Page 10 The Plain Dealer | cleveland.com Special Commemorative Section

Can’t wait ’til next year 2014-15 CAVALIERS SEASON IN REVIEW

NBA Finals | Golden State 4, Cavaliers 2 Cavs leave it all on the floor Game one hurt OT meltdown mars hard-fought effort; Irving’s playoffs finished The Cavaliers started strong but finished weak as the Warriors surged to a 108-100 win as the NBA Finals cranked up Thursday night in Oakland, California. The Cavs led much of the way, but a strong Warriors comeback pushed the game into overtime. Golden State held the Cavs scoreless till the final seconds of the extra period to win the game despite LeBron James’ 44 points. Kyrie Irving added 23 points for the Cavs but limped off the floor in overtime with a broken kneecap, ending his playoff run. Season MVP Steph Curry scored 26 to lead the Warriors, and his Splash Brother teammate Klay Thompson added 21.

GAME 1 June 4; Oracle Arena, Oakland, California 1 2 3 4 OT T Cavaliers 29 22 22 25 2 100

Golden State 19 29 25 25 10 108

Top performers Pts Reb Ast Stl Blk Cleveland: LeBron James 44 8 6 — — THOMAS ONDREY | THE PLAIN DEALER Golden State: Steph Curry 26 4 8 — 2 Kyrie Irving grimaces in pain early in overtime. An MRI would show that Irving broke his kneecap, ending his playoff hopes. Flipping the script Cavs turn the tables in overtime, bring the series home all square The Cavs entered Game 2 with a huge challenge, winning on the road without All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving. Challenge accepted. Challenge completed (for Game 2, anyway). LeBron James led the way with 39 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists as the Cavs won in overtime, 95-93 and evened the series, 1-1. Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 34 points as NBA MVP Stephen Curry had a miserable game, shooting just 5-for-23 from the field.

GAME 2 June 7; Oracle Arena, Oakland, California 1 2 3 4 OT T Cavaliers 20 27 15 25 8 95

Golden State 20 25 14 28 6 93

Top performers Pts Reb Ast Stl Blk Cleveland: LeBron James 39 16 11 1 1 GUS CHAN | THE PLAIN DEALER Golden State: Klay Thompson 34 5 2 2 1 LeBron James celebrates the Cavaliers’ first-ever NBA Finals win in front of Golden State Warrior fans at Oracle Arena. No place like home While James scores 40, gritty Cavs scrap their way to 2-1 series lead Despite the Cavaliers’ Game 2 road win, pundits still predicted a Golden State win in the first Finals game in Cleveland since 2007. The Cavs never trailed — holding the Warriors to a season-low 37 first-half points — but they let a 20-point third-quarter lead melt away, until the home-court advantage kicked in for the 96-91 win and a 2-1 series lead. LeBron James had 40 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists. A gritty Cavs defense held MVP Stephen Curry to 27 points.

GAME 3 June 9; Quicken Loans Arena 1 2 3 4 T Golden State 20 17 18 36 91

Cavaliers 24 20 28 24 96

Top performers Pts Reb Ast Stl Blk Cleveland: LeBron James 40 12 8 4 2 JOHN KUNTZ | NORTHEAST OHIO MEDIA GROUP Golden State: Stephen Curry 27 6 6 3 1 Hustling, swarming defense was the key to the Cavaliers first-ever home court NBA Finals win.