2016 NBA Finals - Game Day 7

The Cleveland Cavaliers won game 7 on the road, beating the defending champion Golden State Warriors to win the NBA championship. Lebron James unanimously won the finals Most Valuable Player award - his 3rd finals MVP award. After falling behind 0-2 in the series, the Cavs became the first team in finals history to overcome a 3-1 deficit to win a championship. After trailing 3 games to 1, James scored 41pts in 2 straight games, and followed it up with a triple double in game 7 - 27pts, 11reb, 11asts, along with 3blks and 2stls whilst playing 47 of 48 minutes. It was his 7th career finals triple double, and he is only the 3rd player to record one in a game 7 of a finals. He also became the first player to lead all players in the finals in 5 categories: points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals.

Game 7 was the first time in the series where both teams were within 5pts of each other in the final 5min. After the score was tied 89-all with 4:39 left, Lebron had his driving layup blocked by Iguodala with 3:00 remaining. With 1:54 to go, Irving missed a jumper which triggered a fast break from the Warriors. Curry got the ball ahead to Iguodala, who had his layup thwarted by a signature chasedown block from behind by Lebron. Lebron and Curry each then missed a jumper, before Kyrie took Curry off the dribble for a clutch 3-pointer to put the Cavs up ahead by 3 with 53sec to go. After another 3-pt miss from Curry, Irving drove the lane and handed it off to a cutting Lebron who got up high for a one-handed slam. Lebron missed the dunk after drawing a foul from Green mid-air, landing hard onto the floor and banging the wrist of his shooting hand. After staying down on the court in pain, Lebron would stay on the court, and after missing his first free throw, nailed the second to give the Cavs a 4pt lead with 10sec left. Curry's final 3-pt attempt missed and the Cavaliers began celebrating on the Warrior's home floor. Irving finished with 26pts, 6asts and Love finished with 9pts, 14reb. Draymond Green had 32pts, 15reb, 9asts, including 6-of-8 3's after making his first 5 3's in the 1st half. Curry and Thompson struggled with 17pts (4-of-14 3's) and 14pts (2-of-10 3's) respectively.

Cleveland won it's first major sports championship title in 52 years. After being drafted 1st overall by the Cavaliers, Lebron was unable to win a title in his first 7 years. He left for the Miami Heat for 4 seasons, where he was able to win his first and second championships. Angered by Lebron's decision to leave Cleveland, the Cav's owner Dan Gilbert wrote an angry open letter and some angry Cav's fans could even be seen burning their own Lebron jerseys. But after 4 seasons with Miami, Lebron announced his decision to return to Cleveland via an essay published in Sports Illustrated, saying that what's most important to him is to bring back a trophy to Northeast Ohio.

With the game 7 loss, the Warriors lost their 9th game in these playoffs, matching the total number of games they have lost all regular season. After a record-setting 73-9 record and a regular season MVP trophy award for Stephen Curry, the Warriors were unable to win back-to-back titles. It was a disappointing finish for the team, who were able to overcome a 3-1 deficit in the semi-finals against OKC, but then gave up a 3-1 lead against the Cavs even with homecourt advantage.

NBA Top Plays (2min 3sec):

2016 Champions Cleveland Cavaliers (1min 46sec):

Irving Drops 26pts (3min 4sec):

Lebron Triple Double (5min 48sec):

2016 NBA Finals - Game Day 6

The Cavs won at home, avoiding elimination for the 2nd straight game to force a game 7 vs the Warriors. Lebron finished with 41pts, 8reb, 11asts, 4stl, 3blks, scoring 41pts in his second straight game facing elimination. It is only the 5th time a player has scored consecutive 40pt games in the finals. The Cavs blew out the Warriors in the first quarter 31-11, with the Warriors setting record lows for the season for q1 in points, point margin and field goal percentage (22.6%). After trailing by 16 at halftime, the Warriors ended q3 on a 10-0 run, with Thompson scoring 15pts in the quarter to pull within 9 points at the start of the 4th quarter. The Warriors would get as close as 7pts, but Lebron dominated in the 3rd and 4th quarters by scoring or assisting on 27 straight Cavalier points, finishing with 17pts in the final quarter. Thompson had 25pts and Curry had 30pts, but fouled out for the first time in his career with 4:22 remaining. He threw his mouthpiece in frustration, inadvertently hitting a fan and earning a technical foul. He is the first MVP to foul out of a finals game since Shaq in 2001.

Other than Jerry West, Lebron is the only other player to have 40pts and 10asts in a finals game. He also ranks 1st in total points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals in these finals. Curry has set a new finals record for made 3-pointers with 28. Game 7 will be played in Oakland, and after 6 games both teams are tied in total points at 610-all. The Cavs became only the 3rd team to force a game 7 in the finals after trailing 3-1, and for the Warriors it will be their first game 7 finals in franchise history.

NBA Top Plays (1min 46sec):

Lebron's 41pts (8min 18sec):

2016 NBA Finals - Game Day 5

The Cavaliers handed the Warriors only their 4th loss at home all season, avoiding elimination to extend the series to 6 games. Draymond Green did not play as he was given a retroactive flagrant foul in game 4, putting him over the limit for a one-game suspension. Iguodala started in his place and had 15pts, 11reb, 6asts, whilst Kevin Love started for the first time since his injury in game 2 but only scored 2pts. After the score was tied at halftime, Bogut sprained his knee early in the 3rd quarter and did not return. The Warriors only shot 7-of-24 in the 3rd quarter as the Cavs outscored them 32-23. Lebron and Kyrie then finished the Warriors off by scoring or assisting on the Cav's final 25 baskets.

Lebron finished with 41pts, 16reb, 7asts, 3stl, 3blks, including 4 3-pters. It was the first time anyone has scored 40pts, 15reb, 5asts in the Finals since Shaq in 2001. Irving finished with 41pts on 70.8% fg shooting (17-of-24), including 5-of-7 3's for his 3rd straight 30pt game. James afterward commented that it was "one of the greatest performances I've seen live". It was the first time in Finals history that 2 teammates scored 40+pts each, and only the 5th time in playoff history. Both had not scored 40pts in a game this season. Lebron also passed Michael Jordan for the most playoff games with at least 20pts, at 174. Thompson finished with 37pts including 6 3's, and Curry finished with 25pts including 5 3's, but needed 14 3-pt attempts. The Warriors now drop to 0-2 without Green playing.

NBA Top Plays (1min 44sec):

Irving and James Combine for 82pts (7min 11sec):

Irving 41pts (4min 18sec):

James 41pts (1min 54sec):

2016 NBA Finals - Game Day 4

The Warriors stole game 4 on the road and are one win away from winning back-to-back titles against the Cavaliers. After trailing by 5 at halftime, the Warriors chipped away at the lead and led by 2 to enter the 4th. Cleveland went 6:46 without a field goal in the 4th, and ended up losing by 11pts. The warriors won their 88th game of the season, passing the 95-96 Bulls for most wins in a season, whilst hitting a Finals record 17 3-pters.

Curry got out of his shooting slump by scoring 38pts, 7reb, 5asts including 7 3's, and Klay added 25pts including 4 3's. The Warriors are now 14-0 in the last 2 postseasons when Curry scores 30+pts. Lebron only scored 7pts in the first half but finished with 21pts, 13reb, 9asts but 7 turnovers. Love returned off the bench to score 11pts and Irving had 34pts. The series will return to Oakland for game 5. No team has ever come back a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals.

NBA Top Plays (1min 41sec):

Warriors Record 3's (2min 30sec):

2016 NBA Finals - Game Day 3

The Cavs won a blowout game at home by 30pts against the Warriors and trail in the series 2-1. Cleveland scored the game's first 9pts, and led by as many as 20 in q1 with Kevin Love sitting out game 3. The Warriors closed the gap to just 8pts by halftime, but the Cavs scored 38-26 in the 3rd quarter to blow the game open. The Cavs scored 100+ pts for the first time in the last 10 games against the Warriors, and remain undefeated at 8-0 at home in these playoffs. It was a 63pt turnaround between games 2 and 3 for the Cavs, who became the 2nd team in NBA history to follow up a 30pt loss with a 30pt win in the same series.

Irving had 30pts, 8asts, including 14pts in the first quarter, Lebron had 32pts, 11reb, 6asts and Smith had 20pts on 5 3-pters. Barnes had 18pts, but Curry, Klay and Green combined for only 35pts - their lowest combined total since 2014. The Warriors only hit 9-of-33 3-pters, and have lost their 5th straight game 3 on the road. It was the 19th time in these playoffs that a team has won by at least 25pts, an NBA record.

NBA Top Plays (1min 49sec):

Irving Drops 30pts (2min 44sec):

2016 NBA Finals - Game Day 2

The Warriors won game 2 by 33pts - their largest win in finals history, to take a 2-0 series lead against the Cavs. After leading by 8 at halftime, the Warriors outscored the Cavs 30-18 in q3 to take a 20pt lead heading into the 4th quarter. Lebron was held scoreless in the first quarter of a finals game for the first time in finals career, but had 5 assists in the quarter. He scored 14 of his 19pts in the 2nd quarter, and had 9asts, 8reb but 7 turnovers. He also snapped his streak of scoring 20 or more points in 25 straight playoff games, but moved into 4th place in postseason steals after surpassing John Stockton. Irving finished with 10pts, and Love had 5pts after sitting out the 2nd half after an elbow to the back of the head by Barnes. Green led all scorers with 28pts in only 3 quarters - his most in a finals game, along with 7reb, 5asts. He hit 5 3-pters - as many as the entire Cavaliers team. Curry (18pts) and Klay (17pts) each made 4 3-pters each, and Bogut had a playoff career high 6 blocks - tied for most ever in a finals game, with 4 of them coming in the 1st quarter.

Golden State set a record for the largest winning margin in the first 2 finals game at +48, and have now beaten Cleveland in 7 straight games by an average of 19pts. Of all Finals teams that are up 2-0, those teams have won the championship 28 out of 31 times, with the last upset coming from Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat over Dallas in 2006. The last team to be up 2-0 in the Finals were the LA Lakers against Orlando in 2009.

NBA Top Plays (1min 37sec):

Draymond Green Leads Warriors (3min 22sec):

2016 NBA Finals - Game Day 1

The Warriors opened game 1 of the NBA finals at home, beating the Cavaliers by 15 points. Curry and Thompson struggled, combining for only 20pts on 8-of-27 shooting, but the Warrior's bench outscored their opponent's bench 45-10, with 7 Warriors scoring in double figures. Livingston had a playoff career high 20pts, Green had 16pts, 11reb, 7asts and Iguodala added 12pts, 7reb, 6asts. Whilst the Cav's big 3 combined for 67pts (Lebron - 23pts, 12reb, 9asts, Irving - 26pts and Love - 17pts, 13reb), the Cavs shot only 38.1% and gave up 25pts off 17 turnovers.

The Warriors led 52-43 at halftime, but the Cavs closed the gap with two 7-0 runs in the 3rd quarter to take the lead. Coach Kerr broke his clipboard in frustration during q3, and the Warriors responded with their own 7-0 run to end the quarter with a 6 point lead heading into the 4th quarter. The Warriors led by as many as 20 in the final quarter, and the Cavs narrowed the gap with a 9-0 run but were unable to catch up.

NBA Top Plays (1min 49sec):

Shaun Livingston and Supporting Cast (4min 13sec):