This is the Hangover. We get basketball-wasted all the time. Yes, we recap the NBA every night in our own way.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images.)
#1 CLEVELAND CAVALIERS 93 @ #1 GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS 89
NBA Finals – Game 7 – CAVALIERS win series and title, 4-3
This series has been ugly throughout because of all the double-digit finals. We got an instant classic in Game 7.
The Warriors and the Cavaliers each did what they were great at to start the game. The Dubs sank their three-pointers while the Cavs did the dirty work and got the rebounds. Kevin Love, who had been criticized throughout the Finals, looked like his Wolves self by crashing the glass. He didn’t score much but he did enough.
Draymond Green tried to make up for his absence (both from Game 5 and his production when he did play) by making his perimeter shots. The Splash Brothers weren’t wet (oh, turn off your dirty minds) but Draymond’s jumpers were going in. The Dubs made 10 three-pointers overall in the first half compared to the Cavs’ ONE. But Cleveland was only down seven points despite Green’s 22 points.
The second half opened up with J.R. Smith catching a bit of fire. Then Kyrie Irving made some big shots to keep Cleveland in the lead. But the Warriors made another run in the end. Green made another three. Shaun Livingston made a monster dunk. Harrison Barnes, even with being cold the last few games, made a big three. And Andre Iguodala made a lay-up to give G. State the lead going into the fourth quarter.
It was a little back and forth action between the two teams. Irving made a tip-in. Green made a lay-up. LeBron would make some big shots. Curry made a 27-footer despite being cold. Klay Thompson made a difficult corner shot and a left-handed lay-up. The game was tied at 89 with 4:39 left.
It was a struggle for both teams to score. Iguodala blocked LeBron’s lay-up. James returned the favor by blocking Iguodala’s lay-up. After exchanging missed jumpers, Kyrie made a huge three with 53 seconds to break the tie.
Curry would miss a three-pointer badly in the following possession after some great defense by, of all players, Kevin Love. On the other side, James tried to end it all by attempting a dunk over Draymond. James injured his wrist on the fall and it seemed to symbolize that he would do anything to win a championship for Cleveland. LeBron would split his free throws but it gave the Cavs a four-point lead with 10.6 seconds.
The Warriors were known for erasing these sort of leads with this little time left. But the Dubs ran out of miraculous shots. After the last three-pointer bounced off the rim, the Cavaliers brought Cleveland their first major sports title in 52 years.
This was historic. Who would’ve thought the Cavs would come back from a 3-1 deficit? The Cavs certainly did. The Warriors became vulnerable after a Game 5 suspension by Green, an injury to Andrew Bogut, and the Splash Brothers becoming inconsistent (Curry had 17 and Klay had 14). Still, I thought they had enough to put away the Cavaliers. While most people are going to look at the Warriors’ season as a huge waste, they still had quite the historic season. It’s just too bad they fell short and they went against a team that suddenly seemed to have all the answers in the last week or so.
But the Cavaliers put it all together in the last three games. Coach Tyronn Lue impressively pushed the right buttons for his players. Kyrie Irving made a lot of big buckets and may not get enough credit for keeping them steady. His go-ahead three-pointer with a minute left was one for the ages. He and LeBron made quite the dynamic duo, really. Like Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Batman and Robin. Cory and Topanga.
Tristan Thompson did a lot of dirty work throughout the series. He didn’t have to score a lot but he gobbled up the 50/50 balls. J.R. Smith is another guy who will probably not get enough kudos for making a lot of big shots and staying in front of his man on the perimeter. Kevin Love didn’t have a great Finals but he was very good in the East bracket. He grabbed a lot of rebounds in the all-important Game 7 and played the defensive possession of his life on Steph after that big Kyrie three.
And what can we say about LeBron James? He was everywhere. He started to trust his jumpers and they started going in. He couldn’t be stopped as he went inside whether he was passing out or driving in for a lay-up or a powerful dunk. And LeBron also grabbed a ton of boards and became an excellent rim protector. Some people said that he deserved the MVP award if the Cavs lost. But winning the title in an impressive comeback assured him his third Finals MVP. He sonned the Warriors throughout the series. Happy Father’s Day, LeBron.
Let me repeat that the Dubs had a phenomenal campaign; I don’t think their year was a failure but it certainly was a disappointment. As for the Cleveland Cavaliers? Considered a disappointment in the regular season, the Cavaliers can now call themselves champions.
BEHIND THE LINES
LeBron James (CLE): 27 pts, 11 pts, 11 assts, 3 blks.
Kyrie Irving (CLE): 26 pts, 6 rebs.
Draymond Green (GS): 32 pts, 15 rebs, 9 assts.
WATCH THIS PLAY
Again, this Kyrie three is an all-timer.
(VIDEO CREDIT: NBA.)
Congratulations, Cleveland Cavaliers.
Follow Rey-Rey on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass for all tweets about the NBA and terrible pop music. Also, check out his podcast, Rey-Rey Is Fundamental.
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