LeBron James Wins NBA Championship For Cleveland

LeBron James collapsed on the floor, sobbing onto the hardwood at Oracle Arena after the conclusion of Game Seven. A mix of exhaustion and satisfaction manifested itself in tears for the game’s greatest player, and it was a moment the history books will remember.

James promised the city of Cleveland he would bring them a championship. A city that waited over five decades for a crown finally got to feel what it’s like to sit on the throne, thanks to “The King.”

“I came back and brought a championship to this city. I gave everything I had. I poured my heart, my blood, my sweat and my tears into this game,” James told ESPN’s Doris Burke after sharing a hug with Kyrie Irving. “I don’t know why we want to take the hardest road, and I don’t know why the man above gave me the hardest role, but it’s nothing. The man above don’t put you in situations that you can’t handle, and I just kept that same positive attitude, like, instead of saying why me, this is saying what he wants me to do…CLEVELAND, THIS IS FOR YOU!”

Cleveland might not ever stop partying. After 52 years of waiting, the Cavs broke the championship curse.

Kyrie Irving (26 points, 6 rebounds) outplayed Steph Curry again (17 pts, 6-19 FG, 4-14 3-point), and Irving splashed home the game clinching three in Curry’s face to ice the 93-89 victory.

Curry’s shot was off from deep, and he and Klay Thompson combined to shoot 6-24 from beyond the arc. Draymond Green went off for 32 points, 15 rebounds and 9 assists, but it wasn’t enough. Last year’s NBA Champs wrote their own history with the most wins in the regular season, but LeBron wrote the most important chapter in the history books with his own two hands.

The best player on the planet is also the most scrutinized at times. If the Cavs lost, LeBron’s legacy would have come into question. Instead, he became the first player in NBA history to lead a team back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals.

This isn’t the first NBA Championship for LeBron James, but it’s different than the two he won with the Miami Heat. Why was it different?

“I’m home. This is what I came back for. I’m at a loss for words. This is unbelievable. It doesn’t feel real right now,” James said. “I understood what everyone in Northern Ohio has been through the last fifty plus years, and I’m happy to be a part of history. I can’t wait to get back home. I’m ready to get to you guys.”

All of downtown Cleveland was shut down on Sunday night. The party started early, and the citizens of “Believeland” might not come down off their high for weeks, months, and in some cases, maybe even years. The hospitals in Cleveland might have a baby boom on their hands nine months from now.

It was James’ first title for his home state, and it was his Head Coach Ty Lue’s first title period.

After David Blatt departed, Lue moved in as a rookie coach and took a championship caliber team and polished them and molded them around a once-in-a-generation player.

LeBron wasn’t the only crying Cavalier after Game Seven. When the final buzzer sounded, Lue put his head in his hands and wept tears of joy.

“We’ve been through adversity all year, and we went through a lot. Guys counted us out, they said we couldn’t get it done, but it ain’t about me. It’s about the guys. I would go to war with these guys any night, and they stuck with it. We had a chance to give up, but we made history tonight,” Lue said on the podium, after getting his hands on the trophy. “I told these guys, all year we’ve been making history, so why not tonight?”

Lue’s leader, LeBron, was the obvious choice for NBA Finals MVP. James capped off his historic feat with another triple-double (27 pts/11 rebs/11 ast), and nobody in the building questioned who the best player on the court was all series.

Two years ago, LeBron wrote a letter to the city of Cleveland, telling them he was coming home. Last year, the fairytale ending didn’t happen. This time around, the Cavs closed the curtain and did something nobody else ever did before.

Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Magic Johnson and all the other greats never managed to come back from down 3-1 in the NBA Finals. LeBron stands alone as the conqueror of the highest mountain in professional basketball. He climbed Everest and put his flag at the peak, now it's time to celebrate.

Buy your ticket to Cleveland’s victory parade immediately. It’s going to be the biggest party in the history of Ohio.

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