page_title: Cavaliers–Warriors rivalry
section_title: Finals for the ages
hierarchical_section_title: Cavaliers–Warriors rivalry / 2015–16 season / Finals for the ages
caption_attribution_description: CLEVELAND (June 10, 2016) Secretary of Defense Ash Carter attends the 2016 NBA Finals Game 4, June 10, 2016. (DoD photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Tim D. Godbee)(Released)
context_page_description: The Cavaliers–Warriors rivalry is a National Basketball Association rivalry between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors. While the two teams have played each other since the Cavaliers joined the league in 1970, their rivalry began to develop in the 2014–15 season, when they met in the first of four consecutive NBA Finals, from 2015 to 2018. Prior to the streak beginning, no pair of teams had faced each other in more than two consecutive Finals. Of these four series, the Warriors won three championships and the Cavaliers, one. Although the Warriors advanced to the 2019 NBA Finals, the streak ended for the Cavs in the 2018–19 season, during which they missed the playoffs following LeBron James' move to the Los Angeles Lakers. Finally, following Kevin Durant and Andre Iguodala 's departure and injuries to Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry, the Warriors snapped their streak of appearing in the NBA Finals when they failed to make the playoffs during the COVID-19 pandemic shortened 2019-20 season, in which they obtained the worst record in the NBA.
context_section_description: The 2016 NBA Finals saw the Cavaliers and Warriors meet for the second straight season. The Warriors won Games 1 and 2 in Oakland before the series moved to Cleveland. While Cleveland won Game 3 at home in convincing fashion, the Warriors took Game 4 to set up a potential series-clincher at home. During the game, Draymond Green committed a flagrant foul on LeBron James. After reviewing the incident post-game, the league determined that the altercation warranted a flagrant 1 foul, which put Green over the NBA's flagrant foul limit and meant he would be suspended for Game 5.
  Kyrie Irving and LeBron James both scored 41 points in Game 5 to stay alive on the road, becoming the first pair of teammates to score at least 40 points in a Finals game. Back in Cleveland, LeBron James continued his explosive scoring, tallying another 41-point game in a Game 6 rout of the Warriors that saw a dominating 31–9 opening sequence and a late-game ejection of Stephen Curry. James became the first player since Shaquille O'Neal to score over 40 points in back-to-back NBA Finals games.
  With the series shifting back to Oracle Arena for the championship decider, the Warriors and the Cavaliers were neck-and-neck for most of Game 7. Late in the 4th quarter, with the score tied 89–89, LeBron James made a memorable chasedown block on Andre Iguodala to save a go-ahead basket. Soon after, Kyrie Irving hit a 3-pointer to give Cleveland the lead, and they held on to win the game 93–89. This was Cleveland's first franchise title and made them first team in NBA Finals history to come back from a 3–1 deficit. LeBron James became only the third player in NBA history to have a triple double in a Finals Game 7 and was unanimously voted Finals MVP after leading in all five categories of points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks.
caption: Inside Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland before the start of Game 4 of the 2016 NBA Finals.
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