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The Cleveland Cavaliers have become the first team in NBA history to come back from 3-1 down in the Finals to win their first championship, beating the Golden State Warriors 93-89 in Game 7 in Oakland.
The win was a historic moment for Cleveland, a city which hadn’t won a championship in any of America’s big four sports leagues in the previous 52 years. The Cavaliers also became the first team in the NBA to win a Game 7 on the road since the Washington Bullets in 1978.
LeBron James was awarded the Bill Russell trophy as the Finals MVP, capping off a dominant performance in which he led each and every major statistical category for the series
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“I’m happy to be a part of history,” James said. “I’m home. I’m home… I’m at a loss for words. This is unbelievable.”
Both teams had scored 610 points over the first six games, and it was fitting that the final minutes of Game 7 were neck-and-neck.
With the scores tied at 89 all in the closing minutes, James came up with a crucial block to prevent Andre Iguodala from converting a layup on the fastbreak, before Australian-born Kyrie Irving drilled a clutch three-pointer Steph Curry’s face to give the Cavs the lead.
Curry looked to respond in turn, but was thwarted by some excellent Kevin Love defence, giving Cleveland possession with half a minute to go. James was then fouled by Draymond Green as he tried to ice the game with a thunderous dunk, but after falling heavily on his right wrist he was able to convert one of his two free throws, giving Cleveland their four-point lead which would not be breached.
James finished with a triple-double of 27 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, while Irving once again proved an excellent sidekick with 26 points of his own. After being much-maligned for the opening games of the Finals, Kevin Love found some form with 14 rebounds.
For Golden State, Green was immense, finishing with a game-high 32 points to go along with 15 boards and nine assists. However, he had little help from his star backcourt, with Curry (17 points) and Klay Thompson (14) shooting a combined 12 for 36 from the field.
The championship comes as a validation for James, who returned to Cleveland with the goal of giving the city a major sports title, and for coach Tyronn Lue, who only became the Cavs’ head coach in January after David Blatt was fired.
“We made history tonight,” Lue said. “Cleveland, Ohio, we’re coming back, baby!”
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