LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers made NBA history in 2016 by becoming the first team to come back from a 3-1 deficit in the Finals. The series was arguably the greatest of the 2010s, with it all coming down to the final 3 minutes of Game 7 and ending with LeBron James bringing home a championship.
But three games before that legendary block from LeBron James, the Cleveland Cavaliers were reeling from a Game 4 loss at home. The series looked done at that point, and the Warriors looked set to come out victorious. And in the new book, LeBron, by Jeff Benedict, he revealed James’ amazing reaction to going down 3-1.
“LeBron didn’t need additional motivation,” the book reads, as shared by HoopsHype. “But Thompson had manufactured some. Later that night, LeBron wound down with Savannah. Around two thirty in the morning, they watched Eddie Murphy Raw.
“After laughing hysterically for about ninety minutes, he sent a predawn group text to his teammates. They were due to board a plane for Oakland later that day. But LeBron had a message for them first. ‘I know we’re down 3-1,” he said. ‘But if you don’t think we can win this series, then don’t get on the f**king plane.’”
That is highly inspirational and only goes to show just how locked in LeBron James was during this time. That is the kind of fire needed to make NBA history, and that’s exactly what LeBron went ahead and did. His teammates came along for the ride, too, the Cavaliers earned every bit of that championship they won in 2016.
Draymond Green And Stephen Curry Praised LeBron James For The 2016 NBA Finals
LeBron James did a little bit of everything in that series against the 73-9 Golden State Warriors. He averaged 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, 8.9 assists, 2.6 steals, and 2.3 blocks per game. He completely deserved to win the Finals MVP for his dominance at the time. And Draymond Green has said recently that his performance from that series is what makes him the GOAT.
It wasn’t just LeBron James either, Kyrie Irving came along for the ride, so he did succeed in inspiring his teammates. Stephen Curry called it the craziest thing he had ever seen. LeBron James’ leadership is still talked about and is a key asset for the Los Angeles Lakers, and that’s why no one would want to face his team in the playoffs despite their early-season struggles.
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