The 2016 Finals, pitting LeBron James against a Warriors team that had won a record 73 games during the regular season, was a great series without a great game -- until Game 7.
Klay Thompson's layup with 4:39 left tied the score at 89, and with defensive intensity at its highest, neither team scored for more than 3½ minutes -- a stretch highlighted by James' iconic chase-down block of an Andre Iguodala fast-break layup attempt. Kyrie Irving broke the deadlock in the final minute with a pull-up 3, followed by Stephen Curry missing a tying attempt isolated against Kevin Love. After a hard fall on a dunk attempt, James sealed the victory on the final possession by making his second free throw attempt.
The win gave Cleveland its first major professional sports championship since 1964, with Akron, Ohio, native James winning Finals MVP to cap his return to the Cavaliers. The outcome of Game 7 also shook the league's foundation. Shortly after the loss, Warriors forward Draymond Green famously called Kevin Durant from the Oracle Arena parking lot, and barely two weeks later, Durant would sign with Golden State as a free agent. -- Kevin Pelton
