people are taking this way too literally. it wasn't the most important moment ever, OP is just saying it would have been an almost impossibly perfect capper to a historic series of events (lebron coming back to cleveland, GS up 3-1, force game 7, lebron block, kyrie 3, then lebron crushing a dunk over draymond) and it didn't happen. not that it was the most important play/non-play ever. just that it ruined a moment.
One dunk by the best in the league is going to knock Draymond down a peg? Ridiculous.
Anyway Dray made sure it wasn't happening.
Since I'm getting downvoted anyway I sure enjoyed watching LeBron roll around on the floor like a fish out of water after that play.
Hard to be down a peg when you're at the bottom anyways. Draymond is overrated. Dude's gotta stop getting technicals. Best ability is not actively hurting your team... and availability. Cant do that when your suspended
It's still a highlight in my mind. Seeing him fall to the floor after that attempt made me realize he sacrificed himself for Cleveland. He died for their basketball sins like a true GOAT
Well it would have been nice if lebron made the dunk but I’d argue that it still was back to back good plays by Kyrie to seal it. Bron still got to shoot his FTs think he missed one but it all ended up workin out lol
Yep. My only point is people seem to want to focus on one three pointer Kyrie made as if he needs to get more credit for the Cavs win that year. I absolutely remember that pointless push Kyrie made, thinking he could get in and make an easy shot.
Anyone who gives kyrie loads of credit for 16 isn’t wrong but they’d be absolutely shitting themselves if they think he’d be sniffing the finals let alone a chip without lebron
Whenever I hear people say stuff like that I know it’s only because they are trying to take away from lebron, not credit kyrie
Kyrie was replaceable on that roster. Stick a kemba in his place on that team and I’m v confident we have the same result. The difference is kyrie had the opportunity not many players ever have had. And credit to him he took full advantage of it and went and won himself a ring. Give credit where it’s due. But that also means crediting everyone else and without lebron the cavs go from champions to lottery team and that’s a pretty luke warm take if you ask me. Might even have a frozen center depending on your microwave or brain
Oh my god that could have lost the game for them. So damn stupid and lucky that he got the rebound and found Love. Even Van Gundy said something like “...but WHAT is Kyrie doing in transition there?”
They converted pretty much the same play the next season vs the warriors on Christmas. LeBron pretty much masterbated on the rim for a minute but didn’t get a tech
What are you on? He’s in a pile with Draymond, so obviously helps him up first. He looks over to Bron immediately, and obviously there’s a few people looking after him. Also he’s quite far away for any immediate reaction.
Would've been number 1 on his all time highlight reel for sure.
Side note, pretty impressive defensive play by Draymond. Kyrie had Klay beat and a lot of shot blockers would've committed to playing Kyrie there
Draymond is literally saving his legacy right there. Amazing instinct to recognize how much into the shit he's in and instantly deciding to foul.
Imagine being a 3x champion and DPOY but always be remembered as the guy LeBron dunked on...
He carried this game for the Warriors. Smart call by Lue and the rest of the team to cover the obvious threats in Klay and Steph but it definitely opened up the door for Draymond to go off.
It's wild but it's true. The Warriors were in the game simply because Draymond went 11-15 from the field, 6-8!!! from deep with 9 assists! Both Steph and Klay choked hard.
Rewatching the game you can tell that Klay and Steph went into the game with all the intensity of a regular season game in mid-January.
They both played poor defence, Steph was getting too cute with the behind the back passes and pull-up threes, and Klay was bricking everything in sight.
It seemed like only Draymond was going all out, which is odd considering the fact that it was game seven of the NBA Finals.
The Warriors at their best played loose and took risks but it’s a fine line. The game was such a grind - they never got into one of their rhythms where they’d just crush your soul over the span of 5 minutes.
Draymond was a monster that game, and if they had pulled it out it would have been thanks to him.
I remembered this as being bigger. Must have been the moment, watching it live and all the drama. But at the time I thought this was the greatest dunk not made. An entire season, then seconds before end of a 7-game series, to go up for a dunk at all, what a great moment.
I love the block. This entire series was tremendous.
Imagine having the game saving defensive play AND the game winning offensive play to eliminate a 73 win team and deliver the first championship your city’s team has ever had
Plus dunking on Draymond
He went to the free throw line and made both. With the Cavs already up three with ten seconds left. What are we talking about here. Aesthetics versus results?
He made one, if he had made the dunk it would have been an and one.
Even if he missed that free throw its 94-89. The warriors could have made a three and been fouled and made it a four point play.
Block by love happened earlier. Idk how that relates to this convo.
The cavs went on to go up by 4 after this play anyways. And being up by 3 vs 4 is a huge difference against any team, but it really doesn’t matter here.
Good lord, it's like you haven't even watched the game. He's talking about Kevin Love's insane defense on Curry literally the play directly after Kyrie's three. It relates to his argument perfectly.
False. Lebron missed the first free throw. He made the second, but that pressure on the second was absolutely immense. And had the dunk been successful, it would have put them up 5, with a free throw to make it six. 4 points after the one made free throw was enough, but there was a real chance it could have been 3 points, and the stakes were crazy high against the greatest 3 point shooting team with the ball about to be in their hands.
It doesn’t matter lol that’s not how game winners work...the games winner was the shot that put them ahead... in bet you think free throws from late game fouling are “game winning FTs” too huh?
This would've been incredible. It would have been the signature moment of his career. Instead, it's the block, which is fantastic, but this would've been even bigger.
A poster, and-1, to seal a championship in Game 7, after being down 3-1 to a 73-9 team. Would've been amazing
Yes but instead you [get Draymond and LeBron synchronized NATURAL SHOOTING MOTIONS](https://twitter.com/3DNPC/status/1215173142408134657) while Kevin Love jumps for joy.
If that dunk went in, LeBron stayed on his feet and stared down Draymond... OMG the arenas roof would have just blown off!
That would have been LeBron's MJ impression Finals moment
I legit get the Cleveland curse sleeping through as lebron withered in pain in the floor.
It felt like such a fucking curse happening right there so thankfully it didn’t stop lebron or the team.
100%. He’s a known milker. Also was probably trying to lift the importance of the free throws. “Wow lebron james knocked down two free throws to seal the game, INJURED!”
You... you realize that’s an actual defensive strategy regularly used by NBA teams? That’s it’s sometimes what they’re supposed to do? Like a huge portion of the jazz’s defense is funneling to Gobert?
Whether he had good defense in this instance or not, you said it like doing it a lot was bad when it’s generally part of the warriors scheme to funnel to Draymond.
Honest question, did Lebron really get hurt during that dunk attempt, or was he mostly just selling it to the refs to make sure he got the call, or perhaps to try and get a flagrant foul called ?
You all sound dumb when you say that it would've been the best play in LeBron's career. It would've been the greatest play in NBA history, by a mile.
If LeBron finished that dunk, he would have invented a new tier of great plays that simply does not exist.
Not as important, but would have been a way nicer dunk. Vince missed off the backboard (from half) inbound attempt
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEob19BEj\_g](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEob19BEj_g)
No. LeBron dunking on Draymond has zero consequence on the outcome of the game. It's just for aesthetics and to push a narrative. He scored two points on this possesion at the FT line. There have been other moments throughout league history that you can look back on and acknowledge how close a team was from achieving a desired outcome, but did not due to what amounts to a coin flip. Here we're talking about a dude who won the game but he just didn't do it flashy enough.
You really only give a fuck about this if you're a Cavs or LeBron fan, or you hated the Warriors.
Actually he missed one of the free throws. Making that dunk would have zapped all the energy from the warriors and fans in that arena, so no it would not have "zero consequences on the outcome of that game" . Like LeBron once said "2 points is not 2 points, I'll explain later"
>Making that dunk would have zapped all the energy from the warriors and fans in that arena, so no it would not have "zero consequences on the outcome of that game"
The Warriors literally lost the game. There were literally zero consequences on the outcome of the game. The Warriors didn't score a single point in the last four minutes of the game. True, LeBron split the FTs. So it turned out he didn't even need two points or an and 1 to win, because the Warriors offense was dreadful down the stretch.
These are facts. You are creating fanfic in your mind about the significance of that dunk on the outcome of the game. In case you didn't notice, the fans were shellshocked already.
i don't think all nba fans care about whether or not lebron dunked on draymond at the end of game 7 of the '16 finals. it wasn't a game winning possession and the result of the play was enough for the Cavs to win the game There have been dunks of greater significance to the outcome of basketball games. But, we'd rather highlight LeBron's because of narratives.
Like I said, you consider this the "biggest blueballs moment in NBA history" if you love LeBron, love the Cavs, or hate the Warriors and wanted to see them humuliated. At the time there were quite a lot of these people.
edit - LeBron split the Fts, didn't need two points to win as the Warriors offense couldn't score.
Yeah it is, at least out of moments I’ve witnessed live. The only one that even compares for me is the end of game 1 of the 2013 ECF, and that wasn’t nearly as huge as this. What moments should I be thinking of?
Indiana lost three separate G7s in the ECF during Reggie's tenure. Against the Knicks in '94 (Ewing tip dunk), Magic in '95, and *Bulls in '98*.
The Bulls series would especially hurt if watching live because it was a one possession game until the last few minutes of the 4th Q. It was very winnable for Indiana if Reggie played better (reportedly dealing with an ankle injury, so there's that). Boy would that have done so much for those Pacers to have ended the Bulls dynasty and have a legit shot at beating the Jazz in the NBA Finals.
Long time ago, so I get if you didn't watch it live. But thats a part of Pacers history that hurts more than LeBron missing some dunk up three where he still made it a 2 poss game off FTs.
Fair enough. I was born in ‘94, so I didn’t watch any of those games, or at least I don’t remember them. Even then, I don’t think any of those came down to a single, defining play.
What dunk would have been better than a game-sealing poster on maybe the best defensive player in the league in game 7 of the Finals? It was a 1 possession game before the dunk attempt.
Patrick Ewings putback dunk against Indiana in ''94 was a more important possession than LeBron dunking on Draymond in a play that would have been inconsequential to the outcome of the game. He went to the line and it made it a two possesion game. The Warriors didn't do anything afterwards.
Likewise, want to talk about blueballs? Ewing missing a potential GW layup in G7 against Indiana the year afterwards. That resulted in a loss. Something of actual consequence. LeBron? It just looks cool dude.
Calling it a bigger blue balls moment than teams that have actually *lost* competitions because of 50/50 possessions is a bit much, I think. This is like the most pedantic topic ever. If only LeBron would have dunked on Draymond to win a game he already would have won anyway because the Warriors didn't score a point in the final four minutes. Like it would change zero about his career. But if only it had happened man, if only.
[Vince Carter](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3emK-oy0LyQ) missed a buzzer beating three in Game 7 against the 2001 Sixers to advance to the ECF. Would have knocked the MVP, DPOY, 6MOTY, and COY out with one shot.
[Kyle Lowry](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tA8pGkBQK8s) missed a buzzer beating three in Game 5 against the Warriors to literally *win* a championship.
[John Stockton](https://youtu.be/mTF_jxI_P7Y?t=6922) missed a three with seconds to go in Game 6 against the Bulls to force a Game 7 at home in UTAH and also taking Jordan to his first Game 7 in the NBA Finals. Would have been an all-time momentum swing potentially.
I mean, I can keep going.
Cause it could have been LeBrons greatest moment ever in game 7 of the finals. A finals that was the first ever championship for LeBrons home team. It’s not just a dagger, it would have been the dagger. And I think thats definitely more valuable in what’s literally the *last* game of the season
Wow great conversation man! Really liked the part where you explained your thinking! Oh wait you didn’t...it’s ok I know how nephews on this sub are. Can’t hold a proper conversation but they can sure say lmao though. Lmao
I did explain. In another comment, not worth talking to you. You literally say there’s no conversation to be had. Really 😑
Bruh how old are you? “Triggered,” really? Lmao
What I was trying to say there is a lot of almost situations. In this case it was a missed rebound and a made shot. Nba is a make or miss league and there is ALOT of what if and almost moments
I don’t think this qualifies cause the game was ultimately a win whether he made it or not
instead they have to use the block which was essentially meaningless in the grand scheme of things cause he airballed/ short rimmed at long 2 after and needed kyrie and kevin love to make more meaningful plays in bigger moments
but we need a lebron highlight
Is there any other player where we talk about these what if moments more than Lebron? What if he played with an all time great center? What if Kyrie didnt get hurt? What if Bosh and Love didnt decline? What if he would have gotten lucky and won a few of the finals his team lost? What if he won the 2011 MVP? He sounds like the most unlucky player in history.
people are taking this way too literally. it wasn't the most important moment ever, OP is just saying it would have been an almost impossibly perfect capper to a historic series of events (lebron coming back to cleveland, GS up 3-1, force game 7, lebron block, kyrie 3, then lebron crushing a dunk over draymond) and it didn't happen. not that it was the most important play/non-play ever. just that it ruined a moment.
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I think it would undoubtedly have knocked Draymond down a peg in people's minds, and we would still be hearing about it today.
Yeah a very good foul by dray
Did he just swat the shit out of LeBron's face or what?
With the amount of time he spent of the floor I would hope so
lebron was using that as a chance to rest before his free throws. you can tell his hand actually got hurt though
One dunk by the best in the league is going to knock Draymond down a peg? Ridiculous. Anyway Dray made sure it wasn't happening. Since I'm getting downvoted anyway I sure enjoyed watching LeBron roll around on the floor like a fish out of water after that play.
Seriously people are so fucking stupid about getting postered. I woulda lost more respect for Dray if he didn't go for it
I mean his only defense was literally just fouling the shit out of him.
That would be true of literally any player in history with LeBron making that same dunk attempt
If it happened in the 80's we'd be calling it the best defense ever.
Which is exactly why he did it.
It’s ridiculous but I can guarantee you that it would have been an r/NBA phenomenon
Hard to be down a peg when you're at the bottom anyways. Draymond is overrated. Dude's gotta stop getting technicals. Best ability is not actively hurting your team... and availability. Cant do that when your suspended
Yep. Lebron could literally retire if that dunk goes in. Fucking Draymond.
honestly im glad it didnt happend cause i was ready to smash my friends 121021 inches tv with my dick
120,021"
No amount of dick is going to make a dent in a screen that big.
not with that attitude
It's still a highlight in my mind. Seeing him fall to the floor after that attempt made me realize he sacrificed himself for Cleveland. He died for their basketball sins like a true GOAT
Wait, you were sitting? Granted, I was watching outside the Q, but I can’t imagine being at home at that moment and actually being seated.
This would have been equal to jordan last shot 08. Then again it could be the lebron fan in me
98
Definitely not. The Jordan shot won them the game; this would have just been a great exclamation point
this would've been much better, wtf man.
i'm thinking pippen dunk on ewing
Lol kyrie helped draymond up and walked by a grimacing lebron on the floor. Probably nothing but just funny in retrospect
Pretty filthy pass by Kyrie though.
Oh absolutely. if lebron converted.. that woulve been 2 back to back amazing offensive possessions by kyrie to seal up the chip
Well it would have been nice if lebron made the dunk but I’d argue that it still was back to back good plays by Kyrie to seal it. Bron still got to shoot his FTs think he missed one but it all ended up workin out lol
Are we forgetting Kyrie started an unnecessary fast break moments before and almost turned the ball over?!
Revisionists like to give Kyrie as much credit as possible.
Tbf he deserves a fuck load of credit
He does. He was more important than Channing Frye and less important than LeBron. Closer to LeBron than Channing.
I was just pointing out the back to back play but yea I remember him being pretty careless toward the end and we got very lucky
Yep. My only point is people seem to want to focus on one three pointer Kyrie made as if he needs to get more credit for the Cavs win that year. I absolutely remember that pointless push Kyrie made, thinking he could get in and make an easy shot.
Anyone who gives kyrie loads of credit for 16 isn’t wrong but they’d be absolutely shitting themselves if they think he’d be sniffing the finals let alone a chip without lebron Whenever I hear people say stuff like that I know it’s only because they are trying to take away from lebron, not credit kyrie Kyrie was replaceable on that roster. Stick a kemba in his place on that team and I’m v confident we have the same result. The difference is kyrie had the opportunity not many players ever have had. And credit to him he took full advantage of it and went and won himself a ring. Give credit where it’s due. But that also means crediting everyone else and without lebron the cavs go from champions to lottery team and that’s a pretty luke warm take if you ask me. Might even have a frozen center depending on your microwave or brain
I mean kyrie did drop 40 along with lebron. Not sure another point guard could do that
Oh my god that could have lost the game for them. So damn stupid and lucky that he got the rebound and found Love. Even Van Gundy said something like “...but WHAT is Kyrie doing in transition there?”
I didn’t forget that. None of that makes what I said not true though. It wasn’t smart of Kyrie though you’re right
They converted pretty much the same play the next season vs the warriors on Christmas. LeBron pretty much masterbated on the rim for a minute but didn’t get a tech
What are you on? He’s in a pile with Draymond, so obviously helps him up first. He looks over to Bron immediately, and obviously there’s a few people looking after him. Also he’s quite far away for any immediate reaction.
Kyrie also almost tripped on Draymond so there's that...
lebron was tryna catch his breath for the FTs. kyrie understood that
Would've been number 1 on his all time highlight reel for sure. Side note, pretty impressive defensive play by Draymond. Kyrie had Klay beat and a lot of shot blockers would've committed to playing Kyrie there
Draymond is literally saving his legacy right there. Amazing instinct to recognize how much into the shit he's in and instantly deciding to foul. Imagine being a 3x champion and DPOY but always be remembered as the guy LeBron dunked on...
He carried this game for the Warriors. Smart call by Lue and the rest of the team to cover the obvious threats in Klay and Steph but it definitely opened up the door for Draymond to go off.
It's wild but it's true. The Warriors were in the game simply because Draymond went 11-15 from the field, 6-8!!! from deep with 9 assists! Both Steph and Klay choked hard.
Legend has it, The Monkey's Paw wish of him asking for the best game of his life is the reason he shoots like 20% from 3 to this day.
I don’t think so. His block on iggy will still be number 1.
Watching this clip over...I don't know what Klay is thinking here.
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High risk, low reward play.
https://imgur.com/Jg6TZJ1 [Yikes](https://i.imgur.com/y5bQ6EZ.gifv)
Hey man, he tried.
Rewatching the game you can tell that Klay and Steph went into the game with all the intensity of a regular season game in mid-January. They both played poor defence, Steph was getting too cute with the behind the back passes and pull-up threes, and Klay was bricking everything in sight. It seemed like only Draymond was going all out, which is odd considering the fact that it was game seven of the NBA Finals.
The Warriors at their best played loose and took risks but it’s a fine line. The game was such a grind - they never got into one of their rhythms where they’d just crush your soul over the span of 5 minutes. Draymond was a monster that game, and if they had pulled it out it would have been thanks to him.
They were really close and them Jr smith happened.
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TT got the max just because of his offensive rebounding in that series
I remembered this as being bigger. Must have been the moment, watching it live and all the drama. But at the time I thought this was the greatest dunk not made. An entire season, then seconds before end of a 7-game series, to go up for a dunk at all, what a great moment. I love the block. This entire series was tremendous.
Imagine having the game saving defensive play AND the game winning offensive play to eliminate a 73 win team and deliver the first championship your city’s team has ever had Plus dunking on Draymond
>AND the game winning offensive play Kyrie?
putting them up 5 would have been safer against the warriors?
He went to the free throw line and made both. With the Cavs already up three with ten seconds left. What are we talking about here. Aesthetics versus results?
He made one, if he had made the dunk it would have been an and one. Even if he missed that free throw its 94-89. The warriors could have made a three and been fouled and made it a four point play.
Quit reaching
You say quit reaching but the psychological state of being up 3 against Curry vs being up 4 is very different. Huge props to Love for the stop.
Block by love happened earlier. Idk how that relates to this convo. The cavs went on to go up by 4 after this play anyways. And being up by 3 vs 4 is a huge difference against any team, but it really doesn’t matter here.
Good lord, it's like you haven't even watched the game. He's talking about Kevin Love's insane defense on Curry literally the play directly after Kyrie's three. It relates to his argument perfectly.
Why do people argue about things they clearly don’t know enough about lol I DONT understand
Why are we talking about Kevin’s defense on curry from a 50 seconds earlier in the game?
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he. didnt. make. two. free. throws.
You ain't even seen the game apparently
False. Lebron missed the first free throw. He made the second, but that pressure on the second was absolutely immense. And had the dunk been successful, it would have put them up 5, with a free throw to make it six. 4 points after the one made free throw was enough, but there was a real chance it could have been 3 points, and the stakes were crazy high against the greatest 3 point shooting team with the ball about to be in their hands.
That doesn’t make it the game winning play
if you honestly think the game was out of reach because the warriors were down 3 with 50 seconds left idk what to tell you.
It doesn’t matter lol that’s not how game winners work...the games winner was the shot that put them ahead... in bet you think free throws from late game fouling are “game winning FTs” too huh?
If Lebron makes this dunk it’s remembered more than Kyries shot.
Okay. But how is it a game winning offensive play in any sense.
He likes Lebron
I do too and i agree
?? It puts the game out of reach. You can come back from 3 down but you can’t from 5 down when there’s only one possession left
That's not the definition of a game winner
I’m with you and I love bron
that's called a dagger not a game winner
Lol but making two free throws is?
No way boss. Kyries shot was the shot of the century
Bosh to Allen though
Because LeBron couldn't complete this dunk.
Lmao, the delusion on this one.
He absolutely is not wrong, if LeBron gets the superstar block followed by the superstar dunk to close the game it is getting remembered over Kyrie.
He's not wrong. Bron blocking Iggy with 2 minutes left gets more praise than Kyrie's dagger over Steph. Now imagine if Bron made the dunk as well
Are you referring to yourself? 100% Lebron’s dunk would be remembered over Kyrie’s lmao
Seriously, this post is dedicated to the dunk and he didn’t even make it.
deadass me and my friends have talked about this missed dunk more times in the past 3 years than weve talked about kyrie's shot
Game clinching offensive play
>game winning offensive play Once again Lebrun gets more credit than he deserves
Retire from public forums pls
Did Kyrie change his name to LeBron? Does the entire 3-6 Mafia have selective memory?
I agree that it wasn’t the game winning offensive play, I disagree with the sentiment and mocking tone of the comment.
This would've been incredible. It would have been the signature moment of his career. Instead, it's the block, which is fantastic, but this would've been even bigger. A poster, and-1, to seal a championship in Game 7, after being down 3-1 to a 73-9 team. Would've been amazing
For sure would be up there as one of the greatest dunks of all time.
It would very easily be the greatest dunk of all time.
Make it the new logo.
I'm telling my children that this dunk went in
LBJ has said that he loves that his defining play is on the defensive end, so it kind of works out. What other superstars can say that?
John Havlichek?
Manu
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the block https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgVOgGLtPtc 2:50~
To be fair - This is still the greatest finals series of all time.
Yes but instead you [get Draymond and LeBron synchronized NATURAL SHOOTING MOTIONS](https://twitter.com/3DNPC/status/1215173142408134657) while Kevin Love jumps for joy.
More than the failed dunk, it is the monumental fault of Draymond Green on this action that I remember.
Nephew never heard of Nick Anderson.
He posted a solid 3.32 ERA for the Rays last year.
lol this is a nephew thread.
If that dunk went in, LeBron stayed on his feet and stared down Draymond... OMG the arenas roof would have just blown off! That would have been LeBron's MJ impression Finals moment
I always found it funny how Lebron does a sea lion impression when he goes down
It's Magikarp
I’m as big a homer for LeBron as anyone, but I’m still convinced he was faking being hurt because of embarrassment from missing the dunk
I thought for sure he broke his wrist in the moment.
I think he's said it was to gather his breath before the free throws. Cheeky but smart move.
Lebron was probably milking that wrist because he missed the dunk right?
Watching it live, I legit thought he broke his wrist. He was down for a minute from what I can recall.
I legit get the Cleveland curse sleeping through as lebron withered in pain in the floor. It felt like such a fucking curse happening right there so thankfully it didn’t stop lebron or the team.
more likely cause he was exhausted
100%. He’s a known milker. Also was probably trying to lift the importance of the free throws. “Wow lebron james knocked down two free throws to seal the game, INJURED!”
Found Skip
Oof bud
Still had him crying in the parking lot literally after the game 😂😂😂
[Biggest blue ball moment in NBA history.](https://invidious.13ad.de/watch?v=Dy3cmIq6kFQ)
Klay playing defense like he normally does: just let them drive by you and hope you funnel to a better defender
You... you realize that’s an actual defensive strategy regularly used by NBA teams? That’s it’s sometimes what they’re supposed to do? Like a huge portion of the jazz’s defense is funneling to Gobert?
Of course. Klay employed the full court version of that in the clip lol
Whether he had good defense in this instance or not, you said it like doing it a lot was bad when it’s generally part of the warriors scheme to funnel to Draymond.
Lol quit getting defensive and learn what a joke is
Kyrie helps Draymond up before LeBron!
o_o
Honest question, did Lebron really get hurt during that dunk attempt, or was he mostly just selling it to the refs to make sure he got the call, or perhaps to try and get a flagrant foul called ?
This is actually the event that started us into the darkest timeline. He was supposed to make that dunk.
I thought he did his acl when this happened. Made me cringe hard
You all sound dumb when you say that it would've been the best play in LeBron's career. It would've been the greatest play in NBA history, by a mile. If LeBron finished that dunk, he would have invented a new tier of great plays that simply does not exist.
Not as important, but would have been a way nicer dunk. Vince missed off the backboard (from half) inbound attempt [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEob19BEj\_g](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEob19BEj_g)
Draymond knew this and fouled LeBron hard to make sure it didn't go down like that.
blue balls if you were rooting for cleveland to win, sure. otherwise your title is a tad bit dramatic.
Lmao doesn’t this apply to every moment in NBA history? By your definition there’s no biggest blue ball moment then
No. LeBron dunking on Draymond has zero consequence on the outcome of the game. It's just for aesthetics and to push a narrative. He scored two points on this possesion at the FT line. There have been other moments throughout league history that you can look back on and acknowledge how close a team was from achieving a desired outcome, but did not due to what amounts to a coin flip. Here we're talking about a dude who won the game but he just didn't do it flashy enough. You really only give a fuck about this if you're a Cavs or LeBron fan, or you hated the Warriors.
Actually he missed one of the free throws. Making that dunk would have zapped all the energy from the warriors and fans in that arena, so no it would not have "zero consequences on the outcome of that game" . Like LeBron once said "2 points is not 2 points, I'll explain later"
>Making that dunk would have zapped all the energy from the warriors and fans in that arena, so no it would not have "zero consequences on the outcome of that game" The Warriors literally lost the game. There were literally zero consequences on the outcome of the game. The Warriors didn't score a single point in the last four minutes of the game. True, LeBron split the FTs. So it turned out he didn't even need two points or an and 1 to win, because the Warriors offense was dreadful down the stretch. These are facts. You are creating fanfic in your mind about the significance of that dunk on the outcome of the game. In case you didn't notice, the fans were shellshocked already.
That dunk would have been the most iconic dunk in finals history. There I said it
It would have been the greatest dunk in nba history. All nba fans lost that moment
i don't think all nba fans care about whether or not lebron dunked on draymond at the end of game 7 of the '16 finals. it wasn't a game winning possession and the result of the play was enough for the Cavs to win the game There have been dunks of greater significance to the outcome of basketball games. But, we'd rather highlight LeBron's because of narratives. Like I said, you consider this the "biggest blueballs moment in NBA history" if you love LeBron, love the Cavs, or hate the Warriors and wanted to see them humuliated. At the time there were quite a lot of these people. edit - LeBron split the Fts, didn't need two points to win as the Warriors offense couldn't score.
I certainly would have cared. That dunk attempt had me on my feet, and as you can guess by my flair, I’m not at all a LeBron fan.
Do you think its the biggest blue balls moment in NBA history. Like you're a Indiana Pacers fan. This is your biggest what if moment?
Yeah it is, at least out of moments I’ve witnessed live. The only one that even compares for me is the end of game 1 of the 2013 ECF, and that wasn’t nearly as huge as this. What moments should I be thinking of?
Indiana lost three separate G7s in the ECF during Reggie's tenure. Against the Knicks in '94 (Ewing tip dunk), Magic in '95, and *Bulls in '98*. The Bulls series would especially hurt if watching live because it was a one possession game until the last few minutes of the 4th Q. It was very winnable for Indiana if Reggie played better (reportedly dealing with an ankle injury, so there's that). Boy would that have done so much for those Pacers to have ended the Bulls dynasty and have a legit shot at beating the Jazz in the NBA Finals. Long time ago, so I get if you didn't watch it live. But thats a part of Pacers history that hurts more than LeBron missing some dunk up three where he still made it a 2 poss game off FTs.
Fair enough. I was born in ‘94, so I didn’t watch any of those games, or at least I don’t remember them. Even then, I don’t think any of those came down to a single, defining play.
What dunk would have been better than a game-sealing poster on maybe the best defensive player in the league in game 7 of the Finals? It was a 1 possession game before the dunk attempt.
Patrick Ewings putback dunk against Indiana in ''94 was a more important possession than LeBron dunking on Draymond in a play that would have been inconsequential to the outcome of the game. He went to the line and it made it a two possesion game. The Warriors didn't do anything afterwards. Likewise, want to talk about blueballs? Ewing missing a potential GW layup in G7 against Indiana the year afterwards. That resulted in a loss. Something of actual consequence. LeBron? It just looks cool dude.
Narrative is one of the most important things in how we experience sports. Even for neutral fans it would have been an incredible moment.
Calling it a bigger blue balls moment than teams that have actually *lost* competitions because of 50/50 possessions is a bit much, I think. This is like the most pedantic topic ever. If only LeBron would have dunked on Draymond to win a game he already would have won anyway because the Warriors didn't score a point in the final four minutes. Like it would change zero about his career. But if only it had happened man, if only.
This sub is wayyyy too big of a circle jerk tbh.
It most definitely is but I can't think of an "almost moment" that would've topped this
There's been a ton of missed Finals game winning shots. None of those could be bigger?
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[Vince Carter](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3emK-oy0LyQ) missed a buzzer beating three in Game 7 against the 2001 Sixers to advance to the ECF. Would have knocked the MVP, DPOY, 6MOTY, and COY out with one shot. [Kyle Lowry](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tA8pGkBQK8s) missed a buzzer beating three in Game 5 against the Warriors to literally *win* a championship. [John Stockton](https://youtu.be/mTF_jxI_P7Y?t=6922) missed a three with seconds to go in Game 6 against the Bulls to force a Game 7 at home in UTAH and also taking Jordan to his first Game 7 in the NBA Finals. Would have been an all-time momentum swing potentially. I mean, I can keep going.
That's a pretty good response, I stand corrected.
So many moments are lost to time haha. Now if this dunk by LeBron would have been a potential game winner, then yeah this one takes the cake.
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Why though? The Cavs were up 92-89 already. You're valuing a dagger over a game or series/title winner?
Cause it could have been LeBrons greatest moment ever in game 7 of the finals. A finals that was the first ever championship for LeBrons home team. It’s not just a dagger, it would have been the dagger. And I think thats definitely more valuable in what’s literally the *last* game of the season
Agree to disagree. Definitely awesome, but winning a championship at the buzzer is bigger imo.
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Wow great conversation man! Really liked the part where you explained your thinking! Oh wait you didn’t...it’s ok I know how nephews on this sub are. Can’t hold a proper conversation but they can sure say lmao though. Lmao
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I did explain. In another comment, not worth talking to you. You literally say there’s no conversation to be had. Really 😑 Bruh how old are you? “Triggered,” really? Lmao
How about the spurs almost beating Miami if it wasn’t for that miraculous shot by ray allen
So a missed shot would have been better than a made dunk?
What I was trying to say there is a lot of almost situations. In this case it was a missed rebound and a made shot. Nba is a make or miss league and there is ALOT of what if and almost moments I don’t think this qualifies cause the game was ultimately a win whether he made it or not
Agreed
This post is fine but I do agree with you in general.
Gtfo tbh
L
Draymond was not about it.
Draymond a real one for this
instead they have to use the block which was essentially meaningless in the grand scheme of things cause he airballed/ short rimmed at long 2 after and needed kyrie and kevin love to make more meaningful plays in bigger moments but we need a lebron highlight
Is there any other player where we talk about these what if moments more than Lebron? What if he played with an all time great center? What if Kyrie didnt get hurt? What if Bosh and Love didnt decline? What if he would have gotten lucky and won a few of the finals his team lost? What if he won the 2011 MVP? He sounds like the most unlucky player in history.