Who Was The 2016 Nba Champions?
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The 2016 NBA Champions were the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Cleveland Cavaliers
On June 19, 2016, the Cleveland Cavaliers became the 2016 NBA Champions after defeating the Golden State Warriors in Game 7 of the Finals. The Cavaliers’ title was the first in franchise history, and ended a 52-year championship drought for the city of Cleveland, dating back to 1964. The victory was also the first championship won by a major professional sports team from Cleveland since the Browns won the NFL Championship in 1964.
The Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are a professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Western Conference Pacific Division. The Warriors were founded in 1946 as the Philadelphia Warriors, a charter member of the Basketball Association of America (BAA). They were owned by Peter A. Tyrrell, who also owned the Philadelphia Rockets of the American Hockey League. Tyrrell hired Eddie Gottlieb, a longtime basketball promoter in the Philadelphia area, as coach and general manager; he named the team after an old basketball team he had played for. Led by early scoring sensation Joe Fulks, they won the championship in their inaugural season of 1947–48. Gottlieb bought the team in 1951.
The Warriors won their next championship up under coach George Lee, who steared them to success in 1956–57 with star players Paul Arizin and Neil Johnston; however, injuries to Arizin and Johnston crippled them during their playoff run that season and they were quickly dispatched by the Boston Celtics, then led by Bill Russell.+
The San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs were the 2016 NBA Champions. The Spurs, led by Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, defeated the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games. This was the Spurs’ sixth championship in franchise history.
The Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder are the 2016 NBA Champions. They defeated the Golden State Warriors in seven games to take home the title. The Thunder were led by MVP Russell Westbrook, who averaged a triple-double for the entire season. This is the Thunder’s first NBA Championship.