For decades, there was even a bridesmaid team with LeBron James on the Cleveland Cavaliers roster.
But that all changed in 2016, and it came unexpectedly, as they fell three games to one in the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors, a team that had won a league-record 73 games in the regular season.
Cleveland won the next two games to set up a Game 7 in Oakland, and it was a contest that went back and forth.
Everyone remembers Kyrie Irving’s huge 3-pointer with about a minute left that put the team up by three, but other than that, the Cavs put together a defensive stop for the ages.
Monday marked the seventh anniversary of his first NBA championship, and he honored the occasion by reminding fans of that monster defensive stop.
the stop. pic.twitter.com/etjeTuscg1
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) June 19, 2023
Many feel the 2016 title shot was the most difficult in basketball history as the Cavs were down 3–1 in the series and needed to win Game 7 over the winningest team in history during the regular season.
James didn’t shoot well in Game 7, but he had an iconic chase-down block against Warriors wing Andre Iguodala late to keep his team in contention.
The Akron, Ohio native went a second time in 2018, but now the Cavs have a young, ascending team led by Donovan Mitchell, a primetime performer in his own right.
This current Cavs squad hopes to hang a banner of its own at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in the coming years.
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Analysts present Jarrett Allen trade proposal for the Cavs