“There’s No Shot Without the Block”: A Look Back at the Special Duo of Kyrie Irving and LeBron James

The 2016 NBA Finals definitely ranks as one of the most entertaining ones in recent history. It is the year where the Golden State Warriors made regular-season history, but fumbled their championship hopes at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers. LeBron James and Kyrie Irving displayed nerves to steel to complete one of the best comebacks in NBA history. 

The Cleveland Cavaliers managed to win just once in the first four games of the best of seven series. The Cavs powered by LeBron and Kyrie produced two of the most magical nights through Game 5 and Game 7. Both these games were on the road for Cleveland, which is an added pressure. 

Game 5 proved to be the beginning of the comeback as Kyrie Irving and his partner LeBron James put up 41 points each, to propel their team towards history. Enduring Game 5 was one of the biggest challenges the team faced, but Game 7 proved to be a nail-biter. 

Playing in any series is nerve-racking, especially playing in Game 7 of the Finals. Sometimes the nerves tend to get the better of you. But, on the day of the most important game, Kyrie and Bron rose up and guided their team to victory. 

LeBron James and Kyrie Irving stepped up during clutch situations to wrap up the series

These two players had two of the most impactful moments in the dying stages of the game. With less than two minutes remaining in the match, the Warriors create a quick counter after getting the ball from an unsuccessful layup attempt by Kyrie. Andre Iguodala quickly broke loose and lobbed the ball to Steph Curry, who then bounced it back to him. As the 6-foot-6 Iguodala sprung up to dunk the ball, LeBron James came from behind to deny him the points. 

Following this electrifying moment, the Cavs take a timeout after which James inbounds the ball to Kyrie. With the clock ticking down, only a minute is remaining in the match with the score tied at 89. Kyrie Irving patiently dribbled his way to the wing and tried to outsmart Steph Curry, the player who guarded him. With exactly 55 seconds remaining on the clock, Kyrie jumps and sinks in an epic three-pointer which gave Cavs the much-needed lead. 

As we all know, the Cavs won the game and won their first NBA title in franchise history. During the Cavs’ championship parade, Kyrie was asked about the “shot,” and he was generous enough to not take away the thunder from the Finals MVP.

When asked how many times he had watched his crucial 3-pointer, Kyrie replied with this: “Man, I’ve been watching the block. There’s no shot without the block,” Kyrie expressed. “You know, you see a guy chasing down a shot like that and then I get a chance to…on the biggest stage, Game 7, man. I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” he revealed. 

Game 7 contained two of the most iconic moments in Finals history. While LeBron James took home the Finals MVP award, Kyrie deserved a part of it too. He made an average of 25.2 points in seven games, compared to LeBron’s 26.3. The area Kyrie lacked was in assists and rebounds, which LeBron had no problems taking control of.