LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers win first NBA title with victory over Golden State Warriors
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Your support makes all the difference.The Cleveland Cavaliers are the 2016 NBA champions.
After defeating the Golden State Warriors 93-89 in Oracle Arena on Sunday night, LeBron James fulfilled his promise to bring Cleveland the city’s first NBA championship.
“Cleveland, this is for you,” James cried out after the game, ending the city's 52 year drought since the Browns won the NFL championship game in 1964. When the last seconds of the clock ran out, James embraced his teammates, then hit the deck, crying his eyes out.
He also won the Finals MVP with a unanimous vote, recording 27 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists to defeat the Warriors, the most winning team in NBA history. “Everybody counted us out,” James told ESPN. “That’s when we strive the most, when everybody’s counting us out.”
Both teams struggled to score in the game's final minutes before Kyrie Irving nailed a clutch three-pointer with 53-seconds left to put his team ahead. James would seal the victory by hitting 1 of 2 free throws with 10.6 seconds left in the championship game.
“We’re stunned,” Coach Steve Kerr told reporters. “We thought we were going to win.”
James was a standout athlete at St. Vincent–St. Mary High School in Akron, and drafted by the Cavaliers in 2003. His infamous decision to leave the city to join the Miami Heat in 2010 broke the hearts of fans who literally set his jerseys on fire after his televised announcement special titled “The Decision.” But when James rejoined the Cavaliers in 2014, fans welcomed him with open arms after he promised to do everything in his power to bring home the NBA title.
Meanwhile, fans in Cleveland were celebrating across the city, and false reports claimed some fans had stolen a fire truck. Thankfully, Cleveland Police tweeted out confirmation that this was not the case.
Police also played it cool on Twitter by saying "not many" fans were arrested and most of them were just "happy."
The city will hold a parade for the Cavaliers and Wednesday. James, who was named NBA Finals MVP for the third time in his career, said that “it will be the biggest party Cleveland has ever seen.”
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