LeBron, Cleveland Make NBA History

Cavaliers win championship after trailing 3-1
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jun 19, 2016 9:52 PM CDT
LeBron, Cleveland Make NBA History
Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James is defended by Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry.   (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

LeBron James and his relentless, never-count-them-out Cavaliers pulled off an improbable NBA Finals comeback, and Cleveland is title town again at long last. James delivered on a promise from two years ago to bring a championship to his native northeast Ohio, and he and the Cavs became the first team to rally from a 3-1 finals deficit by beating the defending champion Golden State Warriors 93-89 on Sunday night to end a 52-year major sports championship drought in Cleveland. James almost single-handedly carried the Cavs back into this series and finished with 27 points, 11 assists, and 11 rebounds as the Cavs captured their first championship in franchise history and gave their city its first major sports winner since the Browns won the NFL title in 1964.

An emotional James fell to the floor when this one ended with a second win in six days on Golden State's imposing home floor, surrounded by his teammates. Only seconds earlier, he went down in pain with 10.6 seconds left after being fouled by Draymond Green while going for a dunk, then came back out to make the second of two free throws. Kyrie Irving scored 26 points to cap his brilliant finals, including a 3-pointer over Stephen Curry with 53 seconds left. The Warriors made their last basket with 4:39 left. (More Cleveland Cavaliers stories.)

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