{"id":9224,"date":"2017-08-21T08:00:13","date_gmt":"2017-08-21T12:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnba.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=9224"},"modified":"2017-08-20T14:31:04","modified_gmt":"2017-08-20T18:31:04","slug":"greatest-cleveland-cavaliers-moment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2017\/08\/21\/greatest-cleveland-cavaliers-moment\/","title":{"rendered":"Greatest Cleveland Cavaliers Moment of the 21st Century"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to the Greatest Moments series<\/a> at Last Word On Pro Basketball, where we\u2019ll present to you each NBA team\u2019s greatest moment of the 21st century. From draft lottery luck, to a franchise-changing trade, to the sweet taste of a championship, every NBA team has had its own special moment to look back on.<\/p>\n

In this edition, we\u2019ll relive the greatest Cleveland Cavaliers<\/a> moment of the 21st century: The postgame interview with Northeast Ohio native\u00a0LeBron James<\/a><\/strong> after a championship victory over the Golden State Warriors<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Greatest Cleveland Cavaliers Moment of the 21st Century: LeBron James’ Championship Postgame Interview\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

When a letter was published saying James\u00a0was coming back to Cleveland<\/a>, it was refreshing. When the people of Cleveland heard the news, it was a feeling of relief, and immediately, I started looking ahead. When James is playing for his rightful home in Northeast Ohio, “The Land” is how it’s meant to be.<\/p>\n

The greatest player in the basketball world is a unique one for so many reasons. He’s arguably the best pure athlete in the history of the NBA, with his combination of size and speed. Going back to high school, whenever the King is on the court, everybody’s watching. He has his lovers and has his haters, but for what it’s worth, he’s always been a different cat<\/em>. Against a newfound rival in Stephen Curry<\/a><\/strong> and Golden State, it took the King’s heroics to deliver an elusive championship to the city of Cleveland, which was a then 52-year drought.<\/p>\n

Needless to say, it was some kind of celebration when LeBron and company were hugging each other after coming back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals, which was never done before. As I said, James is just different from the others. LBJ’s championship postgame interview on June 19, 2016 goes down as my Cavs greatest moment in franchise history.<\/p>\n

The 3-1 Lead<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It appeared that the Cavs may have been a step behind the sharpshooting Warriors. The depth of Golden State was a big problem from the getgo. Players like Andre Iguodala<\/a><\/strong>, the previous Finals MVP, and Shaun Livingston<\/a><\/strong> were making their presence felt. Draymond Green<\/a><\/strong> was also making things happen on both ends. Overall, the boys from the Bay blew out the Wine and Gold in Games 1 and 2, and that was obviously concerning.<\/p>\n

These blowouts were surprising to me, considering the Cavs only lost two games in the Eastern Conference Playoffs, per Basketball Reference. They had a workmanlike sweep of the Detroit Pistons <\/a>and blew the doors off the Atlanta Hawks<\/a> before defeating the Toronto Raptors<\/a> in six games. Going back to Cleveland, it was time to regroup.<\/p>\n

The Cavs did just that in Game 3, as they got the shots to go down. LeBron led all scorers with 32 points<\/a>, and J.R. Smith<\/a><\/strong> chipped in with five triples and a plus\/minus of +33. Kyrie Irving<\/a><\/strong> looked more comfortable as well, as he had 30 points and eight assists. The Cavs got in the win column with a 30-point victory, setting up a pivotal Game 4.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the Cavs did not have the same contributions from their role players in Game 4<\/a>. Cleveland only shot 24 percent from three, and Curry had an MVP performance on the road with 38 points. The Warriors hit 17 triples en route to an 11-point win.<\/p>\n

The Next Act<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Going back to the Bay, the Cavs had some life. Draymond’s swinging kicks and questionable tactics warranted him a suspension for Game 5, which opened up the driving lanes for James and Irving. They took advantage of that, to say the least.<\/p>\n

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This is the first time ever in an #NBAFinals<\/a> history that two teammates have had 40+ points in the same game.<\/p>\n

— NBA (@NBA) June 14, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n