needed to control the boards. Haters be damned… he’s now an NBA Champion.

JR Smith shared a touching moment with his father: "My dad's easily one of the biggest inspirations." pic.twitter.com/cnFyT3XliC

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) June 20, 2016

J.R. Smith came close to getting shut down by the Warriors once again… but wasn’t going to go out like that. He came alive in the third quarter, giving the team a huge shot in the arm with an individual eight point run to put them back in it. He played terrific defense on Klay Thompson and kept his head throughout this series and the playoffs. He had maybe the most touching moments following the game when he broke down on the podium when talking about his parents… and then found his father for an amazing hug. He deserves to get paid this off season. He’s proven that he’s well worth it.

Tristan Thompson’s contributions don’t show up as clearly in the box score (nine points, three boards), but he did the dirty work on defense… freeing up KLove and LBJ to rack up the rebounds. He also hit clutch free throws and a couple terrific hook shots. He’s been an iron man for the Cavs all year, and has become their man in the middle in an ever shrinking league of small-ball teams.

Richard Jefferson … retired.

What a way to go out for the 15-year veteran: https://t.co/pwqzYfLlQ6 pic.twitter.com/AiKXeDPn8w

— ESPN (@espn) June 20, 2016

From the bench… only Shump, R.J. and Mo Williams got minutes tonight. For the most part, Shump and Mo were fairly ineffective, although Iman did have that four point play. R.J., on the other hand, defied father time once more to grab nine rebounds and play some hard-nosed defense. Jefferson insisted he was going to retire on top in the post-game. We’ll see if that sticks. If it does… what better way to go out? For the rest, we’ll have to wait until the summer to see how things shake out. Will Delly, Moz and Frye be back? We know Mo Gotti will (since he’s already opted in). It should be interesting.

Tyronn Lue, accidental coach no more

STORY: https://t.co/nuPWkfjNCX via @AschNBA #NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/jOdqCepHQM

— NBA.com (@NBAcom) June 20, 2016

Tyronn Lue proved that he can coach with the best the NBA has to offer. We may not always understand his rotations or decisions, but he was a master at using his timeouts (for the most part), and never seemed to get rattled at any stage. He found a way to tap into the psyche of this team and motivate them to succeed… even in the face of nearly insurmountable odds. I loved the way he sobbed at the end of this game. It was amazing to see that level of emotion pour out of him. He’s in rare company with Pat Riley (twice) and Paul Westhead as the only coaches to take over a team mid-way through a season and coach them to a championship. I’ll always have a bit of sadness for David Blatt, but Lue has proven he was the right man for the job.

David Griffin was right. He knew there was something fundamentally wrong with the Cavs and their chemistry, and he made the bold moves. Those bold moves helped lead to this championship. He deserved much more consideration for GM of the year. Most importantly… he succeeded where so many other GMs in this town have failed. Kudos David.

Dan Gilbert is the greatest owner in Cleveland sports history. He spent the money. He learned from his mistakes. He put the right people in place. And, he got the hell out of the way. He seems to care about Cleveland and the people there in a genuine way. This franchise and this town are lucky to have him.

The Golden State Warriors deserve a collective tip of the hat. They’re a hell of a team. A historic team. They are well coached and they played their guts out. Even Draymond Green showed me something in this game. I’m still not a big fan of his antics, but nobody tried harder on the other side of the ball than he did in this one. This may be a matchup that we see a few more times going forward.

Final Thought:

I never thought this would happen this way. A championship in Cleveland… won against all odds… against a 73 win team. I had faith in LeBron and his promise of a title. I just wasn’t sure it could happen this year. It’s still dawning on me what this truly means. The significance is overwhelming and almost too much to bear. I, like so many others, have waited my whole life for this. A championship in Cleveland… it still seems so alien to type those words. I have no idea of the magnitude this new persona will have on Cleveland. Some part of me questions what our identity will be now that the drought is over. But that part is drowned out by the sheer joy of what this signifies.

Cleveland… City of Champions.

That has a fantastic ring to it…

Thank you Cavs… Thank you Cleveland… Thank you Commentariat…

Today we wake up Champions.