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The Ultimate Triumph: Ohio’s LeBron James delivers Cavs’ first title
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OAKLAND, Calif. — The cozy basketball locker room at Akron’s St. Vincent-St. Mary High School is loaded with motivation in every corner. There are bible verses in the lockers and along the side walls, a John Wooden quote in the back and blow-up photographs of the program’s most famous alum plastered everywhere. But the first thing visitors see upon entry is a simple, tall poster with Fighting Irish green lettering that reads: “Discipline: Do what has to be done; when it has to be done; as well as it can be done; do it that way all the time.”
Four virtues are built into the message: Responsibility, timeliness, excellence and consistency. Those same four virtues carried LeBron James, the alum whose photos grace the locker room’s walls, to the greatest achievement of his career: his first NBA championship in his native Ohio, the first title in the Cavaliers’ 46-year history, and the first title in 52 years for the cursed city of Cleveland.
The Cavaliers defeated the Warriors 93–89 in Game 7 at Oracle Arena on Sunday, pulling off the greatest comeback in Finals history by digging out of a 3–1 deficit and spoiling the most successful regular season the league has seen.
“Our fans ride or die, no matter what’s been going on,” said James, who broke into tears on the court after the final buzzer sounded and was named Finals MVP for the third time in his career. “No matter the Browns, the Indians, the Cavs. They continue to support us. For us to be able to end this drought, our fans deserve it. They deserve it. It was for them.”
• How Cavs pulled off stunning upset | Frame-by-frame look at The Block
The Cavaliers did it thanks to some resourcefulness from rookie coach Tyronn Lue, a gigantic late-game three-pointer from Kyrie Irving and unexpected contributions from the much-maligned Kevin Love. They had a little help from Draymond Green’s Game 5 suspension and multiple shaky outings from Stephen Curry.
Most of all, though, the Cavaliers shocked the world because James did what had to be done, when it had to be done, as well as it could be done, and he did it that way all the time.
James did it in Game 5, pouring in 41 points on the road to spoil Golden State’s party. James did it again in Game 6, scoring 41 points again and dishing 11 assists, while blocking Curry in emphatic fashion. And James did it again in Game 7, posting 27 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, to notch the seventh triple double in his Finals career and the first triple double in a Finals Game 7 since James Worthy in 1988.
“I watched Beethoven tonight,” Irving said. “LeBron James composed a game. He had a freakin’ triple double in Game 7 of an NBA Finals game.”
• Get SI’s Cavaliers NBA Championship package | Watch Game 7 highlights
The play that will live for years on the highlight tapes came with just under two minutes left. For nearly three tense minutes, neither team scored, but the Warriors broke out on a two-on-one fast break, threatening to get an easy go-ahead bucket. Andre Iguodala dribbled hard to half-court and then passed to Curry on the left wing, who returned the pass in textbook fashion without dribbling. Iguodala took the ball in full stride, with a crease to the basket past J.R. Smith, and tossed up a double-clutch layup off the glass.
As that sequence unfolded, James, who had been in the right corner, found himself trailing the play, caught up briefly by Klay Thompson. When Curry received the ball, near the three-point line, James had only just crossed half-court, and yet he already had a vision for how the play would end. When Curry returned the ball to Iguodala, James gathered in stutter-step fashion, preparing to plant for a swooping block attempt. He leapt from outside the protected circle, floating across the paint to pound the shot against the backcourt and keep it in play.
The Cavaliers needed a block, they needed a block at that exact moment and only a superhuman effort would make it happen. James delivered on all counts, just as he had all series, just as he has throughout his 13-year career. No one else on the Cavaliers could make that play. No one else would even think to make that play. James thought about it, made it and made it look easy.
• All of LeBron’s Finals, ranked | LeBron’s letter | A timeline since then ...
James has been a bigger, stronger and faster physical force since his prep school play landed him on the cover of Sports Illustrated at age 17, but he’s always been smarter too. A huge part of his basketball intelligence is his vision, which manifests itself in many ways. He saw that it was time to take a backseat to a scorching hot Irving late in Game 5. He saw the impossible passing angles throughout Game 6. He saw the chasedown block opportunity in Game 7.
His vision, unlike any other current athlete, has extended well outside his 94' by 50' office. James saw that he made a mistake with how he executed The Decision in 2010, he saw what it took to win a title in Miami, he saw the possibility of a return to Cleveland when many others didn’t, and he saw that he could use his leverage as a player to build a roster and reshape a coaching staff to his liking. James saw that he had no equal in the Eastern Conference, he saw Irving’s precocious talent, he saw Love’s desire to start fresh outside Minnesota, he saw Tristan Thompson’s undervalued skills and he saw that Dion Waiters and former coach David Blatt weren’t going to be a part of the equation.
“I came back for a reason,” James said, wearing the net around his neck, his Finals MVP trophy in front of him, his daughter in his arms and his two sons by his side. “I came back to bring a championship to our city. I knew what I was capable of doing. I knew what I learned in the last couple years that I was gone, and when I came back, I knew I had the right ingredients and the right blueprint.”
That blueprint and those maneuverings put James and the Cavaliers in position to strike when the Warriors’ dream season fell to pieces with Green’s suspension and Curry’s subpar play.
See classic photos of three-time NBA Finals MVP LeBron James
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.
Down the stretch, as James blocked Iguodala and Irving broke the long-standing tie with an incredible three-pointer, Golden State missed nine straight shots and didn’t score in the final 4:38. During the regular season, the Warriors had been the league’s most clutch team; here, in a winner-take-all Game 7, they spent crunch time back on their heels, overwhelmed. Curry, who finished with 17 points on 6-of-19 shooting, said he was “aggressive, but in the wrong ways,” as he went 1 of 6 in the final period and carelessly flipped a behind-the-back pass out of bounds down the stretch.
“We’re stunned,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “We thought we were going to win. I was extremely confident coming into tonight. This is why you can’t mess around. … James is one of the great players of alltime and obviously he was the key to the turnaround. He had a great series.”
This championship is a long time coming: 16 years after his first high school state title, 14 years after the Chosen One” SI cover, 13 years after he was Cleveland’s No. 1 pick, six years after The Decision and three years after his most recent title with the Heat. James has, without hyperbole, spent more than half of his life in direct preparation for this moment. So too has Akron, Cleveland and the rest of Ohio.
There’s no doubt that this is and will be remembered as the high point of his career to date, and nothing that comes afterward will be able to top it. This is the peak, the pinnacle, the ultimate triumph.
“He deserves it,” Lue said. “He’s a hard worker. He’s been the face of the NBA for 13 years. To leave Miami to come to Cleveland to give the city of Cleveland a championship, just shows you who he is. He’s a giver. He’s always looking to take care of people. He’s always been nice to everyone. If anyone deserves it, LeBron James definitely deserves it.”
#http://www.120sports.com/video/v185109022/cavaliers-win-the-nba-finals
Back at St. V, James has donated enough money to fund a new gymnasium, dubbed The LeBron James Arena. His No. 23 jersey is everywhere—from the backs of the school’s students, to the student store, to the gym rafters—and his old basketball teammate Willie McGee is the school’s athletic director.
“I can’t wait to get back home,” James said from Oracle, thousands of miles from the Akron high school gym that put him on the map and then on the globe. Halfway across the country and more than a decade later, his play had perfectly embodied the message that can be found next to his old green, metal locker.
James put the Cavaliers on his shoulders. He saved their season from elimination three straight times in unprecedented fashion. He played the best and most complete basketball of his first-ballot Hall of Fame career, earning unanimous Finals MVP honors by leading all players in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. And, on Sunday, he played 46-plus minutes in the 199th postseason game of his career—that’s 199 out of a possible 199 games, because he’s never once missed a playoff game due to injury.
Responsibility, timeliness, excellence, consistency.
Ben Golliver is a staff writer for SI.com and has covered the NBA for various outlets since 2007. The native Oregonian and Johns Hopkins University graduate currently resides in Los Angeles.