Victory rally caps Cavs celebration
CLEVELAND—Downtown Cleveland was a sea of wine and gold Wednesday as hundreds of thousands of jubilant fans gave a hero’s welcome to NBA superstar LeBron James and his Cavaliers teammates.
The team brought home the city’s first major sports title in more than 50 years—since the Browns took the National Football League title in 1964—ending the longest such drought for any American city.
Confetti in the team’s colors rained down as the parade snaked through the city, with the NBA championship trophy in a black pickup truck and team members traveling in separate vehicles.
The Cavaliers, led by series Most Valu- able Player James, pulled off the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history to dethrone the Golden State Warriors, winning Game 7 on Sunday 93-89 to complete an improbable rally from a 3-1 deficit to take the title.
James said that “for some crazy reason, I feel like I’m gonna wake up and it’s going to be Game 4 again” with the Cavs down 2-1 to the Warriors.
On Irving, James says, “He’s only 24, oh my goodness. He don’t reach his prime for another three years.”
He says Love set up his famed block and Irving’s three-pointer at the end of Game 7 with a stop of NBA MVP Stephen Curry.
“To be able to respond like he did in Game 7, that’s what real men do. They respond at the most adverse time,” James said.
“I’ve been watching the block,” Irving said. “I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
Many fans wore team jerseys—23 for James or 2 for Kyrie Irving were the most popular—and waved team flags, some of them dancing with joy.
James stood atop the convertible in which he was traveling, extending his arms to the crowd.
“King” James also documented the festivities with his smartphone. In a moment filled with symbolism, he accepted the MVP trophy from Jim Brown, a legendary running back who helped the Browns win in 1964.