Who Won The Nba Finals 2016?
Contents
It was the Cleveland Cavaliers against the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals. The Cavaliers won the series 4-3.
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers, also known as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference Central Division. They began play in the 1970–71 NBA season as an expansion team.
Record
The Cavaliers finish the regular season with a 53–29 record, their best since the 2008–09 season. They finish in second place in the Central Division behind the Toronto Raptors, and earn the Eastern Conference’s second seed. In the playoffs, they face off against the seventh-seeded Detroit Pistons in the first round. The Cavaliers win the series in four games. In the second round, they face off against the third-seeded Atlanta Hawks. The Cavaliers win the series in four games as well.
Roster
Cleveland Cavaliers Roster
Kyrie Irving PG 6-3 190 Duke 23
LeBron James SF 6-8 250 St. Vincent-St. Mary HS (OH) 31
Kevin Love PF 6-10 251 UCLA 27
J.R. Smith SG 6-6 225 St. Benedict’s Prep (NJ) 30
Iman Shumpert G 6-5 220 Georgia Tech 23
Tristan Thompson F 6-9 238 Texas 22
Mo Williams G 6-1 182 Alabama 29
Timofey Mozgov C 7-1 250 Saint Petersburg, Russia 27
Season highlights
The Cavaliers entered the 2015–16 season with high expectancy after the return of All-Star forward LeBron James, who signed a two-year contract worth $47 million in the offseason, as well as the trade for All-Star forward Kevin Love. The Cavaliers got off to a slow start in October and November, compiling an 8–7 record. However, they caught fire in December, going on a franchise-record 12-game winning streak en route to compiling a 16–5 record for the month. The team cooled off slightly in January with a 10–6 record, but then caught fire again in February with an 11–3 record. The Cavaliers continued to play well in March, finishing the month with a 14–4 record. Entering April/the postseason, the Cavaliers had compiled a 53–29 record and were second place behind the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference standings.
In the playoffs, the Cavaliers met the Detroit Pistons in the first round and won in four games. In the second round, they met the Atlanta Hawks and won in four games again. In the Eastern Conference Finals, they met their bitter rivals, the Boston Celtics. The series went down to the wire with Cleveland winning Game 7 96–91 on May 27: giving them their first Finals appearance since 2007.
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are the 2016 NBA Finals Champions. They defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games. This is the Warriors’ first title in 40 years, and it’s a sweet one for a team that many consider one of the best ever.
Record
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and won the NBA Finals in 2015, 2017, and 2018.
Roster
The Warriors won the NBA Finals in 2015, defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers in six games.
Their roster for the 2016 season is as follows:
Stephen Curry
Draymond Green
Klay Thompson
Andre Iguodala
Harrison Barnes
Shaun Livingston
Andrew Bogut
Festus Ezeli
Marreese Speights
Ian Clark
Leandro Barbosa
Justin Holiday
Brandon Rush James Michael McAdoo
Season highlights
The Warriors entered the 2015–16 season having won a league-record 67 games in the previous season. They broke their own record by winning 73 games in 2015–16, finishing the regular season with a record of 73–9. They set an NBA record for most wins in a season, surpassing the 1995–96 Chicago Bulls’ 72–10 mark.
The Finals
It was the Golden State Warriors that won the NBA Finals in 2016. They beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in six games. Stephen Curry was named the Finals MVP. It was the Warriors’ first NBA championship in 40 years.
Game 1
The Golden State Warriors are the 2016 NBA Champions after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, 93-89. The victory marks the Warriors’ first championship since 1975 and their fourth in franchise history.
The Cavaliers, who were playing in their second straight NBA Finals, were led by LeBron James, who became the first player in NBA history to average a triple-double in the Finals. James was named the Finals MVP for the third time in his career.
Game 2
The Warriors took control of the best-of-seven series with a 110–77 Game 2 victory. It was the fifth largest margin of victory in an NBA Finals game. Stephen Curry scored 33 points, setting an NBA Finals record with nine three-pointers, while shooting 13-of-16 from the field and 7-of-9 from three-point range. He also had five assists and five rebounds. Draymond Green tallied his second straight double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds, to go along with six assists, three blocks and two steals. Klay Thompson added 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including 3-of-5 from deep. Harrison Barnes was the only other Warrior in double figures with 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting
For the Cavaliers, Kevin Love was once again their leading scorer with 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting, to go along with eight rebounds and two assists in 37 minutes. LeBron James had a triple double with 16 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, but shot just 5–15 from the field and 4–12 from three. Kyrie Irving was limited to just 12 points on 4–13 shooting, while turning the ball over four times.
Game 3
The Golden State Warriors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 110-102 in Game 3 of the NBA Finals to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the series. The Warriors were led by Kevin Durant, who had 31 points, eight rebounds and four assists, while Stephen Curry added 26 points, six assists and five rebounds. LeBron James had 32 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds for the Cavaliers, but it wasn’t enough as the Warriors held on for the win.
Game 4
The Cavaliers take on the Warriors in what could be the final game of the series. The Warriors are up 3-1 and will be looking to close things out at home. The Cavaliers are coming off a big win in Game 3, and will be looking to keep their season alive. Can they do it?
Game 5
The Cleveland Cavaliers have finally taken home the NBA Championship after an intense battle against the Golden State Warriors. After being down 3-1 in the series, the Cavs came back to win three straight games, culminating in a dramatic Game 7 victory. With this win, LeBron James has cemented his legacy as one of the greatest players of all time.
Game 6
The Golden State Warriors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 105–97 in Game 6 of the 2016 NBA Finals on Sunday night to win the championship, four games to two.
It is the Warriors’ first title since 1975, and their fourth in franchise history. The Cavaliers, who have never won a title, were trying to become the first team to come back from a 3–1 deficit in the Finals.
The Warriors are a paradigm-shifting team, with three All-Stars in their starting lineup and one of the best shooters ever, Splash Brother Stephen Curry, leading the way. They play an exciting brand of basketball that produced a record 73 regular-season wins. But none of that mattered much in the end — what will be remembered about these Warriors is how they responded to adversity.
Game 7
The Golden State Warriors became the first team in NBA history to come back from a 3-1 Finals deficit as they beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 7 on Sunday night.
The Warriors, who also became the first team to win an NBA Finals Game 7 on the road since the 1979 Los Angeles Lakers, did it behind a triple-double from Finals MVP Andre Iguodala and 27 points apiece from Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. LeBron James had a triple-double of his own with 27 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for the Cavaliers.
With the score tied at 89 with under two minutes to play, Iguodala hit a key three-pointer that put the Warriors ahead for good. Curry then put the game away with a pair of free throws with under a minute to play, setting off a wild celebration by the Warriors players and fans alike.
