The Cleveland Cavaliers’ comeback from a 3-1 deficit in the 2016 NBA Finals remains the crown jewel in franchise history.
Once the Cavs had secured the championship against the Golden State Warriors, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green had a conservation that they revisited on “The ETCs with Kevin Durant.”
What happened after Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals?
Did @Money23Green call @KDTrey5 “crying” from the parking lot?
KD and Draymond break it down on the new episode off #TheETCs →🎧 https://t.co/LadrGGlu7q pic.twitter.com/vHHGChwiFM
— Boardroom (@boardroom) April 8, 2021
“It was this whole narrative of like, ‘You called Kevin crying from the parking lot,’” said Green. “I’m like, ‘Yo, this s— — y’all added a theatrical sense to make this s— a movie. You gotta make s— for TV, you gotta add on a little.”
“I know,” responded Durant.
“So people just started pouring on bro,” said Green. “But I wasn’t about to come out and fight it, at the end of the day. However y’all think Kevin got here in your mind, roll with that s— if that helps you out”
In 2015, the Warriors had beaten the Cavs in the Finals, and they looked poised to repeat the feat in ’16.
After taking a 3-1 lead, the Warriors pulled one of the more epic choke jobs in championship series history, losing the next two games in blowout fashion, then blowing Game 7 at home.
In the previous series, Golden State had overcome a 3-1 deficit themselves against Durant’s Oklahoma City Thunder.
Sensing a prime opportunity to reload, the Warriors signed Durant that summer as a free agent to form a superteam.
Unfortunately, it preventing the Cavs from building on their shining moment, as they got rolled in the Finals by Golden State in each of the next two years.