 | It has been suggested that The Block (basketball) be merged into this article. (Discuss) Proposed since October 2024. |
 The wordmark of the NBA Finals (2003–2017) | ||||||||||
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| Dates | June 2–19 | |||||||||
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| MVP | LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers) | |||||||||
| Eastern finals | Cavaliers defeated Raptors, 4–2 | |||||||||
| Western finals | Warriors defeated Thunder, 4–3 | |||||||||
The 2016 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2015–16 season and conclusion of the 2016 playoffs. The Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the defending NBA champion and Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors four games to three in a rematch of the previous year's Finals. It was the 14th rematch of the previous NBA Finals in history, and the second straight rematch in back-to-back years, as the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs played each other in 2013 and 2014. The series was played from June 2 to 19.
The win gave the Cavaliers their first NBA championship, ending the Cleveland sports curse.[1][2] They became the first team in NBA history to overcome a 3–1 deficit in the Finals and the fourth team to win the series after losing the first two games. This also marked the first time since 1978 that Game 7 was won by the road team and as of 2024, this is the most recent NBA Finals to feature a Game 7. Because of Cleveland's comeback, these Finals are widely regarded as among the greatest in NBA history.[3][4]
LeBron James was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP), LeBron James won the Finals MVP award in a unanimous 11–0 vote, and he was also the first player in NBA history to lead all players in a playoff series in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks.[5][6] His stellar performance in the series, which included a clutch block in Game 7 on Andre Iguodala, helped it become known as one of the greatest NBA Finals performances of all time.[7]
- ^ Ziegler, P.J (June 19, 2016). "Curse broken: Cleveland Cavaliers win NBA Championship". FOX 8 Cleveland. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
- ^ McCauley, Janie (June 19, 2016). "James and Cavaliers win thrilling NBA Finals Game 7, 93–89". National Basketball Association. Archived from the original on August 14, 2017. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
- ^ DeArdo, Bryan (June 2, 2022). "Top 20 NBA Finals, ranked: Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Magic Johnson leave lasting marks in epic matchups". CBS.
- ^ "Ranking the top NBA Finals Series of All-time". Yahoosports. MountainWestWire. June 7, 2022. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ^ Connor Kiesel (June 20, 2016). "UNANIMOUS: LeBron gets all the NBA Finals MVP votes". Fox Sports. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
- ^ "This unbelievable stat illustrates just how great LeBron James was in the Finals".
- ^ Shapiro, Michael (September 16, 2019). "Ranking the Best NBA Finals of the Past Decade". SportsIllustrated. Retrieved April 16, 2023.