With it being the seventh anniversary of the Cavs beating the Warriors in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, coming back from down three games to one. Let’s take a look back at an interesting nuance.
Kyrie Irving hits the historic shot with 53 seconds to go to give the Cavs a 92-89 lead. The Warriors have the ball back and choose to not call a timeout right after. Steph Curry is dribbling and is guarded by Kevin Love closely.
After the great defense by Love, Curry eventually gets a solid chance to shoot up from the top of the three-point arc. Look, this is STEPH CURRY, not some no-namer or something.
The shot goes up and is clanked. An absolute brick from a star considered to be one of the greatest shooters this game has ever seen in its history. That shot would’ve tied it at 92 and given the Warriors the ability to defend and subsequently a chance to get the ball back to win it.
Let’s say Curry drills this three.
It’s a seven-second differential between the shot and the game clock. The Warriors could’ve stopped the Cavs and gotten that chance to get the ball back with time to spare in regulation. Enough time would be left to draw up a play and get a chance to shoot for the win (not play for overtime).
It was truly amazing to see how the Warriors completely collapsed in the last three games of the series. That last 3:39 of regulation was simply the icing on this beautiful cake for the Cavs.
Yes, other members of both teams had opportunities to shoot the basketball. However, it was that shot which really stuck with me simply because of how good Steph Curry is and how much I respect him as a player, especially for his shooting capabilities in the biggest of moments.
Steph makes that shot and everything changes. Just like so many other factors in those last possessions of what turned out the be one of the greatest series in NBA History. It’s truly amazing to think about it even after these seven complete years.
With the way the Cavs are now, we’ll certainly be talking about more playoff sequences in the not-too-distant future. Except they may not reach the intensity of those Game 7 moments of 2016. Plays that determine the fate of entire franchises and careers. Makes and misses that continue or end droughts that go back decades in Cleveland.
The Wine and Gold have not won a championship since that ’16 season. Curry’s misses at the end of it all may have continued the disappointment had the shooter stepped up in the crucial situation.
The man didn’t. Happy Anniversary, Cleveland.
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