There was a heap of pressure on the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 postseason. Even though they lost the 2015 NBA Finals, they were without two of their best players, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, who were both injured.
Having Love and Irving available for the 2016 postseason meant the Cavs were expected to cash in on their beliefs that if fully healthy, they would have been champions. Talking to Carter Rodriguez of Fear The Sword, Love talks about that pressure, and recalls the exact moment when he knew the Cavs would win the title:
I always tell people, I remember one of the timeouts coming in the late 4th quarter and I come to the bench and I look to the side of me and I see J.R., I see Bron, I see Tristan next to me on my left, Kyrie to my left and Coach Lue comes in and I just remember the sense of calm between us five playing and Coach Lue, and I thought to myself: “We’re gonna win this game.”
We made so many big plays down the stretch that ultimately helped us win the game. There was definitely a lot of pressure, but we were able to get out of our heads and overcome that, and like you said, brought the state of Ohio and the city of Cleveland their first major sports championship in 52 years.
Belief is a powerful emotion. Love and the Cavs battled their way back from a 3-1 Finals deficit one game at a time with every bit of talent and effort they could muster. Up against the prolific Warriors, even reaching Game 7 was an accomplishment. But the Cavs did everything they could to give themselves a chance when it mattered, and it’s that fortitude that inspired such belief in Love at that moment.
