The 2016 NBA Christmas Day classic between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors revisited

By CNN Newsource

Published December 25, 2024 4:05 AM

By Thomas Schlachter, CNN

(CNN) — Cheering on your favorite NBA team or watching the very biggest stars of the basketball world is a welcome present for many on Christmas Day and this year will be no different.

One of the marquee matchups on December 25 sees Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors square off against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers at 8 p.m. ET

But while James, Curry and Draymond Green are reaching the twilights of their respective careers, fans will instantly be taken back to their golden years and the trio starring in what is widely seen as the best Christmas Day game of all time.

2016 revisited

We head back to Christmas Day 2016.

The world was doing the mannequin challenge with “Black Beatles” by Rae Sremmurd sitting atop the Billboard Hot 100, Lamar Jackson had just won the Heisman Trophy and Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone were breaking hearts with “La La Land.”

But the biggest blockbuster of all came at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio, and the Christmas Day matchup between the Warriors and the Cavaliers.

The franchises were solidified as two of the best across the NBA and, just months prior, the teams had battled for the Larry O’Brien Trophy over seven games in the 2016 Finals.

The Cavs had come from 3-1 down to complete a historic 4-3 series win and viewers were expecting another hotly contested matchup in the primetime Christmas Day slot – and they weren’t disappointed.

After the Finals loss, the Warriors responded by picking up 2014 NBA MVP Kevin Durant to go alongside an already loaded roster which featured Curry, Green and Klay Thompson.

This was Durant’s first game against James and Co. for the Warriors and fans were eager to see how the newly formed Golden State squad would match up against Cleveland in what would eventually be the Finals matchup come the end of the season.

How would LeBron, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving respond to the Warriors’ latest move?

A Christmas classic

Right from tip-off, the game lived up to its blockbuster billing.

Durant wasted no time in showing up in front of the Cavs and kickstarted the matchup with the first points of the game. The rangy forward deflected the ball from James before marching down the court and laying the ball in for an easy two.

As both teams went back and forth, the now 14-time All-Star and current Phoenix Suns star went on to score another 10 points in the first quarter to give the Warriors a 27-25 lead after the opening 12 minutes.

The second quarter followed a similar pattern as the teams traded buckets, neither allowing the other to grab any significant advantage.

The “Splash Brothers” – Curry and Thompson – began to find their range from deep but a joint effort from the Cavs’ big three of James, Love and Irving kept the game close.

With the Warriors leading 55-52 at the interval, it was all to play for heading into the second half.

Coming out of the break, Golden State picked up from where it left off. Durant continued to spearhead the Warriors offense with Thompson providing deep-range support, nailing multiple threes.

But as he did throughout the 2016 Finals, James put his team on his back and dragged the Cavs to within striking distance.

The NBA’s all-time leading scorer racked up 16 points in the third quarter alone, making four three-pointers in his efforts to keep the game close.

Despite James’ best attempts, the Warriors had extended their lead and were seven points clear going into the fourth quarter. The Cavaliers needed something close to a Christmas Day miracle to overturn the deficit.

Kyrie to the rescue

Golden State fans and players were well aware of Cleveland’s ability to produce heroic comebacks and the Cavaliers began their charge in the fourth.

Scoring had suddenly become harder for the Warriors and memories of the NBA Finals would have started to run through the Golden State squad’s minds.

The Cavaliers had upped their intensity and, in front of a boisterous home crowd, had seemingly turned the game on its head.

Led by Irving’s masterful fourth quarter, Cleveland managed to reduce the deficit and the score was knotted up at 103-103 with just two minutes to play.

With the game tied, Irving, James and Curry all scored crucial buckets but were still left facing a 108-107 Warriors lead with mere seconds left.

Trailing by one, Irving took matters into his own hands. The guard went at Thompson, spinning before deftly finishing with a fadeaway to give the Cavaliers the 109-108 lead and what would be the win.

“The kid is special,” James said of Irving after the game, per the Associated Press. “It was never in doubt.”

Irving scored 25 points to go alongside 10 assists, seven steals and six rebounds – with just two turnovers in 44 minutes on the floor – in an incredible display of clutch basketball. James led the Cavaliers with a 31-point, 13-rebound double-double while fellow star Kevin Love added 20 points, including three triples.

The man from Akron, Ohio, was aware of the fans’ expectations coming into the game and didn’t disappoint.

“It lived up to what everyone wanted it to,” he added.

Durant led the game in scoring with 36 points along with 15 rebounds, but it ultimately wasn’t enough. But while the Warriors fell short in this one, they did go on to enact revenge on the Cavaliers to win the 2017 NBA Finals with Durant being named Finals MVP.

Fans will be hoping that any of the four games on this year’s Christmas Day schedule come close to the holiday season classic of 2016.

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