With LeBron James set to reach the NBA Finals with his third different team, his former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate Kevin Love took time to remember how he, James and Kyrie Irving helped capture the franchise’s only NBA title.
James and the Los Angeles Lakers are headed to the finals after knocking off the Denver Nuggets in five games to capture the Western Conference championship. The 17-year veteran also took the Miami Heat to the finals in each of his four years from 2011 to 2014.
This most recent achievement comes four years after James, Love and Irving each provided major contributions during the Cavs’ history-making comeback in the 2016 finals. That title was during the second of four consecutive trips to the NBA Finals for the Cavaliers.
James and Love were part of all four trips to the finals, while Irving was traded to the Boston Celtics in 2017.
In the iconic Game 7 of the 2016 finals, James connected on a clutch 3-pointer and delivered a stunning block of Andre Iguodala’s shot.
Irving was then responsible for the most famous shot in Cavaliers history when he connected on a 3-pointer in the final minute to give the Cavs the lead for good.
Love then followed with some tenacious defense on Stephen Curry, with James capping the victory by splitting a pair of free throws to win the contest, 93-89.
That moment seems distant now, with Love the only remaining part of a rebuilding Cavaliers team that’s coming off consecutive 19-win campaigns.
Yet, while Love prepares to root for James and the Lakers in the upcoming finals, he has the comfort in knowing that he was a part of the greatest Cavaliers team in franchise history.
