2016 NBA Finals: Game 7 Recap

In a monumental Game 7 win in the 2016 NBA Finals, LeBron James brought the Cleveland Cavaliers their first championship.

Seeking to become the first team in NBA Finals history to overcome a 3-1 deficit and win the title, the Cleveland Cavaliers followed their leader to the first championship in franchise history, earning a 93-89 victory in the decisive Game 7 on the road.

Coming off a historic 73-win season, Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors could do nothing but watch as LeBron James took over down the stretch with clutch plays on both ends of the floor to send them home empty-handed.

Finishing with 27 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists, three blocks and two steals on 9-of-24 shooting, James’ chasedown block late in the fourth quarter preserved Cleveland’s tie before Kyrie Irving drilled a contested step-back three with 53 seconds remaining to put the Cavs ahead for good.

Irving finished with 26 points and six rebounds, J.R. Smith added 12 and Kevin Love had an impact on the glass, finishing with nine points and 14 boards.

Draymond Green did his best to atone for his series-changing Game 5 suspension, dropping 32 points, 15 rebounds, nine assists and two steals on 11-of-15 shooting, but he couldn’t make up for Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combining for only 31 points on 12-of-36 shooting from the field and 6-of-24 shooting from deep.

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Harrison Barnes‘ shooting struggles (3-for-10) and Steve Kerr‘s baffling decision to play Festus Ezeli and Anderson Varejao for far too long in the second half helped Cleveland end its 52-year championship drought.

In the first quarter, a deafening Oracle Arena set the tone for Game 7 right off the bat, nearly blowing the roof off when the Dubs opened up a quick 8-4 lead behind a dunk and a three-pointer from Draymond Green.

A Klay Thompson three that would’ve extended the lead to seven and reduced the building to rubble was a complete airball, and with Festus Ezeli struggling and the Cavs knotting the game up at 8-8, Steve Kerr called timeout to get Andre Iguodala into the game.

Curry and Thompson each knocked down a triple as LeBron committed three early turnovers, but a few Warriors turnovers and Harrison Barnes missing four straight shots following his first make helped the Cavs tie the game up at 16.

Green looked like he was on a mission to make up for his Game 5 suspension and underwhelming Game 6 return, starting the first quarter with seven points, three assists, two rebounds and a steal.

As soon as LeBron James took his momentary first quarter rest, Green went straight to the basket, all but sending Richard Jefferson to his retirement with a vicious crossover:

Still, despite the Warriors shooting 5-for-11 from three-point range in the first quarter, the Cavaliers held a 23-22 advantage heading into the second period. Kevin Love’s aggression on the boards (seven rebounds) hurt the Dubs, who struggled to get good minutes out of Ezeli and Anderson Varejao.

The Cavs held a massive 16-8 advantage on the boards in the opening frame and weathered the early storm, ensuring they weren’t run out of the building in a hostile Game 7 environment.

With Curry getting his rest early in the second quarter, the game became a battle between Green and LeBron James. James had racked up an 8-6-4 stat line in the first 15 minutes of action to go on immediate triple-double watch, while Green buried another triple to put the Dubs up by two.

Golden State’s bench started to make an impact, with Marreese Speights hustle plays and rebounds firing up the crowd and Shaun Livingston scoring four quick points off the pine.

The Cavaliers did themselves no favors, starting the game 0-for-8 from three-point range with many of them being wide open. Cleveland’s first three-pointer didn’t come until Iman Shumpert (of all people) knocked down a corner three and was fouled to complete a four-point play.

Curry came right back down and answered with a three-point play, but quickly picked up his second foul on the other end. After dealing with foul trouble in Game 6, the league MVP had to be more careful in a do-or-die Game 7.

The contest became a back-and-forth volley of big-time buckets, with Green’s fourth triple of the night being answered by an impressive Kyrie Irving three-point play to tie the game at 38.

But Draymond Green began to assert his will on the game, knocking down his fifth three-pointer to start a perfect 5-for-5 from downtown and then finishing a tough three-point play to put the Dubs up four and ignite Oracle Arena.

As the Warriors built their largest lead of the first half (seven), another ticky-tack call on Curry handed him his third foul and forced the MVP to sit the remaining 1:09 of the first half.

The Warriors led 49-42 at the break behind an absurd 10-of-21 shooting from three-point range compared to Cleveland’s 1-of-14. Draymond Green led all scorers with 28 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field and 5-of-5 shooting from downtown, in addition to six boards and five assists.

LeBron James led the Cavs with 12 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two blocks. In a game where the Splash Brothers only combined for 14 points on 5-of-17 shooting in the first half, the Dubs were carried by their emotional leader who needed to have a statement game.

With the Cavs shooting 38.1 percent from the field and missing open shots, their 27-21 rebounding advantage and +16 advantage in points in the paint were the only things keeping them in the game.

To open the third quarter, Cleveland came out with a vengeance despite five quick points from Klay Thompson, tying the game at 54 with a quick 12-5 run. J.R. Smith was the catalyst, knocking down two straight threes as Festus Ezeli continued his first half struggles against Tristan Thompson.

With Iguodala immediately checking in for Ezeli, the Dubs rattled off a 5-0 run in response, with Curry supplying all five.

First he blocked J.R. Smith in transition and took the ensuing fast break right at Kevin Love for an easy layup. On the next possession, the MVP drilled a three to send Oracle into another frenzy.

But the Cavs fired back with an 11-0 run of their own to take the lead, and Andrew Bogut‘s absence began to make itself known. With Barnes struggling and the Dubs desperately needing some decent minutes out of the center spot, Ezeli and Varejao were killing the Dubs.

After Kyrie Irving’s three-point play in transition, the Cavs had turned a five-point deficit into a six-point advantage, their largest lead of the night to that point.

After briefly extending it to seven thanks to a Kyrie Irving triple, the Warriors finally went small and reeled off an 8-1 run to tie the game at 71, punctuated by Green’s sixth triple and a Livingston dunk in transition.

Despite looking vulnerable and giving up 33 third quarter points, the Dubs led by one point heading into the fourth quarter. With the entire NBA season on the line, it felt like it was time for LeBron James or Stephen Curry to take over.

A quick LeBron bucket ignited a 6-2 run for the Cavs to start the fourth quarter, all with Curry on the bench. With the Dubs suddenly trailing by three, Oracle Arena started to get nervous.

But the Splash Brothers responded with two of the biggest buckets of their careers as Tyronn Lue curiously chose that moment to rest Irving.

Golden State took a two-point lead after Curry drilled a three over Tristan Thompson and Klay knocked down a tough contested two with his foot on the line to restore the Warriors’ lead.

But Lue’s controversial decision was somehow matched by Kerr’s decision to reinsert Ezeli into the game. When he switched onto LeBron James on a pick-and-roll, LeBron baited him into jumping with a pump fake and earned three free throw attempts on the ensuing foul.

LeBron hit another three over Ezeli to give the Cavs a two-point lead, which Klay Thompson answered with a layup. With Curry picking up his fourth foul, the game was tied at 89 with 2:50 to play.

Once Iguodala breaking away in transition, it looked like an easy basket would break the tie. Instead, LeBron made the defensive play of the game with an unreal chase-down block to keep the score knotted at 89-89.

Kyrie Irving then knocked down a huge three-pointer over Curry in isolation to give the Cavs a three-point lead with 53 seconds left. Love played tremendous defense on Curry on the ensuing possession, forcing him into a missed three.

The Cavs found LeBron cutting to the lane for an open dunk, which was contested at the rim by Draymond Green. Their violent collision ended with James on the floor, clutching at his wrist. Needing one free throw to make it a two-possession game, it felt like the Dubs might still have a chance after he missed the first.

But in the most fitting fashion possible, LeBron James stuck the final nail in the coffin by making the second, extending the lead to four points with 10.6 seconds left. Facing the weight of Cleveland’s 52-year title drought, LeBron knocked down the final basket of the game.

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The Dubs were unable to score as Curry missed a three-pointer, and history was written. The Cavs’ title drought was finally over, and LeBron James won his well-deserved Finals MVP Award honors.