It has been 10 years since it happened, but the epic comeback of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors remains vivid for many fans.
All the more so for the players of the Cavaliers, who became the first team in league history to climb back from a 3-1 deficit and win the championship. Exhibit A: Channing Frye.
Frye joined Cleveland in a midseason trade that season and played a key role in the playoffs. Even though he did not play a lot against the Warriors, who won a league-record 72 games that season, he can still recall everything.
In an interview with Bleacher Report, Frye insisted that the Warriors had no chance of defeating them.
“I’m a firm believer, even if Draymond (Green) was there (in Game 5), we would have still put that belt on them,” said Frye.
“Unless he would have grown two more arms and six more inches, no.”
The 43-year-old Frye, digging into his unparalleled knowledge of history and culture, added an all-time quote.
“You could have put Jesus, Martin Luther King, (Mahatma) Gandhi, a Tyrannosaurus Rex, and a T-1000 out there, we would have beaten their a** too,” declared the 13-year veteran.
For sure, Frye would have been a matchup problem for Gandhi.
Channing Frye says 2016 Cavs would have "still put that belt" on the Warriors even if Draymond wasn't suspended
"You could have put Jesus, Martin Luther King, Gandhi, a Tyrannosaurus rex, and a T-1000 out there, we would have beat they ass too."
More from the 2016 Finals:… pic.twitter.com/XacEPGGLha
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 11, 2026
Of course, Frye gushed about the heroic performances of LeBron James and Kyrie Irving in Games 6 and 7, which gave the Cavaliers their first title.
“I don’t know what happened to either one of those boys. They went to the moon! Watching that first-hand, I said, ‘Man, hell no!’ They were moving so fast,” added Frye.
He also noted that their shock troopers, Dahntay Jones, Mo Williams, Matthew Dellavedova, and Richard Jefferson, came up big off the bench.