For years, LeBron James carried the city of Cleveland on his back. But for a few seconds in the aftermath of the Cavaliers’ first NBA championship, the court was his, and his alone.
Amidst the pandemonium, amongst his teammates’ embrace, the gravity of the accomplishment sunk in, bringing Cleveland’s “King,” to his knees in tears.
The Cavaliers, fans, and the media instinctively cleared some space, circling around LeBron; his head bowed to the floor, buried in his hands. Since his rise onto the national scene, James has been weighted by great expectations. Demands, really. The likes of which would crush most NBA players. What else can one expect from a “Chosen One?”
And with the small sliver of solitude granted to James on the floor, it was almost as if the entire building were relieving him of those burdens. Scoring 27 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists to lead the Cavaliers to their 93-89 Game 7 victory over the Golden State Warriors in historical fashion tends to fulfill even the most grandiose of expectations.
From his homecoming letter [via Lee Jenkins, Sports Illustrated]:
“I was a kid from Northeast Ohio. It’s where I ran. It’s where I cried. It’s where I bled. It holds a special place in my heart. People there have seen me grow up. I sometimes feel like I’m their son. Their passion can be overwhelming. But it drives me. I want to give them hope when I can. My relationship with Northeast Ohio is bigger than basketball. I didn’t realize that four years ago. I do now.”
Only after the weight left his shoulders, and James stood back up, was he swarmed again, rejoining everyone in the celebration.
“CLEVELAND, THIS IS FOR YOU,” LeBron James bellowed.
The city of Cleveland has long been tormented in sports. Their heroes and teams don’t just lose, they fall by means so spectacular they warrant the word “The,” capitalized, as a prefix. As if each moment were the definition of infamy. Cleveland doesn’t lose by a fumble, they lose by THE Fumble. THE Drive.THE Shot. Or, in the Cavaliers’ case, in the not-so-distant past, by THE Decision.
“Just knowing what our city has been through, northeast Ohio has been through, as far as our sports and everything for the last 50-plus years,” LeBron said. “You could look back to the Earnest Byner fumble. Elway going 99 years, to Jose Mesa not being able to close out in the bottom of the ninth, to the Cavs went to the Finals—I was on that team—in 2007, us getting swept, and then last year us losing 4-2. And so many more stories.”
Now, of equal magnitude to balance out those scales, there’s The Comeback.
In more ways than one.
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The odds were stacked against them, from Cleveland’s tortured history, to the likelihood of James even returning after The Letter and fans burning LeBron jerseys throughout Ohio. No team had ever returned from a 3-1 deficit to win a Finals series, and these Warriors were a 73-win juggernaut who’d previously never lost three consecutive games under the guidance of Steve Kerr. At times, during the season, the Cavaliers appeared to not want to spend another game together, firing their coach mid-season.
“I gave everything that I had. I put my heart, my blood, my sweat, my tears into this game,” James said. “Against all odds. I don’t know why we want to take the hardest road. I don’t know why the man above gave me the hardest road. But there’s nothing the man above is going to put you in situations you can’t handle.”
Though there were many miraculous moments—Cleveland can add The Block and The Shot II to their list of defining sports moments—this was in no way a miracle win. Yes, Golden State may have collapsed some under the weight of their own hubris—goading LeBron with heaps of trash talk—and recklessness; with Draymond Green striking LeBron James near the end of a Game 4 already in hand, earning a suspension in Game 5 and breathing new life into the series. And, though it’s not an excuse, Curry was injured. But the Cavaliers, and specifically LeBron, adjusted and took charge as the Finals went on.
Curry clearly wasn’t his usual self, lacking the ability to create separation off the bounce in one-on-one situations. But part of being great at the highest level is adapting to circumstances. Even in a slightly diminished state, he had enough to put this series away had he not been so careless with the ball and his fouls:
Still can’t believe this. Big fan of Steph’s game. But Its game 7. Look where you pass. No time for cute shenaniganshttps://t.co/OugSfl0vR6
— Taylor Rooks (@TaylorRooks) June 20, 2016
In many ways, LeBron James and Stephen Curry offer interesting contrasts—and for more than their David vs. Goliath-like differences in stature. Curry’s game flows freely, without restraint, almost purely instinctively. It’s why, even in the biggest game of his career, he would still feel compelled to non-chalantly fire a behind the back no-look pass. Had he reigned in some of these impulses, perhaps the outcome would have been different.
“I didn’t play efficient. I had some good moments, but didn’t do enough to help my team win, especially down the stretch,” Curry said. “I was aggressive, but in the wrong ways, settling. It will haunt me for a while because it means a lot to me to try to lead my team and do what I need to do on the court and big stages.”
LeBron, by comparison, calculates everything; at times, to the point of overanalysis. When James got in trouble these Finals, it’s when he allowed things to go stagnant instead of attacking, like this first quarter post attempt in which he got stripped by Draymond Green:
Draymond strips LeBron with the double in the post. https://t.co/MXldLF6etP — RealGM (@RealGM) June 20, 2016
But it’s hard to argue with someone so thoroughly capable of controlling everything. Stephen Curry has been the best player in the NBA the past two seasons, and this series doesn’t change that. But what LeBron James did the last three games of the Finals, scoring 41 points in consecutive games and ending with a triple-double, shows the gap between the best player in the NBA today, and one of the three greatest players ever operating near the peak of his powers.
“He’s such a force physically, so powerful,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said after the game. “I thought he brought more force to the last three games than he did the first four. But he’s one of the great players of all time and obviously was the key to the turnaround and had a great series.”
Curry induces chaos, and LeBron control. And over the last three games, James was often seen at the top of the key, calmly cycling through screen after screen as if sorting through a rotating tie rack, finding the right matchup to fit the moment—whether it be for a pick and pop three-pointer for J.R. Smith:
JR Smith swish from 3. https://t.co/FbfAkCAwF6
— RealGM (@RealGM) June 20, 2016
Delivering a kick out pass to him after moving the defense around by forcing Curry to switch onto him in isolation:
JR Smith can’t feel his face. Hits another 3. https://t.co/GkdIa026j0 — RealGM (@RealGM) June 20, 2016
Finding Kevin Love on a cut:
Good flash to the ball by Love for the layup from LeBron. https://t.co/ibsmddteU6
— RealGM (@RealGM) June 20, 2016
And by simply taking it upon himself to deliver in the biggest moments:
LeBron with a huge 3. https://t.co/tpa2MC0SM5 — RealGM (@RealGM) June 20, 2016
His defense also provided the structure through which the Cavaliers slowed the Warriors’ offense down enough for Cleveland’s shotmakers to deliver knockout punches. Moving James onto Draymond Green disabled the most dangerous pick and roll combination in the NBA, denying Green and the Warriors the 4-on-3 opportunities they feasted on all season.
Green was spectacular in his own right, doing his best to redeem himself after failing his teammates with the Game 5 suspension. In 47 minutes, Green scored 32 points (hitting six three-pointers), to go with 15 rebounds and nine assists.
Fifth 3 for Draymond. https://t.co/wf1BTFEzIP
— RealGM (@RealGM) June 20, 2016
Draymond was able to work as the Warriors’ primary creator in a pinch, scoring from the post:
Great baseline spin in the post by Draymond Green. https://t.co/rZhQlwUpwQ — RealGM (@RealGM) June 20, 2016
Or cleaning up misses:
Draymond puts back Curry’s miss. https://t.co/vmj7H3DdDI
— RealGM (@RealGM) June 20, 2016
But by disconnecting Green from Curry, the Cavaliers were able to force the Warriors into a more traditional offense. Something Cleveland could better manage. At times, the Warriors didn’t even bother challenging James with Curry, opting instead for pick and rolls against Tristan Thompson. Credit the big man for staying locked in and tracking Curry both on and off the ball after switches; but James’ ability to protect the rim from the wings is a luxury few teams had, and enabled the Cavaliers to mitigate the counters built into Golden State’s offense.
LeBron blocks Barbosa at the bucket. https://t.co/zMTH1FkIRv — RealGM (@RealGM) June 20, 2016
And shutting them down in transition:
Monster block by LeBron on Curry. https://t.co/s23H7mjaVZ
— RealGM (@RealGM) June 20, 2016
LeBron James did it all, becoming the first player in NBA history to lead an entire playoff series in all positive statistical categories—points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks. And LeBron’s ability to do everything allowed his teammates to flourish in narrowly defined roles. Thompson defended and rebounded—and the Cavaliers were never at a greater advantage than when they controlled the glass against the Warriors. J.R. Smith knocked down shots and attacked closeouts. Richard Jefferson spaced the floor, looked comfortable defending in space, and attacked closeouts in straight lines. Even Kevin Love found his footing in Game 7 with an important first quarter stretch drawing four free throws with offensive rebounds on back-to-back possessions; while also defending well enough to stay on the floor:
Kevin Love’s defense on Steph Curry with less than a minute left: https://t.co/i8y931laUG — Blazer’s Edge (@Blazersedge) June 20, 2016
But perhaps no Cavalier benefited from James’ presence more than Kyrie Irving, who found the context through which his game could thrive on a championship level. Irving is an explosive scorer who, left to his own devices, can sometimes hijack an offense with his dribbling. But James’ presence channels Irving’s scoring tendencies into useful ways, transforming Kyrie into an agent of chaos that exists outside of the Cavaliers’ structured offense.
Irving scored 26 points on 10-for-23 shooting, but more importantly, seasoned Cleveland’s offense with a dash of the unknown; clinching the game with one of the biggest shots in NBA history:
Say #TheShot in Cleveland for the rest of your life and it’s this: https://t.co/0BtoWXE85L
— RealGM (@RealGM) June 20, 2016
“I understood that I didn’t have time to be anything less than myself,” Irving said. “I didn’t have time to worry about what was going on with what everyone was about what we needed to be as a team. What I needed to do, what the lineup should be, what kind of player I, myself, needed to be in order for our team to be successful.
“I talked to Bron, I talked to T. Lue, I looked for a lot of wisdom from our veterans, and it was just constant, constant, a feed of confidence from all those guys.”
Of course, none of this is possible without LeBron James. And before he would fall to his knees in joy, he’d fly through the air in wonder—his chase down block of Andre Iguodala going down as one of the most indelible moments in NBA history:
LeBron chase down block!!! https://t.co/ZtRk1YWefr
— RealGM (@RealGM) June 20, 2016
“I’ve never seen a man in my life tell an entire state, ‘Get on my back and I got you. Get on my back and I’m going to carry you and I don’t care if we fail, I’m going to wake up the next morning, start preparing for next year,'” Richard Jefferson, who announced his retirement after the game, said. “Name one person in history that has taken on an entire state? He didn’t have to come back here. He could’ve stayed in Miami or gone other places.
“He said, ‘You know what, I’m going to come back home because I promised them that I would be able to do something.’ And he carries us the whole way. Last year, the dude was amazing. He didn’t have Kyrie, didn’t have Kevin, it was a different situation. If you can point me out one person in any sport, basketball, football, baseball, that got drafted by his hometown team and said, ‘I’m going to carry this team to their first franchise title in 50 something years in the state.’ It’s amazing.”
It certainly was. LeBron James carried an entire city on his broad shoulders, and in his greatest moment, lifted them with him.
The Drive. The Shot. The Fumble. The Decision. All wiped out as emphatically as Iguodala’s layup attempt. There’s a new “The,” to describe Cleveland now:
The Champions.
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