The Cavaliers championship was a long time coming for the people of Cleveland. Fifty-two years, to be exact.
The sports world has not been kind to the city for the past half-century. For the majority of professional sports fans in Ohio, their existence has been filled with a lot of heartbreak and disappointment, while their trophy cases are filled with a lot of nothing.
But the Cavs changed that on Sunday night in Golden State. Not only did they finally deliver their city an NBA title, they did it against all odds. They managed to take down the defending champion Warriors, who were coming off the greatest regular season in league history, and did so by winning three straight games with their back against the wall. This win — one that came down to nearly the final possession during Game 7 — was as special as it gets.
You don’t have to be a Cavs fan or an Ohio citizen to recognize the magnitude of the victory. It was tremendous not only for the city of Cleveland, but for the entire sports world. It’s a win that will shift narratives and go a long way in defining legacies — especially LeBron James’ — and countless athletes from coast-to-coast took to Twitter to share their congratulations.
unbelievable series to watch, congrats to cleveland. very well deserved. lebron and kyrie were next level good.
— Blake Griffin (@blakegriffin23) June 20, 2016
Couldn't be happier for an opposing team, congrats Cleveland! #muchrespect
— Danny Green (@DGreen_14) June 20, 2016
Amazing series for a fantastic season. Love this game!!
LBJ MVP without doubt, but Kyrie had some ridiculous moments.— Manu Ginobili (@manuginobili) June 20, 2016
Best player of our generation. Hate it or love it.
— Rudy Gobert (@rudygobert27) June 20, 2016
Congrats to the #CAVS and #CAVSNATION the was a great comeback, history was made tonight!!!!
— Shawn Marion (@matrix31) June 20, 2016
Great showing by both teams. When does football start?!
— OKUNG 🐆 (@RussellOkung) June 20, 2016
Finally got it!!! #NBAFinals @cavs #ALLin216 pic.twitter.com/HrKZBtBcoC
— lindsey vonn (@lindseyvonn) June 20, 2016
Lebron just took his league back
— Trevor Booker (@35_Fitz) June 20, 2016
Mood.. @KingJames pic.twitter.com/ryzK5o5AwS
— Mohamed Sanu Sr. (@Mo_12_Sanu) June 20, 2016
You should never poke the bear…. Congrats to the #ClevelandCavaliers !!!
— Danny Granger (@dgranger33) June 20, 2016
So much respect for @KingJames!! Congrats
— Gordon Hayward (@gordonhayward) June 20, 2016
Bron #Respect
— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) June 20, 2016
Should be shared #MVP. @KingJames & @KyrieIrving. Kyrie became special over the #2016NBAPlayoffs & the 👑 is the 👑.
— Mike Miller (@MikeMiller_13) June 20, 2016
It’s true — where are they now? (Answer: Probably Miami.)
Can we get a "where are they now" series on the ppl of Cleveland that burned @KingJames jersey in 2010?
— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) June 20, 2016
game 7🔥 pic.twitter.com/oaTZVzdb6l
— Bobby Brown (@BBROWNLAU) June 20, 2016
In what could be prophetic, this touching moment between LeBron James and Kevin Love might be the only thing that will sway the internet from the power of the Crying Jordan. If so, would that cement LeBron as the GOAT?
Crying Lebron meme? pic.twitter.com/O0lpHkhZxm
— lOUIS NIX III (@1irishchocolate) June 20, 2016
https://twitter.com/rgoins17/status/744721442042961920
KYRIE IRVING oh man oh man
— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) June 20, 2016
Goodnight y'all 🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃 pic.twitter.com/cX6L2KCqYv
— Mohamed Sanu Sr. (@Mo_12_Sanu) June 20, 2016
https://twitter.com/JOEL9ONE/status/744722757225746432
This could be the most important tweet of all…
Curse of the Chef Currys #neverforget pic.twitter.com/BZGcaGyyoX
— Steve Johnson (@SJohnson831) June 20, 2016