Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals will probably go down in history as the most memorable basketball game of the 21st century. Two historic clutch plays from the game, namely LeBron James’s chase-down block on Andre Iguodala and Kyrie Irving’s three-point dagger, will forever be etched in the minds of NBA fans as a core memory. But the game wasn’t just won on the back of those two plays.
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Former NBA star Baron Davis, therefore, asked former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue on The Draymond Green Show to name a play from the Game 7 showdown that helped the Cavs get to the title, but is criminally underrated. Lue didn’t have to think for more than a second before he said, “Kevin Love, when he switched out on Steph [Curry]!”
“Oooh, he sat down,” both Green and Davis said in unison. “That’s one of the ultimate set downs in NBA history. That was crazy,” BD added before Ty Lue could elaborate on his point.
The veteran head coach surprisingly revealed that the move was actually not on the cards. “It’s crazy because it wasn’t supposed to happen. I don’t want K-Love on Steph. I’m having a [mental] breakdown when he ended up on Steph,” Lue told Green and Davis.
The switch that the Clippers HC is talking about happened as Curry brought the ball down the court with just under a minute to go in the fourth quarter of the Game 7 matchup. The Golden State Warriors were down by three, so people expected Steph to drain a clutch three pointer on the Cavs to level the scores.
The expectations grew stronger as Kyrie Irving, who was guarding Steph, switched on to Draymond Green and Kevin Love matched up with Curry just outside the line. As Lue admitted, this was not on the cards because Kyrie, as a guard with quick feet, was better equipped to contain Curry than a big man like Love. But the Cavs forward locked down the reigning unanimous league MVP with his determined defense.
“K-Love, I give him credit man. He set down…he guarded four-five different moves. Forced Steph into a tough shot…that was a big stop,” Lue added.
Green admitted that everyone in the Dubs camp expected Curry to leave a big like Love on an island with his quick iso moves and get his shot up. But the Cavs star tracked the Dubs guard’s crossover attempts and step backs with his dogged defense and never allowed the two-time MVP any wiggle room to operate his magic.
In the end, Steph had to throw a heavily contested wild ‘Hail Mary’ shot that rimmed out and was rebounded by LeBron James.
The defeat that Curry incurred on a terrible switch and a complete mismatch probably killed the Dubs psychologically. Golden State couldn’t find it within themselves to champion a comeback after witnessing their best player be bottled up by a forward like that. So Lue rightfully pointed out that the move was very crucial for the Cavs’ Championship win.
