LeBron James bringing the Cleveland Cavaliers their first-ever NBA championship is more than what the history books indicate. More than the toppling of a supergiant, more than besting the team with the all-time best regular season, more than a 3-1 comeback in the NBA Finals — but a complex sequence of factors that wound up in Cavs glory.
According to Bleacher Report’s Tom Haberstroh, James had made Stephen Curry his personal vendetta after the latter had stolen his thunder during the 2014-15 season, taking the championship in the year James returned to his hometown team and promised to deliver a title.
James’ plan was simple — to wear down a smaller Curry, who had not only just come back from injury in the postseason, but also pushed through the adrenaline high of a seven-game series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“The Cavs began setting screens with Curry’s guy, forcing the switch onto James,” wrote Haberstroh. “From there, James would bludgeon his way to the rim. Other times, they’d run Curry through a gauntlet of screens and make him both uncomfortable and ragged.”
“With Steph and LeBron, it’s a war of attrition,” the Cavs source said. “Opponents try to beat them into submission. Just part of the game. If you’re going to beat them, you’re going to want to grind him in every possible way.”
The Warriors could sense it.
“Obviously, the Cavs did target him,” Penfold said. “It seemed to me like it was LeBron’s personal mission to go out and get him.”
By wearing down a key cog, the Cavs had a leg up, and Draymond Green’s Game 5 suspension only made them jump with two feet into the water, eventually capturing their long-awaited championship.
James had visibly developed a reported animosity toward Curry, as other stars like Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook felt his sudden rise into superstardom was undeserved, one that now seems to have eroded over time.