It came down to the final minute, but ultimately, the Warriors fell short, losing 93-89 to the Cavaliers in Game 7 on Sunday.
It came down to the final minute, but ultimately, the Warriors fell short, losing 93-89 to the Cavaliers in Game 7 on Sunday. Draymond Green put on a sensational performance, notching 32 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists, but it was Kyrie Irving’s three-pointer with 53.0 seconds left that proved to be the deciding basket.
GAME LEADERS
Through the first six games of the series, both teams totaled the same amount of points, speaking to how evenly matched they were. That parity would persist to the final minute of Game 7, with the contest tied at 89 until Irving’s now-historic three-pointer. The two sides played it close all game long, with neither able to generate a lead of greater than eight points. There were 20 lead changes and 11 ties throughout the game, and when the final buzzer sounded, it was the Cavaliers on top.
Golden State got off to a significantly better start than the previous two games, this time trailing Cleveland by only a single point at the end of the first frame. The Warriors trailed by the same deficit three minutes into the second quarter before Draymond Green sank his second three-pointer of the night, in what would prove to be a sign of things to come. Green would add three more three-pointers in the quarter, all in succession, as part of a run in which he scored 12-straight points for the Warriors. Leandro Barbosa would follow up that stretch with a three-pointer of his own to put Golden State up seven, and they’d maintain that advantage going into halftime leading 49-42.
That lead would be completely erased by a 12-5 Cavs’ run to open the second half, and after Stephen Curry subsequently scored five-straight points, Cleveland would go on a 14-2 burst to take their largest lead of the entire night at 68-61 with 4:00 left in the third quarter. The Warriors would immediately battle back though, and Andre Iguodala’s hook shot with 4.1 seconds remaining gave Golden State a slim 76-75 advantage heading into the fourth and final frame.
After Cleveland had retaken an 83-80 lead, Curry ignited a 7-0 Warriors’ run to jump back in front. LeBron James would then go on to score six-straight points in a span of 31 seconds, and after Klay Thompson drained a jumper on the ensuing possession, the game was tied once again at 89-89 with 4:39 remaining in regulation. Unfortunately for Golden State, those would prove to be their final points of the night, and season. Both teams remained deadlocked at 89 for nearly three minutes until Irving’s three-pointer with 53.0 seconds left put the Cavs in front for good. James would split free throws to make it a two-possession game with 10.6 seconds left, putting the final touch on what was a tremendously competitive Finals game and series.