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LeBron, Cavs pull off the unthinkable by dethroning Warriors for NBA title
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The Golden State Warriors, themselves champions of impossibility, could only be undone by the unthinkable. LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers provided it. After trailing 3–1 in a championship series steering toward certain doom, the Cavs dramatically reversed course to win three straight games—the last a 93-89 victory in Game 7 on Sunday—and claim the 2016 NBA title. Such a thing has never been done in the history of the league. Cleveland is the first—just as it becomes the first team to ever topple a 73–win titan, the likes of which the NBA had never seen before.
All of this from a Cavs team that, on its surface, is utterly imperfect. The iso–hungry Kyrie Irving put on a shot-making display worthy of the Finals lore. Kevin Love, who had seemed out of sorts for much of the series, keyed critical stretches with his rebounding and contributed to a significant, winning margin during his minutes on the floor. Cleveland got the requisite burst of scoring from J.R. Smith and some timely defense from Tristan Thompson. Underscoring it all was James, just the kind of ballast that can take these sometimes disparate parts and move them to a championship sensibility. The greatness of LeBron James has never much been in doubt to those paying attention. A title like this, however, is incontrovertible in a way that cannot be denied. One of the greatest players the game has ever known delivered in every respect.
• Gallery: Rare photos of LeBron James over the years
LeBron James Off the Court
And so it begins....
Lebron went with a stuffed elephant over a basketball for this portrait.
A high-school aged LeBron poses during a Field of Dreams-inspired photo shoot in 2002.
James didn't always boast a 250-pound frame, but has always been an intimidating presence, having averaged 21 points per game as a freshman in high school.
St. Vincent-St. Mary games were often broadcast on national television and played in college arenas during James' time with the Irish. He never did play in a college game, though.
Despite all the fanfare and attention surrounding James in his high school years, the kid destined for stardom stayed hungry.
LeBron got to meet Michael Jordan while His Airness was still playing. Jordan had just finished playing against the Cavaliers in this 2003 picture.
LeBron's younger brother, Frankie, accompanies LeBron at the 2003 NBA draft.
Because what else would James watch in his leisure time?
Don't we all wish we could be teenage superstars with a limo stocked with Tootsie Pops.
LeBron goes all "Cat in the Hat" while speaking to kids at a Cavaliers Read to Achieve event in 2003.
LeBron shows off his pearly whites during an NBA photo shoot in 2003.
LeBron celebrates his 21st birthday by sharing the mic with rapper Lil' Wayne.
James' kid-friendly image has been shaped by his life as a father. He has three children with his high school sweetheart Savannah Brinson — LeBron Jr., Bryce Maximus, and Zhuri.
LeBron James: MVP, All-Star, scoring champ and ... MC Hammer look-alike at the 2007 ESPYs.
Fans and experts alike wonder how good LeBron could have been as a pro football player, given his size and strength. He was an All-State wide receiver in high school, and even Packers president Mark Murphy has compared his skills to Jerry Rice's.
And if he decides to pull a Michael Jordan and try a career in baseball, it looks like LeBron may have a bright future in that, as well.
James, decked out in warm-ups of his high school alma mater, enjoys a chuckle with Jay-Z during the 2010 All-Star Weekend in Dallas.
LeBron entered the 2010 offseason as the most sought-after free agent on the market. After contemplating a future in New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Miami or a return to Cleveland, James chose to take his talents to South Beach where he could play with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
Regardless of the ill will, James still makes time for his fans. In this photo, The King plays Connect Four with children from the Miami Rescue Mission in 2010.
LeBron joins 200 youth in a spontaneous "chalk clap" to dedicate a new athletic field at the Boys & Girls Club of Central Florida in 2010.
James joins Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade at a Miami performing arts center to celebrate Bosh's 28th birthday in March 2012. No word on whether this newly formed band performed any songs for the audience.
LeBron greets First Lady Michelle Obama at the 2012 London Olympics.
LeBron enjoys some time at a club in London.
Two months after battling in the NBA Finals, James and Kevin Durant teamed up to win an Olympic gold medal in 2012.
LeBron helps plant a tree during the 2013 NBA Cares Day of Service at the LIVE Project in Houston.
LeBron enjoys a cigar after winning his second consecutive NBA championship and Finals MVP in 2013.
Lebron looks to be filming his role in the 2015 comedy "Trainwreck" with Bill Hader at a restaurant in New York City during the summer of 2014.
Kyrie Irving and LeBron James share a laugh on the bench during the Cavs 2014 preseason exhibition game with Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv in Cleveland.
Lebron James and Kevin Love attend The 2015 ESPYS in Los Angeles.
LeBron smiles during a photo shoot in 2015.
LeBron holds his 20-month old daughter Zhuri alongside his third NBA Finals MVP trophy following the Cavs' Game 7 victory over the Golden State Warriors in 2016.
LeBron poses with some of the nation's top high school players during Nike's 2016 Skills Academy in a private hangar at the one-runway Hawthorne Municipal Airport in Los Angeles.
Kevin Love and LeBron James pose with foam fingers during the Cavs' 2016 media day in Independence, Ohio.
LeBron celebrates during Game 2 of the 2016 ALCS between the Cleveland Indians and Toronto Blue Jays at Progressive Field in Cleveland.
LeBron and the 2016 NBA champion Cavaliers were honored by President Barack Obama on the South Lawn of the White House.
LeBron James throws a pass on the field as Cavs teammate J.R. Smith looks on before Ohio State's game against Michigan at the Horseshoe in 2016.
Such minor decisions bleed in the binary of the series but claim incredible consequence. We’ll always remember LeBron at his best, Irving’s shot to the moon, and the euphoria of a Cavaliers championship. Yet we can never forget that it was through even the most seemingly trivial plays that Cleveland won it all and Golden State lost everything.
Rob Mahoney is an NBA writer dedicated to the minutiae of the game of basketball, its overarching themes and everything in between. He joined the Sports Illustrated staff in 2012.