LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and company spent part of their offseason glued to the television, re-living their improbable championship triumph in Oakland.
The Cleveland Cavaliers roared back from 3-1 deficit against the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, and pulled off an amazing Game 7 victory to earn the franchise’s first championship.
Cavs players couldn't help themselves, they kept rewatching & reliving Game 7 all summer: https://t.co/sQBTCxo1LF
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) September 28, 2016
With training camp just starting, the Cavs now must turn their attention to defending their title.
Per ESPN:
The 2016-17 season is officially open, but the Cavs are still savoring their championship, specifically by repeatedly rewatching their historic upset victory in Oakland on June 19. They rewind the Kyrie Irving 3-pointer that broke the tie, they play the LeBron James block of Andre Iguodala in slow motion, and they half laugh, half well up when seeing Kevin Love move his feet like he’d never moved them before in defending Steph Curry. And then they tell each other about it.
“I was rewatching the games and talking to my teammates about it, sending them snapchats of me watching,” Irving said. “I got chills. My stomach was dropping knowing the ball is going in but knowing exactly, emotionally how I felt at the time. It still gets me excited thinking about it. It’s such a huge moment for not only Cleveland but our team, our families, our friends.”
“I’ve seen it a few times,” James said. “It was on NBA TV throughout the summer. I watch it from a fan’s perspective. I see what we could’ve done better, but I also watch it for enjoyment, to see those three zeros on the clock.”
“That moment will never be forgotten,” James said. “It will go down in history. I always look forward. I try not to dwell in the past. There are going to be so many challenges for us. We have to be mentally focused. And we will.”
