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Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 Takeaways From Game 7 vs. Warriors

By James D. Tillman III

Jun 19, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) celebrates with the Bill Russell MVP Trophy after beating the Golden State Warriors in game seven of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 19, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) celebrates with the Bill Russell MVP Trophy after beating the Golden State Warriors in game seven of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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June 19, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) moves the ball as forward LeBron James (23) provides the screen against Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) in the first half in game seven of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
June 19, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) moves the ball as forward LeBron James (23) provides the screen against Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) in the first half in game seven of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Cavs’ Big 2 Delivers One Last Time

The Warriors took three of the first four games and they were all but expected to end the series in Game 5 at Oracle Arena despite the absence of Draymond Green.

But thanks to a pair of superb outings by James (41 points, 16 points and seven rebounds) and Irving (41 points, six assists and three rebounds), the Cavaliers managed to force a Game 6 at Quicken Loans Arena.

In that game, the duo combined for 64 points to force a seventh and deciding game. With the Cavs playing in a hostile environment, and their championship hopes hanging in the balance, the team’s top two stars made game-changing plays down the stretch.

For starters, James hit a three-pointer to put the Cavs up by a point (87-86). Then with the game tied at 89, the Warriors were on a fast break and it appeared that Andre Iguodala had an easy layup.

But James came out of nowhere to block the shot, which prevented the Warriors from taking the lead.

That sequence set the stage for Irving’s dramatic three-pointer, which is worth taking a second look at.

Irving finished the contest with 26 points points and six rebounds. While James did not have a great shooting night, going 9-for-24 from the floor, he did finish with a 27-11-11-3-2 stat line, becoming the third player to have a triple-double in Game 7 of the Finals.

Jerry West and James Worthy were the other players to accomplish this feat.

Along with that, James scored or assisted on 52 of the Cavaliers 93 points including 13 of their 18 points in the final frame.

Furthermore, James scored or assisted on 50 percent of the Cavaliers points in this year’s Finals, which is second only to the 62 percent mark he posted in last year’s series without Love and Irving, per ESPN Stats and Information.

To further demonstrate how valuable James is to the Cavaliers, let’s throw in the fact he became the first player to lead both teams in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks in a playoff series.

Needless to say, it was all but a foregone conclusion that he was named the unanimous Finals MVP. James stated that his desire to bring a title to Cleveland was the motivating factor behind his decision to return back in 2014.

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Two years later, he made good on that promise.

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