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The Cleveland Cavaliers pulled off a historic series win against the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals. LeBron James led the charge against the Warriors team who bested them the year before and was 3-1 up in the series.
Determined to bring a championship to Cleveland as promised, James put together an incredible two-way showing. Kyrie Irving also deserves a mention, as there was no way the Cavs would have won if the mercurial point guard was not on the team.
Former NBA player and teammate Richard Jefferson spoke about their mindset after going 3-1 down on the Road Trippin' show. When asked how he felt about being part of that team, he said:
(From 36:48)
"Our energy was always like, 'if we can win Game 5 anything can happen.' We knew we blew them out in Game 3. Game 4, we felt like we let that one get away. We made some mistakes, we were up 8 in the second half. So, we were like, we felt like we had an opportunity but respect to them, no disrespect."
Jefferson went ahead to relive some of the moments in Game 6, pointing out how the arena was packed and the entire crowd stood for over two hours. After highlighting Stephen Curry's frustration, he continued:
"For all the people that said, 'Bron (LeBron James) wouldn't have 41 if Draymond (Green) was playing,' s**t, that motherf****r went for 41 again in Game 6 and I think Bron was doing that to send a message.
Jefferson admitted that there were factors that contributed to their victory, including the Warriors' tough run to the Finals. He pointed out how the Cavs were well-rested, but the Warriors came off a challenging seven-game series in the Western Conference finals.
Nonetheless, that does not take away from what LeBron James and Kyrie Irving produced in that series. They were both phenomenal, and the primary reason the Cavs successfully turned things around.
The Golden State Warriors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in three of four consecutive NBA Finals meetings
The Cavs and Warriors dominated the NBA Finals for four consecutive seasons from 2015 to 2018. In their first two meetings, they were tied 1-1 after the Cavs pulled off the spectacular in 2016.
However, the Warriors turned things up a notch by acquiring Kevin Durant, one of the most lethal scorers the game has ever seen. That tipped the tie in favor of the Warriors significantly.
The Western Conference team won the next two meetings, with KD making the difference. He won the Finals MVP on both occasions, and there was only so much James could have done.
While the Warriors had the edge in the rivalry, the Cavs had the most significant victory. They stopped the 73-9 Warriors from becoming the greatest team in NBA history. If they had won the Finals, the 72-10 Chicago Bulls led by Michael Jordan would have been an afterthought compared to the 2016 Warriors.
Guess the Lakers players!
