The Block (basketball)

Not to be confused with Block (basketball).
LeBron James (top) blocked Andre Iguodala (bottom) in the final minutes of the 2016 NBA Finals.

The Block was a defensive basketball play that occurred in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals, played between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors on June 19, 2016, at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. With less than two minutes remaining in the deciding game of the championship series, Cavaliers forward LeBron James chased down Warriors forward Andre Iguodala and blocked his layup attempt, ensuring the game remained tied. It is considered to be one of James's greatest clutch moments,[1] and his performance across the series—the only time in which a single player has led both teams in points, assists, steals, and blocks—is considered to be one of the best in NBA Finals history.[2]

The name echoes a series of bitter disappointments during Cleveland's 52-year championship drought, including The Drive, The Fumble, The Shot, The Catch, The Move, and James's own 2010 televised special, The Decision.[3] Unlike these other events, however, "The Block" was in Cleveland's favor, and helped the Cavaliers win the city's first major sports title since 1964.[4]

Golden State arrived at the NBA Finals as the 1st seed in the Western Conference, having broken the record for most wins ever in a regular season with a 73-9 regular season finish.[note 1] Cleveland, meanwhile, finished atop the Eastern Conference with a 57–25 regular season record, the third-best in the league.[note 2] Furthermore, the Warriors initially took a 3–1 series lead, before the Cavaliers managed to win the next two games to arrive at a decisive Game 7. Given these factors, the Cavaliers' victory is considered one of the most exciting in NBA history, and in retrospect, it is considered by many to be the biggest upset in the history of the major professional sports leagues in the US and Canada.[5]

  1. ^ "Top Clutch Moments from LeBron James' Playoff Career". NBA. 5 May 2018. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  2. ^ "LeBron James is the Cleveland Cavaliers". FOX Sports. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  3. ^ Greenberg, Chris (June 20, 2016). "LeBron James gave Cleveland an iconic sports moment it wants to remember: 'The Block'". Boston.com. Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC. Retrieved July 3, 2016. Cleveland, no matter how hard it may have tried, couldn't forget 'The Drive' or 'The Fumble' or 'The Shot.' But now, thanks to LeBron James, it has a sports moment requiring the definite article that it will want to remember forever: The Block.
  4. ^ McCauley, Janie (June 20, 2016). "James and Cavaliers win thrilling NBA Finals Game 7, 93-89". National Basketball Association. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  5. ^ "How would the Oilers' run compare to other great series comebacks?". ESPN.com. 2024-06-23. Retrieved 2024-07-04.


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