Top 10 Greatest Moments from Warriors-Cavaliers NBA Finals Rivalry

Between the years 2015 and 2018, the NBA world was gifted with a rivalry for the ages, as the Golden State Warriors would face off against the Cleveland Cavaliers in four NBA Finals series in a row, linking the careers of several of the greatest basketball players of all time together.

The Warriors, led by Stephen Curry, would match up against the LeBron James-led Cavaliers in seemingly every single post-season in the mid-2010s, making for an intense showdown every year when June would come around. Curry and James were also supported by the likes of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, respectively, as both teams fought for supremacy after coming out of their respective conferences unscathed.

Though the latter of the two match-ups between these teams would be skewed towards one franchise, the NBA Finals from 2015-2018 made for incredibly entertaining basketball. Through this series of Finals competitions alone, the NBA world got to see what may have been the greatest collection of talent to ever grace an NBA court in the 2017 and 2018 Warriors, and the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history by the Cavaliers in 2016.

For a stretch of time in the NBA that gave its fans so many great memories, we’ll be counting down the top-10 most memorable plays, performances, and basketball-altering moments from the Warriors-Cavaliers rivalry.

10 Irving-James Alley-Oop Connection – Game 3 2016 NBA Finals

Cleveland’s two stars come together for one marvelous fast-break play

In 2016, the Golden State Warriors got off to a hot start, winning the first two games of the NBA Finals on their home floor. Entering the Quicken Loans Arena with a 2-0 series lead, LeBron James and the Cavaliers knew they needed to respond, and James decided to do so emphatically during what would turn out to be a blowout win for Cleveland.

With a shade under three minutes remaining in the third quarter, James defended Stephen Curry at the top of the key. While Curry was looking for a rolling Draymond Green, James tipped the pass and recovered the ball at the half-court line, despite being pushed slighty from behind by Curry. James then threw a quick pass to Irving who was running beside him on the break, and Irving quickly served up a perfect alley-oop pass that James caught and threw down with one hand to extend the Cavaliers’ lead to 20.

After James’ thunderous dunk, the Cleveland crowd exploded, knowing that the play effectively crushed Golden State’s hopes of getting back into the game. The Cavaliers would build on their effective third period after James’ slam, winning Game 3 with a score of 120-90 to trim their series deficit to 2-1.

9 Curry Shakes Dellavedova Twice – Game 3 2015 NBA Finals

Stephen Curry went to work on the ‘Curry Stopper’

With the 2015 NBA Finals tied at two games apiece, Stephen Curry and the Warriors had a chance to take a 3-2 series lead at home, planting them in firm position to win the franchise’s first NBA title in 40 years with a victory. To complete this goal, though, Curry had to get through a player who many had labeled as one of the few players on the Cavaliers who could slow Curry down, Matthew Dellavedova.

Dellavedova had gained playing time and fame after Kyrie Irving went down with an injury in Game 1 of the series, and he’d play well in Irving’s place for the rest of the series. In Game 5, though, Curry decided that he needed to show the world why he was the current MVP of the league.

With 7:35 remaining in the fourth quarter of this pivotal, series-shifting game, Curry isolated on Dellavedova, dribbled behind his back, stepped back, and pulled up for a contested three-pointer which sank through the net to give the Warriors an 82-80 lead. Then, with 2:53 to go, Curry sized up Dellavedova once again, crossed to his right and pulled up for another right-wing three which he would drill once again, pushing the Warriors’ lead to 10.

The Warriors would take Game 5 in Oakland on the back of their MVP’s monstrous performance, setting up a Game 6 in Cleveland, where Curry would take home his first NBA championship.

8 ‘It Actually Looked Beautiful in the Air’ – Game 2 2018 NBA Finals

Curry works some magic with a record-breaking shooting performance

After a narrow win in Game 1 that ended up needing an overtime period to decide a victor, Game 2 of the 2018 NBA Finals went more according to plan for the Warriors, who benefited greatly from their three main scoring threats in Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Stephen Curry. The main storyline of this game, though, was the NBA history that the latter of these three stars made during this Finals contest.

Curry would sink nine three-pointers in Game 2, breaking Ray Allen’s record for the most ever in a single NBA Finals game. It was only a matter of time until Curry broke this record, as he owns almost every other three-point shooting-related record in both the regular season and playoffs.

For one of his nine three-point hits of the night, Curry worked in isolation against Cleveland’s Kevin Love, though he lost control of his dribble while trying to bring the ball behind his back. Seeing that the play had failed, and the shot clock was winding down, Curry decided to fire an off-balance heave from several feet behind the three-point line.

After the ball scraped the ceiling of Oracle Arena, it dropped straight through the net at the shot clock buzzer, helping to cap off an unreal night from one of the game’s best players. After looking at a re-play of the shot, commentator and former NBA player and coach, Mark Jackson, uttered a memorable sentence which was followed by his trademark catchphrase.

7 A Beginning For the Ages – Game 1 2018 NBA Finals

LeBron James starts the 2018 NBA Finals in historic fashion.

By no means were the Cleveland Cavaliers supposed to even make it to the 2018 NBA Finals, they just so happened to have arguably the best version of LeBron James on their roster. After James carried the Cavaliers through the Eastern Conference, specifically through two seven-game series against the Indiana Pacers in the first round and the Boston Celtics in the Conference Finals, James proved to the world once again that he could take a team with no supporting cast all the way to the finish line.

In Game 1 of the 2018 Finals, as the severe underdog, James and the Cavaliers took it to the Warriors with aggression. James’ 24 first-half points kept Cleveland in the game, with the score knotted at 56 heading into the break. James got whatever he wanted in the first half, shooting an incredible 81.8 percent from the field and picking apart his opponent with the pass, registering four assists in the first two quarters.

Unsurprisingly, his efforts would only ramp up in the second half of the contest. In the fourth quarter, James would score another 13 points on 85.7 percent shooting from the floor, including a late, contested layup against Golden State’s Kevon Looney to give the Cavaliers a two-point lead.

After the Warriors forced overtime thanks to the Cavaliers’ J.R. Smith not being aware of the score, James would knock down two free throws in the extra period to give him 51 points on the night, his NBA Finals career-high. With that performance, James also secured his eighth game of the 2018 post-season with 40 or more points.

The Warriors would ultimately come away with the overtime victory, but James’ iconic performance serves as a reminder that he nearly defeated what many call the greatest team to ever be assembled, single-handedly.

6 ‘Drives Down the Lane… Ties the Game!’ – Game 2 2015 NBA Finals

Curry comes up clutch in his second career Finals game despite a horrid shooting night

Stephen Curry and the Warriors were able to come away with an overtime victory after Game 1 of the 2015 NBA Finals, but James and the Cavaliers would prove to be tough customers in Game 2 as well. The second game of the series also came down to the wire, as the Cavaliers were trying their best to even up the series at 1-1 before the two teams had to travel to Cleveland.

In what was otherwise the worst performance in an NBA Finals game in Curry’s career, he was able to come through when it mattered most. The Cavaliers led 87-85 with 14 seconds left as the Warriors took the ball up the floor, either looking to tie the game or win it with a three-pointer.

At that moment, Curry made just four of his 18 field goal attempts, a 22 percent shooting night. Still, Curry knew that he would be taking the shot with the game on the line due to his unwavering confidence.

With 10 seconds remaining, Curry made his move. While being guarded by James, Curry received a screen from his teammate Green, which switched the slower-footed Tristan Thompson onto the league MVP. Curry crossed over to his right hand, drove to the basket, and put in an under-handed lay-up, tying the game with 7.2 seconds left.

Though the Cavaliers would still end up taking Game 2 in overtime, Curry’s late-game heroics, despite not performing to his standards for the entirety of the contest leading up to that moment, showed the NBA world that he was meant for the game’s most high-leverage moments on the NBA Finals stage.

5 Twin Domination – Game 5 2016 NBA Finals

James and Irving combined for a historic night in the midst of a Finals comeback

The Cleveland Cavaliers were written off after Game 4 of the 2016 NBA Finals. The Warriors destroyed Cleveland on their home floor to take a 3-1 lead in the series, a deficit no team had ever come back from to win the championship. It didn’t matter to either LeBron James or Kyrie Irving, though, because while the rest of the world was ready to accept the Warriors as back-to-back NBA champions, Cleveland’s two stars remained confident.

In the following Game 5 back in Oakland, the Cavaliers had no choice but to fight, otherwise their season would end on their opponents’ court. In the first half, James and Irving did their best to match Klay Thompson’s 26-point first half, as James would score 25 along with Irving’s 18 first-half points. While the efforts from both sides were spectacular, the score remained tied at 61 going into the halftime break.

In the second half, the Cavaliers pulled away thanks to Irving’s late-game excellence in particular, putting in ridiculous attempts from under the basket and the mid-range. By the time the contest finished, it was evident that James and Irving took on the world, and won. Both of Cleveland’s stars would score 41 points, the first time in history that two teammates scored 40 or more points in the Finals.

For Irving in particular, his astounding 17-24 shooting night gave the Cavaliers an added boost, as the team’s efficiency was the driving force behind their exciting win in enemy territory to stay alive in the series. James added 16 rebounds and seven assists to go along with his efficient 41 point night as well, giving Cleveland life before they got set to defend their home court again in Game 6.

4 Durant from Downtown – Game 3 2017 NBA Finals

Kevin Durant’s dagger lifted Golden State to a 3-0 series lead

The arrival of 2014 NBA MVP, Kevin Durant, in Golden State meant one thing to fans around the world: The 2016-17 season, following the Warriors’ signing of Durant, was over before it was set to begin. The Warriors were expected to walk to the Finals and take home the 2017 NBA title, and well, they did just that.

Coming into Game 3 of the 2017 Finals against Cleveland, the Warriors were undefeated in the post-season, winning 14 consecutive games in their eventual run to the championship.

Though the Warriors were the massive favorite over the Cavaliers in 2017, it didn’t stop Cleveland from putting up a fight. In Game 3 specifically, James and Irving were trying their best to recreate their performance in Game 5 from the previous year, as they’d finish with 39 and 38 points, respectively. With this being said, the Cavaliers were down 2-0 in the series going into Game 3, but they held a narrow two-point lead with less than a minute remaining. Then, Kevin Durant came dribbling down the court.

With 1:15 remaining, and with the Cavaliers leading 113-109, Durant hit a fading jumper on the left baseline to make it a two-point game, causing the Cavaliers to call a timeout. When play resumed, Kyle Korver missed a corner three-pointer off of a pass by James, and Durant came down with the rebound.

Durant promptly took one dribble past half-court, raised up for a three-pointer of his own and buried it with 45.3 seconds left, giving the Warriors a 114-113 lead. After Kyrie Irving missed on a three-pointer on Cleveland’s next possession, Durant knocked down two more free throws to help seal the game.

Durant’s heroics led to a 3-0 lead for Golden State in the series, but it wasn’t a one-man effort that led to the Game 3 win, as Durant, Curry and Thompson would end up combining for 87 of the Warriors’ 118 points.

3 Durant Delivers – Game 3 2018 NBA Finals

In the same spot on the floor, in the same game of the Finals a year later, Durant delivers the dagger

In 2018, Kevin Durant and the Warriors were seeking their second-straight NBA title, needing to get through an undermanned Cavaliers team to do so. Some things about the third game of each series were eerily similar, as they were both close games taking place on the Cavaliers’ home court. One major difference, though, other than the absence of Kyrie Irving, was that the Warriors were put firmly on the back of Durant in 2018.

In Game 3 of the 2018 Finals, the Warriors’ three other stars in Curry, Thompson and Green were all struggling from the field, combining for only 31 points on 35 percent shooting from the field. Curry, in particular, shot just 18.8 percent from the floor and only made one of his 10 three-point attempts.

On the other side, James and the Cavaliers were fighting valiantly, but his 33 point, 11 assist, 10 rebound effort would not be enough to keep the series close. In this game, the Cavaliers decided they’d go down swinging, only trailing by three points with less than a minute to play.

In the same situation last year, handling the ball in a one-possession game with 54 seconds to play, Kevin Durant operated at the top of the key before moving slightly towards the left wing. Durant would then pull up and knock down a long three-pointer from several feet behind the line, giving the Warriors a six-point lead with 49.8 seconds remaining.

Durant’s dagger three-pointer effectively ended the series, putting his team in a 3-0 advantage in the series for the second time in two years. He would finish with 43 points in what would be one of the greatest games in his Hall-of-Fame career.

2 The Block – Game 7 2016 NBA Finals

LeBron James performed one of the greatest defensive plays in the history of basketball.

After two straight victories in Games 5 and 6 of the 2016 NBA Finals, the Warriors and Cavaliers met for a win-or-go-home Game 7 for the championship. The Warriors, the NBA’s best-ever regular season team, won a record 73 games in the 2015-16 season, beating out the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls with Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman. If the Warriors lose in Game 7, though, every one of those 73 wins would be for nothing, as the ultimate goal was to come away with the hardware.

For the Cavaliers, they had blown through the Eastern Conference on their way to the Finals, waiting anxiously to face the team that had beaten them the previous year. Now, the Cavaliers were even more excited, as they were on the cusp of some history of their own, trying to become the first team in NBA history to come back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA FInals.

In the late stages of the game, the score was tied at 89, with both teams struggling to put the ball in the basket. With less than two minutes to play, the Warriors looked to have their best chance in a while to score. Stephen Curry led a fast break with Andre Iguodala, with only J.R. Smith to beat, and Curry pushed the ball ahead as a result.

Iguodala successfully evaded Smith’s contest, but James flew in behind Iguodala to reject his shot off of the backboard in incredible fashion. James’ block was accompanied by the commentary of Mike Breen, as he famously screamed, ‘blocked by James!’ into his headset.

James’ infamous block on Iguodala turned the momentum completely in the Cavaliers’ direction, and his defensive excellence perfectly set the stage for the offensive play that would end the series.

1 The Shot – Game 7 2016 NBA Finals

Kyrie Irving steps back and scores to win the title.

After LeBron James’ iconic block on Andre Iguodala, the Cavaliers still needed a score in order to win the 2016 NBA championship in regulation. Kyrie Irving was ultimately the perfect candidate to give Cleveland a much-needed bucket.

Kyrie Irving, the then-24-year-old, was the Cavaliers’ best one-on-one scorer, leaving him with the right to operate against anybody on the Warriors’ roster with the game on the line. Luckily for Irving, the Cavaliers were able to get Stephen Curry switched onto him, giving him an advantage in the match-up.

With Curry guarding Irving, and less than a minute remaining before a champion would be decided, Irving rocked Curry to sleep, stepped to the side and knocked down a right-wing three-pointer to break the tie, giving the Cavaliers a 92-89 lead that they would not relinquish.

Irving’s shot was the biggest shot of the modern era, and it may have been the single most important shot in NBA history. If Irving does not connect on that three-pointer, the Warriors may have completed their perfect season, and may not have needed to sign Kevin Durant in the following free agency period. James would still possibly only be a two-time NBA champion, and he may not have given Cleveland their only championship in franchise history.

Instead, the Cavaliers became the first team to come back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals in the most improbable of ways, defeating the greatest regular season team of all-time in the process. Irving’s incredible shot altered the history of the league, and gave the millions of basketball fans around the world a shot to re-create in the driveway.

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