CLEVELAND — “The Block, The Shot, The Stop.”
They are arguably the three most important plays in Cleveland Cavaliers history, as LeBron James’ defense, Kyrie Irving’s late-game three-pointer and Love’s stand against Stephen Curry led to a 93-89 championship-clinching victory over the record-setting Golden State Warriors in Oakland on June 19, 2016.
Here is a look at those three plays that turned a group of talented individuals into NBA Champions in historic fashion.
“The Block”
James has become known for his ability to “chase down” blocked shots, and he did just that in the waning minutes of Game 7.
After controlling a rebound on a missed shot from Irving, Warriors small forward Andre Iguodala began a fast break with Curry working up the floor against Cavaliers shooting guard J.R. Smith. Iguodala passed to Curry, who immediately returned the ball to the veteran scorer, and while it looked like a potential go-ahead basket, James had other ideas.
As Iguodala release the ball over Smith, James leapt from the middle of the key and pinned the shot against the backboard with 1:51 remaining in the fourth quarter.
James scored a team-high 27 points and finished off a triple-double with 11 total rebounds and 11 assists to go along with three blocked shots and two steals.
“The Shot”
Irving missed all but one game in the 2015 NBA Finals because of fractured kneecap, but he more than made up for it one year later.
With just 53 seconds left and the score tied, Irving hit the eventual game-winning three-pointer, a fall-away pull-up attempt from the right wing that was heavily defended by Curry, a two-time NBA MVP, and his 25-foot triple led to the historic win over the Warriors.
Irving scored 26 points and pulled down six rebounds to go along with a blocked shot and steal in 43 minutes of play in the series-clinching win.
“The Stop”
Throughout his NBA career, Love has proven to be a prolific scorer, but it was his defense in the final minute that had everyone talking.
Love and Irving ended up switching defensive assignments when Draymond Green set a screen out top to free up Curry. By making the switch, that left the smaller, quicker Curry working against Love, but veteran power forward did everything he could to stay in-between the sharp-shooting guard and the basket.
After a first attempt to find a shot resulted in a pass to Green on the right wing, Curry got the ball back and once again, tried to shoot a three-pointer. Despite a pump fake, crossover dribbles, a step-back and change of direction, Curry could not shake Love and get a clean look at the rim.
Curry’s shot hit off the right side of the rim and James was there to clean up the rebound. James followed with a made free throw to give the Cavaliers their four-point margin of victory.
Impact of the plays
By making the late-game plays, the Cavaliers erased lifetimes of bad memories for Cleveland sports fans, which included a myriad of bad-luck moments that dashed hopes of championship glory for the Browns, Indians and Cavs throughout their respective histories.
Despite being down, 2-0 and 3-1, in the best-of-seven series against the reigning league champion Warriors, the Cavaliers fought their way to three straight wins, including the championship-clinching win in Game 7.
It was the Cavaliers’ first-ever NBA Championship and the first major sports title for the city of Cleveland since the Browns took home the NFL Championship with an upset win over the Baltimore Colts in December of 1964.
By beating Golden State, the Cavaliers became the first, and still the only team to overcome a 3-1 series deficit in the NBA Finals and win the championship.