Starting on April 12, FOX Sports Ohio will be re-airing all seven games of the 2016 NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers. On Sunday April 20, The Championship Parade and Rally will be aired as well. Cavs.com takes you back to the Summer of '16 with highlights, sounds, and stats to get you primed to relive one of the greatest championship runs of all time.
GAME 1
Tyronn Lue’s squad put themselves in an excellent position to make a fourth-quarter run – rallying from an 11-point deficit to take a one-point edge with just over two minutes to play in the third period. But an aggressive foul by Matthew Dellavedova against last year’s Finals MVP, Andre Iguodala, seemed to ignite the Warriors – and their rapid crowd. Golden State then proceeded to score the final seven points of the third quarter and the first eight of the fourth, eventually extending their lead to 20 points before holding off the Cavaliers down the stretch.
In Game 1, LeBron James became the league's all-time leader in three-pointers made in The Finals with 57. James passed Robert Horry (56) and Ray Allen (55) to reach the first spot.
GAME 2
Two games into the 2016 Finals, the Cavaliers are still searching for the squad that ran roughshod through the Eastern Conference bracket, going 12-2 en route to their rematch with the Warriors. They leave Oakland having being beaten by an average of 20 points, having shot 37 percent from the floor and 27 percent from long-distance – handing out a combined 32 assists while committing a combined 35 turnovers.
Following Game 2, the Wine & Gold returned to Quicken Loans Arena hoping that some home cooking can get them back into the series.
GAME 3
After dropping the first two games of the NBA Finals convincingly, the Cavaliers resoundingly turned the tables – dominating the Warriors from wire-to-wire, 120-90, to cut Golden State’s series lead to 2-1 with Game 4 set for Friday night in Cleveland. The Cavaliers team that dropped the previous two games by a combined 48 points was nowhere in sight on Wednesday – running out to a 19-4 lead and bumping their edge to 20 points before the end of one quarter.
After the game, Richard Jefferson said “I can’t say enough about our crowd. Our crowd was amazing tonight. They were ready. They were geared up and ready. They didn’t care about what happened in Golden State. They knew we’re a great team at home. A lot of that is in part to the energy that they bring us.”
GAME 4
Including the 2016 Playoffs, the Cavaliers put together 10 streaks of at least three straight wins this season.
They needed one more if they hope to make history and wrestle the NBA title away from the World Champs – who outscored the Wine & Gold, 58-42, in the second stanza and held on for the 108-97 victory in Game 4 at The Q. The Cavs headed to The Bay for Game 5 as history started to take shape.
GAME 5
Heading into Game 5, the Cavaliers knew that they’d have to make history to overcome a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals. And on Monday, two of their stars got a head start on rewriting some history along the way.
LeBron James and Kyrie Irving became the first teammate duo in league history to score more than 40 points in a Finals game – putting on a jaw-dropping display on both ends in a game the Wine & Gold needed for their very survival.
GAME 6
In Game 6, the Cavaliers did something that hasn’t been done in 50 years – sending the NBA Finals to Game 7 after trailing the series, 3-1.
But the Wine & Gold aren’t interested snapping a mark that’s lasted 50 years. The one they’re chasing has extended for 52.
That’s how long it’s been since any Cleveland team has won a major sports championship – something the Cavaliers can change when both squads square off for the 2016 NBA title on Sunday night in Oakland.
Throughout the 2016 Playoffs, the Cavaliers hosted 10 games at Quicken Loans Arena. In those 10 games, Cleveland went 9-1 at home. In those nine victories, the Cavaliers have outscored their opponents by 17.9 points per, shooting 50 percent from the floor and 43 percent from three-point range.
GAME 7
History made.
The Cleveland Cavaliers overcame all odds and climbed out of a 3-1 hole to win the 2016 NBA Finals in thrilling fashion and to capture the franchise's first title.
The Block. The Shot. The Stop. These plays will live in Cavaliers history forever and no one will soon forget the events that unfolded in June of 2016.
CHAMPIONSHIP PARADE
After the Cavs returned to Northeast Ohio, one of the biggest- perhaps the biggest- party in Cleveland took place.
On a hot and sunny June 22, more than one million Cavalier fans packed the streets of downtown Cleveland to celebrate the NBA title with the players and coaches as the Larry O'Brien Trophy circled Quicken Loans Arena.
