Green put back a missed Curry lay-up to make it a two-possession game but the Cavs regained the lead following six straight points from James.Ī left-handed Klay Thompson lay-up tied it at 89-89 with 4:39 remaining. James pushed it back out to 83-80 with a strong drive and finish before jumpers to Steph Curry and Klay Thompson put the Warriors back in front, 85-83, with 6:18 on the clock.
NBA FINALS 7 2016 FREE
Shaun Livingston hit a pair of free throws to get the Warriors underway before Kyrie Irving followed his own shot to make it 81-78.ĭraymond Green made a driving lay-up to take his tally to 30 points but the Warriors missed the chance to take the lead as Andre Iguodala missed two free throws. LeBron James and Kevin Love scored the opening two baskets of the final quarter to give Cleveland a 79-76 lead.
LeBron James stepped up when it mattered. Especially down the stretch, I was aggressive, but in the wrong ways. I had some good moments but didn’t do enough to make my team win. “We had a great regular season - did something no other team has done before - then fell short in the final game of the season. Win or lose you appreciate the stage we were on and the back and forth that we live for.”
NBA FINALS 7 2016 SERIES
“The competition was amazing in the series and what basketball is all about. “We’ve obviously been on the other side of the situation last season and know how great a feeling that is when you accomplish your goal,” he said. “I wouldn’t have felt right about myself for a long time if I don’t go back out there and congratulate them on what they’d accomplished.”Ĭurry stayed courtside with Andre Iguodala and also gave props to the Cleveland players. “I knew it was my duty to go back out there and congratulate them,” Green said. Green walked back to the locker room as the Cavs celebrated on the court, but re-emerged to share a respectful embrace with James. “But you got to give them a lot of credit. Green credited James for his leadership and Irving for hitting the biggest shot of the game and said his team was hurting. Game Five was really the key, it was the turning point of the whole series. “I was extremely confidence coming into tonight. “We’re stunned, we thought we were going to win,” Kerr said. It was a crushing finish for the Warriors, who set the NBA record for wins in a season (73) but failed to defend last year’s title.ĭraymond Green was exceptional, scoring 32 points on 15 shots while adding nine assists and 15 rebounds but league MVP Steph Curry’s struggles continued with a 17-point game (6/19 from the field) and Klay Thompson (14 points on 6/17 shooting) also failed to fire. “Our whole season was bottled down to a minute and a half and Kyrie. “It felt like it was 89-89 for three days,” Cavs guard J.R. James once again received huge support from Kyrie Irving, who scored 26 points including the go-ahead three-pointer with 53 seconds remaining after the teams had been locked at 89-89 for three and a half scoreless minutes in the final quarter. Steph Curry couldn’t get it done in Game Seven.
He’s one of the great players of all time and obviously was the key to the turnaround,” Kerr said. He brought more force to the last three games than he did the first four. Warriors coach Steve Kerr credited James - who won the Finals MVP trophy for the third time - for turning the series. I came back to bring a championship to our city. they continue to support us and for us to be able to end this, end this drought, our fans deserve it and it was for them,” said James, who came to the podium to speak to the media with his three children and a net draped around his neck. “Just knowing what our city has been through. “This is the greatest individual achievement in the history of this league, what he did,” former Warriors coach now ESPN analyst Mark Jackson said.Īfter seeing his jersey burned in the streets after he left Cleveland for Miami in 2010 - and then winning two championships in four trips to the finals with the Heat - James finally made good on his goal of winning for the people of Ohio. James finished as the series leader in points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals - becoming the first player in NBA history to lead all five categories in a playoff series.