MBK | SMC's Dellavedova Wins NBA Championship
6/20/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Matthew Dellavedova became the second former Saint Mary's player in program history to earn a NBA title Sunday when Cleveland became the first team to rally from a 3-1 finals deficit to defeat the defending champion Golden State Warriors 93-89 in game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals.
Dellavedova, the 2012 West Coast Conference Player of the Year, joined Patrick Mills as the only Gaels to earn a championship ring. Mills, who will join Dellavedova on the Australian National Team in Rio this summer, earned a title in 2014 with the San Antonio Spurs.
Saint Mary's has been represented by either Dellavedova or Mills in each of the last four NBA Finals.
LeBron James delivered on a vow to his home state and brought the Cavs back as they became the first team to rally from a 3-1 finals deficit and end a 52-year major sports championship drought in Cleveland.
In a testy series of blowouts -- and a few blowups -- the winner-take-all Game 7 provided the thrilling finale with James as the finals MVP disarming two-time reigning MVP Stephen Curry and his record-setting Warriors.
Playing his sixth straight finals, James almost single-handedly carried the Cavs back into this series and finished with 27 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds as the Cavs captured their first championship in franchise history and gave their city its first major sports winner since the Browns won the NFL title in 1964. He also had three blocked shots and two steals, overcoming five turnovers.
An emotional James fell to the floor when this one ended with a second win in six days on Golden State's imposing home floor, surrounded by his teammates. Only seconds earlier, he went down in pain with 10.6 seconds left after being fouled by Draymond Green while going for a dunk, then came back out to make the second of two free throws.
After four successful seasons in Miami and two titles with the Heat, James came back to the Cavs in hopes of winning the title this franchise and championship-starved city so coveted. It took a second try against Golden State after Cleveland lost to the Warriors in six games last year.
Kyrie Irving scored 26 points to cap his brilliant finals, including a 3-pointer over Curry with 53 seconds left.
"It was a fairytale ending," Irving said.
Curry sat briefly on the bench to take in the scene after the Warriors made their last basket with 4:39 left.
"It hurts, man," Curry said. "I'm proud of every single guy that stepped foot on the floor for our team this year. ... Hopefully we'll have many more opportunities to fight for championships and be on this stage. This is what it's all about."
Green had 32 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists, but the Warriors' record-setting season ended without the only prize this close-knit "Strength In Numbers" crew cared about from way back in the beginning -- through the record 24-0 start as Coach of the Year Steve Kerr was out, Curry's second consecutive MVP campaign, and the 73 regular-season wins to break the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls' mark.
As Cleveland celebrated in the trophy ceremony, Green returned to the floor to congratulate the Cavs. He stopped by the winning locker room, too, and Warriors general manager Bob Myers delivered the winning nets freshly cut down.
The Warriors might always be remembered as one of the best teams ever that couldn't close it out, and Green is taking at least a good share of the blame after he sat out Game 5 on Monday night suspended for flagrant fouls.
The Cavs staved off elimination twice to force Game 7 back at Oracle Arena, where the Warriors went up 2-0 with a pair of lopsided wins to start this series.
This marked the first NBA game decided by five points or fewer since May 11, Golden State's 125-121 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 5 of the second round.
With its 100th postseason victory, Cleveland became just the fourth team to win an NBA Finals Game 7 on the road.
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