LeBron James starred as the Cleveland Cavaliers lifted their first NBA title since the inception of the team.
James leading the Cavaliers back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals to beat the Golden State Warriors, the team that won an NBA-record 73 regular-season games, on the road for the NBA championship.
James scored 27 points, collected 11 rebounds, delivered 11 assists, blocked three shots and had two steals — his seventh Finals triple-double — as the Cavaliers defeated the Warriors 93-89 in Game 7 on Sunday.
Cavs guard Kyrie Irving delivered the killer shot, a three-pointer with 53 seconds left giving Cleveland an 92-89 lead. James made a free throw with 10.6 seconds left to make it 93-89. Irving finished with 26 points.
It is the first time a team has won the title after falling behind 3-1 in a Finals series, and it took one of the best performances in Finals history from James to deliver Cleveland its first major pro sports championship since the 1964 Browns.
“I’m home. I’m home,” James said. “This is what I came back for. I’m at a loss for words. This is unbelievable. It doesn’t feel real right now.”
“I understood what everybody in northeast Ohio had been through the last 50-plus years, and I’m happy to be a part of history. I can’t wait to get back home. I’m ready to get to you guys,” James said. “We’ve been through so much adversity these last two years. I just knew what we were capable of even being down 3-1 vs. the greatest regular-season team ever, you know, 73-9. Everybody counted us out, and that’s when we strived the most.”
He was named Finals MVP for the third time in his career.