2016 NBA Finals
The wordmark of the NBA Finals (2003–2017) | ||||||||||
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| Dates | June 2–19 | |||||||||
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| MVP | LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers) | |||||||||
| Hall of Famers | Officials: Danny Crawford (2025) | |||||||||
| Eastern finals | Cavaliers defeated Raptors, 4–2 | |||||||||
| Western finals | Warriors defeated Thunder, 4–3 | |||||||||
The 2016 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2015–16 season and conclusion of the season's playoffs. In this best-of-seven series, and a rematch of the 2015 NBA Finals, the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the defending champion and Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors in seven games, for their first championship in franchise history; as such, their win ended the Cleveland sports curse, which began when the Cleveland Browns won the 1964 NFL Championship Game. Cleveland's LeBron James was unanimously voted the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP), after averaging 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 8.9 assists. He was also the first player in NBA history to lead all players in a playoff series in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks.
The series began on June 2 and ended on June 19. Holding home-court advantage, the Warriors, who finished the regular season with a record-breaking league-best regular season record of 73–9, won three of the first four games and led 3–1 before the Cavaliers came back by winning three straight games to clinch the title. With the win, the Cavaliers became the first team to overcome a 3–1 series deficit in the NBA Finals. The series also marked the first time since 1978 that a game seven was won by the road team. As of 2025, this was also the last NBA Finals to have a game seven. Cleveland's comeback, as well as James's performance in the series, which included a clutch block in Game 7 on Andre Iguodala, have made it one of the greatest Finals of all time.