He had twice as many turnovers (4) as assists (2) and got to the foul line just once, often letting the normally quick-whipping offense drag. In the end, though, Curry made too many mistakes. The Warriors were nine points worse than the Cavs with him on the floor. Kerr pulled Ezeli for Harrison Barnes, but the damage was done: in just under 11 scoreless minutes, Ezeli missed all four of his shots, all at the rim, pulled down just a single rebound, and committed two fouls. The Cavs forced Ezeli into a pick and roll again the next possession, and James hit a three over him as he sagged off defensively. The Cavaliers immediately isolated the slow-footed big man in pick and roll, where he bit on a James pump-fake three, sending him to the line for three foul shots. Then, inexplicably, just as the Warriors had regained the lead at 85-83, Kerr went back to Ezeli with 6:16 to play. Kerr pulled him quickly, and seemed to be determined to roll with his small ball lineup for the majority of the game. The plan backfired almost immediately, with Ezeli basically being a non-factor from the tip. Down two games to one, the Warriors didn’t lose again after the change.īut in Game 7 Sunday night, Kerr elected to start reserve center Festus Ezeli, with Andrew Bogut hurt. Kerr’s coaching adjustment last year - starting Iguodala on James - was the defining turning point of the 2015 Finals. And the normally unflappable Steve Kerr, who always seemed to know just the right way to juggle his lineups, made a crucial error. Draymond Green’s epic performance - in which he poured in a game-high 32 points, grabbed 15 boards, and finished an assist shy of a triple-double - went in vain. Curry and Klay Thompson combined to go just 6-24 from three-point range. The Warriors, meanwhile, never quite fully clicked Sunday night. He became the first player to lead a team back from a 3-1 Finals deficit, and the first ever to lead all players on both teams in points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals throughout a playoff series. The Warriors’ record-breaking 73-win regular season will only stand to further prop up the heroics of James, who made a case for 2015 NBA Finals MVP despite losing them. Out of nowhere from behind the play, James came flying in over his fellow teammate and pinned Iguodala’s shot to the backboard, denying the Warriors the lead, controlling the ball. He hit Steph Curry, who returned the pass to a streaking Iguodala, stretching up for a layup. In a tie game, James’ primary defender/antagonist Andre Iguodala pulled down a Kyrie Irving miss and bolted out on the fast break, creating a 2-on-1 heading the other way.
2016 nba finals 7 game scores free#
More than the final point of the game at the free throw line, which pushed the contest to a two-possession margin, James’ most critical contribution down the stretch came on defense with 1:50 to play.
Though LeBron James became just the third player to post a triple double in a Game 7 of an NBA Finals - finishing with 27 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists - it was neither he nor MVP Steph Curry, but Kyrie Irving who hit what stood up to be the championship winning shot, a three-pointer with 53 seconds left to put Cleveland ahead 92-89. Sunday night’s Game 7 between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors was tense throughout and featured a bizarro world finish between teams with some of the best scorers of their generation that turned into a defensive grind, in which only four total points were scored in the final 4 minutes and 39 seconds of play.
2016 nba finals 7 game scores series#
WASHINGTON - In a series with almost no close games, the 2016 NBA Finals saved the most dramatic contest for last.