WASHINGTON — In a series with almost no close games, the 2016 NBA Finals saved the most dramatic contest for last.
Sunday night’s Game 7 between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors was tense throughout and featured a bizarro world finish between teams with some of the best scorers of their generation that turned into a defensive grind, in which only four total points were scored in the final 4 minutes and 39 seconds of play.
Though LeBron James became just the third player to post a triple double in a Game 7 of an NBA Finals — finishing with 27 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists — it was neither he nor MVP Steph Curry, but Kyrie Irving who hit what stood up to be the championship winning shot, a three-pointer with 53 seconds left to put Cleveland ahead 92-89.
More than the final point of the game at the free throw line, which pushed the contest to a two-possession margin, James’ most critical contribution down the stretch came on defense with 1:50 to play. In a tie game, James’ primary defender/antagonist Andre Iguodala pulled down a Kyrie Irving miss and bolted out on the fast break, creating a 2-on-1 heading the other way. He hit Steph Curry, who returned the pass to a streaking Iguodala, stretching up for a layup. Out of nowhere from behind the play, James came flying in over his fellow teammate and pinned Iguodala’s shot to the backboard, denying the Warriors the lead, controlling the ball. Golden State would not score again.
The Warriors’ record-breaking 73-win regular season will only stand to further prop up the heroics of James, who made a case for 2015 NBA Finals MVP despite losing them. He became the first player to lead a team back from a 3-1 Finals deficit, and the first ever to lead all players on both teams in points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals throughout a playoff series.
The Warriors, meanwhile, never quite fully clicked Sunday night. Curry and Klay Thompson combined to go just 6-24 from three-point range. Draymond Green’s epic performance — in which he poured in a game-high 32 points, grabbed 15 boards, and finished an assist shy of a triple-double — went in vain. And the normally unflappable Steve Kerr, who always seemed to know just the right way to juggle his lineups, made a crucial error.
Kerr’s coaching adjustment last year — starting Iguodala on James — was the defining turning point of the 2015 Finals. Down two games to one, the Warriors didn’t lose again after the change.
But in Game 7 Sunday night, Kerr elected to start reserve center Festus Ezeli, with Andrew Bogut hurt. The plan backfired almost immediately, with Ezeli basically being a non-factor from the tip. Kerr pulled him quickly, and seemed to be determined to roll with his small ball lineup for the majority of the game.
Then, inexplicably, just as the Warriors had regained the lead at 85-83, Kerr went back to Ezeli with 6:16 to play. The Cavaliers immediately isolated the slow-footed big man in pick and roll, where he bit on a James pump-fake three, sending him to the line for three foul shots. The Cavs forced Ezeli into a pick and roll again the next possession, and James hit a three over him as he sagged off defensively. Kerr pulled Ezeli for Harrison Barnes, but the damage was done: in just under 11 scoreless minutes, Ezeli missed all four of his shots, all at the rim, pulled down just a single rebound, and committed two fouls. The Warriors were nine points worse than the Cavs with him on the floor.
In the end, though, Curry made too many mistakes. He had twice as many turnovers (4) as assists (2) and got to the foul line just once, often letting the normally quick-whipping offense drag. He was never able to replicate the success of previous playoff series, nor get his teammates involved enough to pick up the slack. That the highest-scoring offense in the NBA failed to score a single point for nearly the final five minutes of a do-or-die game tells you everything you need to know.
Suddenly, Warriors-Cavs feels something akin to Ali-Frazier, two champions with differing styles trading blows through grinding, physical bouts. Now they’re even at a title apiece, both teams breaking long title droughts in the process. The NBA offseason may shake rosters up a bit, but as long as James stays in Cleveland, could there be another great showdown in store in 2017?
