15 best NBA moments from 2016

June 19, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) and forward Kevin Love (0) celebrate the 93-89 and series victory against the Golden State Warriors following game seven of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
June 19, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) and forward Kevin Love (0) celebrate the 93-89 and series victory against the Golden State Warriors following game seven of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
11 of 15
Next
Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Believeland becomes a reality

Removing any partisan feelings for players or teams, it was hard not to feel good about the Cavaliers winning a championship.

That isn’t a comment on a franchise who were lucky enough to land LeBron James (twice), but an acknowledgement that the city of Cleveland and the everyday folk who love sports throughout Ohio were long overdue their proverbial day in the sun.

As had been well-documented throughout the Cavs’ run, the “Cleveland Curse” had lasted for 52 years. Considering Cleveland plays home to franchises in the NBA, NFL and MLB, that was an incredibly long drought for the city to live with.

When their Cavaliers finally delivered, the scenes were joyous. Beyond the wonders of Matthew Dellavedova‘s Corona Extra, Kevin Love‘s wrestling belt and J.R. Smith‘s lack of a shirt, the celebrations of the people of Cleveland who flooded the streets of their city will live long in the memory.

No matter how long the wait was, when a championship became reality, there was little doubt that for those who continued to believe it was all worth it.