Cleveland Celebrates First NBA Title as City Hosts World Series Game 1

During the 2016 playoffs, Smith averaged 11.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.2 steals over 34.8 minutes in 21 games.

Irving routinely kept his defender off-balance and showed off his devastating handles most notably in the third quarter when the Cavs pulled away.

Cleveland tightened up their defense at the break, and then ran over the Knicks in the third. Anthony was the game’s high scorer with 25 points. Aside from James, Irving was tremendous, just as he was last postseason.

A superteam starts with a super player, and that once again was LeBron James, who notched an opening-night triple-double with 19 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds.

The images of the Cavs closing out Game 7 remain vivid to Cavs coach Tyronn Lue, who broke down in the mayhem after the horn sounded at Oracle Arena.

“He was tested over the summer and he’s got the body of a 19-year-old”, Lue said. Maybe it’s good for some of the young guys to see it. His last triple-double in the regular season was against these Knicks, on March 26 at Madison Square Garden. Two years ago, the Hawks took the number one seed in the East with 60 wins, appeared to be the next Spurs East dynasty, and then were promptly swept by LeBron and the Cavs in the Conference Finals. Each player ring has his own distinct number encrusted in diamonds displayed in a banner that drops down into a representation of the iconic Cleveland skyline to symbolize the connectivity between the city and the team. Of the Cavaliers’ 13 uncontested shots off of their passes, eight of them came from inside the 3-point line, with five of them within one foot of the basket.

However, in less than three minutes of action, the Knicks forged a 15-2 run to tie the game at 41.

Once the game began, the Cavaliers squandered most of a double-digit advantage in the first half and held just a 48-45 lead at intermission. This one had a wee bit more to it, though.

Prior to the start of the game, Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert and National Basketball Association commissioner Adam Silver handed out championship rings to players, coaches and team staff. “Everyone is in a great mood”, Messey said. “It’s something that will always stay with us”.

“We go deep and talk about stuff and figure out where we need to go as a partnership”, Gilbert said of his meetings with James, which often also include James’ representative, Rich Paul, as well as Cavs minority owners Jeff Cohen and Nate Forbes. “These fans have done a great job of keeping the faith”.

While this may seem like a unusual choice for a celebrity appearance, Cavaliers star LeBron James wore an Undertaker shirt earlier this year and an Ultimate Warrior shirt during the Cavaliers’ championship parade.

Tip off is at 7:30 p.m.