The Cleveland Cavaliers defied the odds, dethroning the Golden State Warriors in what will go down as the lone game that went down the wire.
A look at the previous scores shows either the Warriors or the Cavs winning in double-digits thus far. But with the NBA title on the line, everyone tried to step up on both sides.
Draymond Green fails to save Dubs with effort
For the Warriors, it was Draymond Green rising to the challenge. With Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson not their usual selves, Green tried to lead the cause with a near-triple double performance (32 points, 15 rebounds and 9 assists) per NBA.com.
Curry and Thompson could only manage 17 and 14 points respectively, and that stat line alone spelled doom for the wards of head coach Steve Kerr.
Lebron James and Irving stand tall until the end
For the Cavs, James and Irving were once again at the helm, chipping in 27 and 26 points respectively. But the most important contribution of both came in the final moments of the fourth quarter, particularly Irving’s clutch three-pointer that gave the Cavs a 92-89 cushion.
The Warriors were simply unable to get a bucket from there, hoisting up treys that were way off. With time down to about 10 seconds, James was fouled as he was going for a dunk. He converted the second of the two charities, enough to seal the win as mentioned on Yahoo Sports.
James would eventually be named the Finals MVP, a unanimous choice as bared by NBA commissioner Adam Silver during the post-game awarding ceremonies.
LeBron James is the unanimous 2016 NBA Finals MVP. pic.twitter.com/L4XDDXYlaT
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 20, 2016
Mission Accomplished for Lebron James, Will there be a new one?
LeBron James accomplished his mission for Cleveland so moving forward, will it be his last? Or will he get a new director from team owner Dan Gilbert?
This question has been in the air even before the NBA Finals, particularly because James has a player option on his contract. Like before, James is expected to opt out and re-sign. But the question is will that be in Cleveland?
Rumors are tying up James with a possible return to South Beach, especially if he delivers his promise to Cleveland per NBC. For now, that is something that will be ignored – at least until the crazy free agent market sets in.
For now, James, Irving and the Cavaliers will savor this triumph, sweet and something that will go down in the NBA history books.
