LeBron James delivers on his promise of an NBA championship and wins one for the city of Cleveland with a masterful triple-double performance in Game 7 against the defending champions, the Golden State Warriors. And it wasn’t just Game 7; James has been dominating the Finals averaging 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, 8.9 assists, 2.6 blocks and 2.3 steals.
The 2016 NBA Championship, the first in Cavaliers’ franchise history also ends the drought for Cleveland’s pro sports teams. The last time a pro sports team from Cleveland were crowned champions was in 1964 when legendary running back Jim Brown and the Cleveland Browns won the NFL.
En route to winning this title, the Cavaliers not only gain redemption for last year’s loss in the Finals to the Warriors but also become the first team in league history to clinch the Finals after being down 3-1 at one point.
Here are 5 factors/incidents or performances that shifted the momentum of the series and eventually helped the Cavaliers be crowned the 2016 NBA Champions:
#5 Draymond Green’s suspension gives Cavaliers belief and momentum
The Game 4 loss at home was a gut punch to the Cavaliers’. All the momentum they had gained with the energetic and comprehensive Game 3 win was lost with a sloppy last six minutes defensively to end Game 4. However despite all the negatives, there was one silver lining from Game 4 for the Cavaliers.
With 3 minutes to play, LeBron James and Draymond Green got into a scuffle. Post-game, the league office investigated the altercation and called a technical foul on James and a flagrant 1 on Green for a swipe he made towards James’ groin region. Having accumulated enough flagrant points for a suspension, the Warriors were heading towards a possible close out in Game 5 at home without Green.
The absence of Green gave Cleveland some much-needed life. Green being a key member of all of the Warriors’ small lineups, his absence hurt Golden State’s cause in Game 5. To make matters worse, James and Kyrie Irving combined for 82 points, scoring 41 a piece, and helping the Cavaliers force a Game 6 at home.
All the momentum shifted with this Game 5 win on the road. Cleveland went home for Game 6 believing that if they come out with energy, they can run the Warriors out of the arena with the help of the crowd. With Green struggling in his return from suspension, that’s exactly what happened.
So in essence, it was Green’s suspension that really turned the series for both teams.
#4 The Cavaliers game plan against Curry on both ends
Coming into the Finals, everybody knew the Cavaliers needed to find a way to stop league MVP Stephen Curry and although they went down 3-1 after four games, they still did make it really tough for Curry to get going. Not in a single game these Finals, did we see the Curry do ‘Curry like’ things.
Part of the reason is the MCL sprain he suffered in Game 4 of the first round of the Playoffs against the Houston Rockets. Missing close to two weeks in the middle of the post-season certainly put him off rhythm. Having said that, at the grandest stages of them all, the NBA Finals, there are no excuses and credit must be given where it’s due.
Cleveland were physical with Curry, closing down on him and not allowing him any airspace. They fought hard through the screens to not give any room or time to have a clean open long range shot.
On offense, the Cavaliers repeatedly looked for Curry and the mismatch involving him. They would make the player guarded by Curry screen for either Irving or James, thus creating the mismatch. The screening would basically make it easier to score, given Curry’s lean and relatively short stature.
Sometimes the aggressive offense also put Curry in foul trouble, forcing him to play limited minutes.
#3 Kyrie Irving provides much needed offensive support
With his dominant all-round abilities, if LeBron James was Batman in this Finals series, Kyrie Irving played the perfect Robin. He assisted James if and when he needed it by releasing him of pressure with some instant efficient offense.
Kyrie Irving was absolutely horrible in the first two games of the series. Game 1 he had 26 points on 7 of 22 shooting while Game 2 he had just 10 points but since then he has really risen to the occasion. In the next 5 games, he has averaged 30.8 points on an efficient 50.8% from the field and 46.7% from long range.
More importantly, he teamed up along with James when the team needed leadership the most- Game 5. He registered 41 points on 17 of 24 shooting (5 of 7 on 3’s) in a crucial game. Except for the James disappearing act, ESPN’s Skip Bayless aptly describes how useful Irving’s offense has been in the latter part of this series:
While many have labeled Irving as a heavy score first point guard, he has actually averaged more assists than Curry and outdueled him in these Finals. More importantly, his easy and instant offense has allowed James to take rests, whether that’s on or off the floor.
In Game 7, with all the attention and spotlight that James was getting, it was Irving who knocked down a clutch dagger 3 to give the Cavaliers the lead in the closing minute.
#2 Impact of Tristan Thompson’s presence on the floor
The only significant weakness that the league can exercise on the Warriors and their small ball lineups is rebounding, and you can hurt them on the glass with athletic big men. Golden State had problems with Steven Adams and Kevin Durant during their Western Conference Finals series with the Oklahoma City Thunder, and in the Finals it was Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson causing problems.
Despite having a depleted roster, Thompson made it really hard for the Warriors even during the Finals last year. His tenacity and outstanding ability to grab offensive boards negates the Warriors’ strengths of getting stops on offense and running on offense.
Guarding him becomes an issue as there is nobody of his size and length on the Warriors that can contain him. More importantly, Thompson’s defensive prowess is what makes an invaluable asset to the Cavaliers, especially in their match-up with the Warriors. On switches during pick and rolls, Thompson is among few big men in the league that can keep the opposing guard in front of them and not lose track.
Although James deservedly was named the Finals MVP, Thompson’s impact by the numbers seemed far larger. Through the first six games of the series, Cleveland are been +38 when he is on the court and -38 when he is on the bench. His defensive rating of 99.2 is the best by any player on both teams.
He averages 10.5 points and 11.3 rebounds on 61% shooting. Thompson also has a double-double in 3 of the 4 Cavaliers’ wins in the Finals.
#1 LeBron James switching on BEAST MODE
When it mattered the most, LeBron James stepped up for his Cleveland Cavaliers and not only delivered but carried them to the promise land. In the final three games of the series, which the Cavaliers won, James averaged 34 points, 11.6 rebounds, 9.6 assists, 3 blocks and 3 steals while playing as many as 45 minutes.
Over the course of the Finals series, he led both teams in all five categories of points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks, a feat never accomplished by any player in NBA history.
After winning his maiden NBA Championship with Cleveland, James mentioned in the post-game on court interview that he watched a lot of film after Game 4, when the Cavaliers had fallen behind 3-1, and he changed his game to help his team and himself win against the 73-9 record breaking Warriors.
Even if we suppose the Warriors did win Game 7, James had already established himself as the front-runner and only competitor for Finals MVP. The kind of contribution he gave to the team efficiently while logging a heavy load of minutes is something very few, if not no other player, have achieved in the Finals.
James is already such a physical and dominant force of nature, and he really showed how he can rise above that when he is really locked in. His consecutive 40 points games in Game 5 & 6 put him in some legendary company. His triple-double in Game 7 makes him only the third player ever to do so after Jerry West and James Worthy.
He also became the only player other than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to win the Finals MVP with multiple teams.
