Pictured are Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue, and NBA megastar LeBron James
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CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM-OAKLAND, California-Led by megastar LeBron James, the Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA Finals Sunday night, beating the Golden State Warriors 93-89 in the decisive Game 7 of a series that had been tied 3-3, the Cavaliers overcoming a 3-1 games deficit to out do the Warriors on their home turf.
It was Cleveland's first major sports title in 52 years and the first ever for the Cavaliers. And it was a sweet victory following the loss of the championship title in 2015 to the Warriors.
"This is special," said James, who was named the 2016 most value player for the NBA playoffs.
"I'm home," said an emotional James. "That's what I came home for, to bring back a championship."
"I put my heart, my soul, my blood and my tears into this game," he said.
Cavaliers fans were elated and city officials said Sunday that a parade is scheduled on Wednesday in downtown Cleveland with details forthcoming.
James posted 27 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in Game 7, followed by Kyrie Irving, who finished with 26 points and six assists.
Kevin Love added nine points and 14 rebounds to help take Cleveland over the top.
Irving said that James is a legend and that "great things happen to great people."
Love called the title win a team effort, saying that "a number of guys stepped up for us when we needed it bad."
An Akron, Ohio native and NBA's most valuable player in 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013, James was drafted by the Cavaliers in 2003 as the first overall pick and led Cleveland to its first NBA Finals appearance in 2007, though they lost to San Antonio Spurs. He joined the Miami Heat in 2010 and brought home two consecutive championship titles in 2012 and 2013 before rejoining the Cavs last year.
During the four years that James was in Miami Cleveland had the worst NBA record of any team.
Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue was brought to tears, which he linked to relief in spite of the haters and doubters.
"It was unbelievable," said Lue.
Lue's predecessor, David Blatt, was ousted in January in favor of Lue, then the associate coach, a move by Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, says sources, that came about because of tensions between Blatt and key team members, and because Blatt could not bring home a championship title in 2015, the Warriors winning that series, 4-2.
Warriors Stephen Curry was the regular season most valuable player for the last two consecutive years. And though his team had the best record of the 2016 NBA season it did not materialize into a championship title.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver complimented both teams while highlighting the 52-year curse on Cleveland in the failure of the Cavaliers, the Cleveland Browns football franchise and the Cleveland Indians baseball team to bring home a championship title.
"The curse is over," said Silver.
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