Veteran forward Kevin Love recalls former teammate LeBron James being confident of the Cleveland Cavaliers taking the 2016 NBA Finals to a Game Seven.
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It will take a herculean effort for the NBA to repeat the effect the 2016 NBA Finals had on fans over the globe. The Cavaliers became the first team in Finals history to overcome a 3-1 deficit. LeBron James had officially cemented his position on the Basketball Rushmore.
It wouldn’t be wrong to say it was the ideal fairy tale for King James, who established one of the greatest legacies in American Sports history. The kid from Akron ended the more than five-decade-long championship drought of Cleveland. James topped this with his 3rd Finals MVP.
The 2016 NBA Finals was no easy task for the Cavs going up against the most successful regular-season team in the Golden State Warriors. The Dubs were 73-9, with Stephen Curry earning his second consecutive MVP.
In the following clip, Kevin Love talks about his former teammate James’ resilience and spirit to take the Cavs to a Game Seven after being down 3-1 in the 2016 Finals.
Kevin Love talks about LeBron James predicting a 3-1 comeback in the 2016 NBA Finals.
James’ performance in the 2016 NBA Finals will go down as one of the greatest. LBJ turned into a freight train running over anything that came in the way of him and the basket. The former Cavs superstar had some breathtaking dunks and blocks.
The King had video game stats of 29.7 PPG, 11.3 RPG, 8.9 APG, 2.6 SPG, and 2.3 BPG. However, James’ exhibition of greatness wouldn’t have been possible without the services of Kyrie Irving. The former Cavs guard hit one of the best shots in NBA history.
In the following clip, KLove shares an inspiring story about James after the Cavs were down 3-1 against the Dubs in the 2016 Finals which still gives the former goosebumps.
“So we’re going over the Bay Bridge, and the commentary is still picking up, it’s on Twitter, it’s on Instagram and all these social media platforms. And that’s when Bron said, he looked around and said ‘you know what guys, it’s written, we’re gonna win tomorrow night, we’re gonna have a huge game, it’s gonna be tough, gonna come down to the last few minutes, we’re not losing at home, Game Seven anything can happen.’ That’s how it played out, said Love, adding it still gave him chills thinking about it.”
LeBron called the 3-1 Finals comeback!👀
Absolutely legendary. 👑🐐 pic.twitter.com/4mhVIGySIe
— LeBron Factory (@LeBronFactory) March 21, 2022
For James to live on his promise of bringing his hometown a championship despite all odds, is a prime example of why he’s an all-time great.
The memory of James saying, “Cleveland this is for you,” still seems like yesterday.