- LeBron James delivered on his promise to bring an NBA Championship to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016
- James led the Cavaliers to a 3-1 comeback against the Warriors to win his third NBA title
- LeBron James shut down the noise about the Warriors signing Kevin Durant during the 2016-17 season opener against the Knicks
When LeBron James returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers ahead of the 2014-15 season, he had one goal in mind: To win an NBA Championship for the organization. James delivered on his promise in the 2016 NBA Finals.
The Cleveland Cavaliers became the first team in NBA history to erase a 3-1 deficit in the Finals and win a championship. The Golden State Warriors responded by signing Kevin Durant in the summer, and LeBron James had the perfect response to anyone who wasn’t a supporter of the Cavaliers.
“At this point, if you don’t live here, work here, play here, dedicate yourself to Cleveland, then it makes no sense for you to live today,” James said during his speech in the season opener against the New York Knicks. “Cleveland against the world.”
LeBron pretty much said if you not from Cleveland or rock wit us there’s no point in your existence on Earth😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/0JCqgSBark
— ²³𝙻𝚎𝙱𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚜🏀☄️🌎💞 (@BronGotGame) August 30, 2023
After delivering the legendary speech, James hilariously danced away from the mic. While James’ speech did inject the Cavaliers with passion, they were no match for the Warriors in the 2017 NBA Finals.
The Dubs won the Finals 4-1, and Kevin Durant was the superstar of the series. KD averaged 35.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game. He won the first NBA Finals MVP of his career as well.
On the other hand, LeBron James averaged 33.6 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 10.0 assists per game. Unfortunately, the Warriors simply proved too much to handle, even for the King.
LeBron James Believes He Became The GOAT Of Basketball After Winning The 2016 NBA Championship
The 2016 Golden State Warriors achieved the best regular season record in NBA history. They finished the season with a 73-9 record. Moreover, the Dubs took a 3-1 lead in the 2016 NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Ideally, the series should have been over, but then LeBron James shifted gears and completed arguably the greatest comeback the league had ever seen. Upon winning the 2016 NBA Championship, James declared himself as the GOAT.
“That moment, I was like I am the greatest basketball player people have ever seen in all the facets. Like I can play 1 to 5, I can guard 1 to 5, just literally like doing something that’s never been done in the history of the sport,” James said.
He added: “Teams that go down 3-1 were like 0 for 32 in finals history. There was nobody ever coming out of there and nobody gave us a chance. I just felt like ain’t nobody better than me at this.”
James averaged 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 8.9 assists per game in the 2016 NBA Finals. He also had arguably the most iconic block of his entire career during the dying minutes in Game 7 of the series.
The Golden State Warriors Dominated The Cleveland Cavaliers In 2017 And 2018
After losing to LeBron James in 2016, the Golden State Warriors pulled off the most controversial signing in the history of the league. They signed Kevin Durant to the team.
Durant’s move to the Warriors completely shifted the power balance in the league. The Dubs won games with ease and lifted back-to-back NBA Championships in 2017 and 2018.
KD was the difference maker in 2017, as we mentioned earlier. The Slim Reaper did something similar in the 2018 NBA Finals as well. Behind Durant’s 28.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game, the Warriors swept the Cavaliers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAgXfcd_Fa0
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