“They F–ked Up”: Throwback to How LeBron James Pushed his Cleveland Teammates to Over 3-1 Against Warriors

Exactly four years ago, the 2016 NBA Finals became a highlight point in the illustrious career of LeBron James. Golden State Warriors were the defending champions, who were going strong in the league until Cleveland Cavaliers dethroned them from their potential second title.

With Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson leading their way, the Warriors set a record 73-9 being the maximum wins in a single season. The NBA fans were all set to see them lift the title once again, but how could LeBron James possibly let that happen?

The NBA finals started with Warriors winning three out of four games and taking a 3-1 lead. Game 5 was a twist in the story for both the teams, eventually. Draymond Green was suspended for that game, and Cavaliers took the series to the sixth game. Yes, LeBron led his team to tie the finals with a 115-101 win.

It was a ruthless comeback that stands a record in NBA history. The title-winning moment was when LeBron blocked Andre Iguodala in the last few seconds of Game 7 and Kyrie Irving made a shot to complete the win.

LeBron James comments on Warriors’ performance after a brutal comeback

After Game 6, ESPN+ series ‘More Than an Athlete’ released a behind-the-scenes video of the winning team celebrating. “They (Warriors) f–ked up. Mentally and physically. I’m telling you, they f–ked up,” LeBron stated in the video. Well, it was a huge dramatic turn for an NBA final.

Maybe LeBron was right. Warriors may have psychologically lost the series after having Green and Curry on the bench in consecutive matches. They wouldn’t have imagined such a comeback from them.

James recorded 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, 8.9 assists per game in the finals. He eventually became the Finals MVP as well, and Cavaliers won their first championship as a franchise. In the coming years, the Warriors took their share of revenge by winning two consecutive championships.