NBA Final: LeBron Powers Cavs To First Ever Title

The Cleveland Cavaliers completed their comeback from a 3-1 series deficit to win their first NBA championship by defeating the Golden State Warriors 93-89 in Game 7 of the NBA Finals on Sunday at Oracle Arena.

LeBron James became the third player in NBA history to record a triple-double in a Game 7, notching 27 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists on his way to his third Finals MVP award and third NBA title.

Cleveland’s triumph will go down as one of the greatest stories in sports history.

The Cavaliers, down 3-1, turned to James and a clutch Kyrie Irving for three straight games to win the most unlikely of championships for a city plagued by years of bad luck.

Furthermore, Cleveland knocked off a 73-win team that was one victory away from completing the greatest season in NBA history.

James moved into a class of his own after winning another championship.

Not only was it his third title, but he also did something that seemed improbable when he came into the league: bringing Cleveland an NBA title.

Cleveland is now the capital of the basketball world, and James showed he is one of the best to ever play the game.

NBA Final: LeBron Powers Cavs To First Ever Title

NBA Final: Cavs Beat Warriors In Game 5 To Reduce Deficit To 3-2

Cleveland Cavaliers beat Golden State Warriors 112-97 to reduce the deficit to 3-2 in the best-of-seven NBA Finals.

LeBron James and Kyrie Irving each netted 41 points to become the first team-mates to score more than 40 points in the same NBA Finals match.

Steph Curry scored only 25 points and the Warriors also missed the suspended Draymond Green as they failed to clinch the title on their home court.

Warriors return to Cleveland, where they won the 2015 title, in game six.

No side has come back from 3-1 down to win the Finals but the Cavaliers will feel they now have the momentum on their home court on Thursday to take it to a decider on Sunday.

They hit 10 of 24 three-pointers to hand the Warriors their fourth home loss this season.

It was level at 61-61 at half-time, but Cleveland then outscored their hosts 51-36, with Curry particularly wasteful as the Warriors hit just three of 21 three-points during that period.

It is now 26 consecutive series for James with at least one road win, extending his NBA record.

NBA Final: Cavs Beat Warriors In Game 5 To Reduce Deficit To 3-2

NBA Final: Warriors" Draymond Green Suspended For Game 5

Golden State star Draymond Green has been suspended for Game 5 of the NBA Finals after the league assessed a Flagrant 1 foul from his scuffle with Cleveland’s LeBron James.

The NBA announced the retroactive decision Sunday, issuing James a technical on the fourth-quarter play Friday in which the two tussled and exchanged words.

Green has been on the cusp of trouble for much of the postseason.

This is his fourth flagrant foul, which resulted in the automatic suspension.

He also has five technicals and was fined $25,000 for kicking Oklahoma City’s Steven Adams in the groin during the Western Conference finals.

The Warriors lead the series 3-1 with a chance to clinch their second straight championship at home in Oracle Arena.

NBA Final: Warriors" Draymond Green Suspended For Game 5

NBA Final: Warriors Beat Cavs In Game 4 To Take 3-1 Lead

Steph Curry scored 38 points to help Golden State Warriors beat Cleveland Cavaliers 108-97 and open a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven NBA Finals.

The NBA’s most valuable player hit seven three-point baskets to put the Warriors on the brink of winning successive titles.

No side has come back from 3-1 down to win the Finals and Golden State have home advantage for Monday’s game five.

“He’s the MVP for a reason,” said Warriors coach Steve Kerr of Curry.

“He doesn’t have the size and strength to dominate a game physically so he has to dominate with his skill.

“He trusts his shot and he just kept firing and they went in.”

Curry, who averaged 16 points in the first three games of the series, scored 13 points in the fourth quarter.

Cleveland went six minutes without scoring a basket in the final quarter and LeBron James tangled with Golden State’s Draymond Green in the final three minutes of the game as frustrations boiled over.

“Draymond said something that I don’t agree with,” said James, who won the NBA Finals in 2012 and 2013 with Miami but has lost the last two, including last year’s defeat by Golden State.

“I’m all cool with the competition, but some of the words that came out of his mouth were a little bit overboard.

“As a competitor, I love going against Draymond, and I’m all about going out there and leaving it out on the floor. But when it gets a little bit more than what it should be, that’s what caused me to have words with him.”

The Warriors won a record 73 regular season games, losing just nine.

NBA Final: Warriors Beat Cavs In Game 4 To Take 3-1 Lead

NBA Final: Green Stars As Warriors Romp To 2-0 Lead Over Cavs

The Golden State Warriors took a commanding 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals, blitzing the Cleveland Cavaliers 110-77 in Game 2 at the Oracle Arena.

The Warriors trailed by two at the end of the first quarter and led by eight at halftime, before clicking into overdrive after the main break, outscoring the Cavs by 12 in the third quarter and 13 in the final term.

With Cleveland focusing their defensive attention on Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, it was Draymond Green who stepped up, taking advantage of the plethora of open looks he was afforded. The Cavs’ plan backfired as Green top-scored with 28 points on 11-for-20 shooting – including 5-for-8 from three-point range.

Curry finished with 18 points – hitting half of his eight three-point attempts – but he had no qualms about playing second-fiddle to Green, clearly in celebratory mode on the bench as the Warriors ran away with it late.

LeBron James top-scored for Cleveland with 19 on disappointing 7-for-17 shooting, while Kyrie Irving scored only 10 points on 5-for-14 shooting.

The Finals move on to Quicken Loans Arena on Thursday morning (AEST) in a welcome reprieve for the Cavaliers, who are under pressure for virtually the first time in this year’s playoffs.

NBA Final: Green Stars As Warriors Romp To 2-0 Lead Over Cavs