Never had a NBA Finals been declared over, then not over, then over, then not over so many times.
Everyone thought Cleveland had to split the early games in Oakland to have a chance. In Game 1 Cleveland held a one point lead in the third quarter before Shaun Livingston and Leandro Barbosa surprisingly carried Golden State and pulled away to win by 15. Game 2 was an embarrassment for the Cavs. LeBron once again had nice stats but hasn’t asserted himself. Kyrie Irving was doing a crappy Allen Iverson impersonation, shooting 12 for 35 in the first two games. Kevin Love looked good in Game 1 but wasn’t much in Game 2, and then got hit in the head and would miss Game 3. Klay Thompson said that this Warriors team would beat the Showtime Lakers. It was 2-0 and Cleveland either had to win four straight or win a Game 7 in Oakland. The series was over.
And then it wasn’t. The series shifted to Cleveland where the Cavs blew out Warriors by 30 points. Richard Jefferson provided a spark both offensively and defensively starting for the injured Love. I questioned whether Love should even play in the series anymore. Irving scored 30 and hit as many shots has he did in Games 1 and 2 combined. J.R. Smith finally had a big Finals game and hit five threes. LeBron threw a monster game in there with a 32-11-6. Suddenly, if Cleveland could win Game 4 at home, we’d have a new series.
Then the series was over again. Stephen Curry, the unanimous League MVP who’d been quiet for the Finals so far, decided to remind everyone why he was MVP and dropped 38 with seven threes. LeBron and Kyrie had big games, but no one else really helped. It was 3-1 Warriors. Golden State were 88-16 at that point. They hadn’t lost three in a row in the Steve Kerr era. They lost three games all year at home. No way they were dropping three straight with two at home. The mere glimmer of hope? Draymond Green getting suspended for Game 5 for hitting James low. Justified or not (and I think considering Draymond’s past its perfectly fine), this series was still over. The question at this point was where would Draymond watch Game 5 from and would he make the celebration in time.
The only way LeBron was ever to catch Michael Jordan in the All Time Greats list was to start doing things no one else could do. He had to do something special. LeBron and Kyrie quite frankly kicked the shit out of Golden State in Oakland. LeBron started that special track with a 41-16-7-3-3 and Kyrie helped with 41 of his own. Curry was okay. Harrison Barnes flushed millions of dollars down the toilet. Thompson had a great game wasted. Once again the series wasn’t over, because if Cleveland could win Game 6 at home, well, anything could happen in a Game 7, right?
Game 6 was over by the first quarter (okay fine, Golden State did make some comebacks, but never got the lead). 31-11 Cleveland at the end of the first. LeBron decided to have another holy shit game with a 41-11-8. Curry cheated on defense all game, fouled out and threw his mouthpiece in the stands. Yeah, Game 7 was in Oakland, but looking back its obvious that Stephen Curry was rattled. The pressure was getting to Golden State. Still, both sides were right. Steve Kerr said he would take 1 game on his home floor for a title anytime. LeBron said anything can happen in the two greatest words in sports: Game 7.
Many times Golden State could have put Game 7 away. They began building a lead and had a big second quarter to take a 7 point lead into the half. But Irving brought Cleveland back. They held Cleveland to 40% shooting…but Cleveland kept attacking the rim and legitimately got to the free throw line. Draymond Green played a game so good that I would have been fine with him winning Finals MVP despite LeBron’s greatness (32-15-9 with 6 threes). With the game tied late at 89 all Golden State had to do as they did so many times during the season was hit some big shots and put Cleveland away. There are four plays I will remember from this game down the stretch. I will remember Curry, who clearly seemed rattled by the pressure, going for a behind the back pass and failing miserably. It seemed like this was Curry’s way to tell us that everything was fine and just as it always is. Of course, everything wasn’t and Golden State was falling apart. Curry throwing it away there was a microcosm of that. I will remember Curry failing to dribble past Kevin Love. Arguably the league’s best offensive player couldn’t get by the league’s worst big name defensive player when it mattered. I will remember LeBron’s “Smoke Monster” block as will everyone else. That’s a top five greatest play in NBA Finals history without a doubt. Remember, Golden State never got past 89 points…and that was their best chance at it. I will remember Kyrie Irving’s game winner with 50 seconds left on Curry. I criticized Irving for a crappy Allen Iverson impression in Games 1 and 2. He suddenly became the rich man’s Iverson, an evolutionary efficient version. It’s probably the greatest player type LeBron could ask for as a second guy. A fearless scorer who can make them when they count? It also put one last embarrassment out there for Curry: Cleveland attacked him, the league MVP, down the stretch. And it worked. LeBron also had a 27-11-11 in case that matters.
73-9 now means nothing. Curry now has to wonder about his legacy. The Warriors go into the off-season wondering if perhaps they should add Kevin Durant. But we’re all sure of one thing.
It’s still LeBron James’ league. All Hail the King.
(And congratulations Cleveland…you all deserve it).
