June 13, 2016. Oracle Arena was supposed to be a burial ground. The Golden State Warriors were up 3-1, having just set the regular-season record with 73 wins, and they were headed back to Oakland to finish off LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. It felt inevitable. Most of us watching honestly thought the series was over. Then, Draymond Green got suspended for a flagrant foul accumulation, and the vibe shifted from a coronation to a street fight. Game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals didn't just save the Cavaliers' season; it fundamentally altered the legacy of the greatest regular-season team in basketball history.
LeBron James and Kyrie Irving did something that night that hadn't happened in the history of the league. They both dropped 41 points. In the same game. On the road. Facing elimination. It was a statistical anomaly that felt like a glitch in the Matrix.
The Draymond Factor and the Turning Tide
People talk about the "Step Over" or "The Block," but the real catalyst for the chaos of Game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals was the absence of Draymond Green. Because of a groin-related swipe at LeBron in Game 4, the NBA issued a Flagrant 1 foul, triggering an automatic one-game suspension for Green. This was huge. Draymond was the defensive engine of that 73-win team. He was the guy who allowed them to play "Death Lineup" small ball. Without him, the Warriors' defense had a massive, gaping hole in its chest.
Steve Kerr tried to patch it. He started Andrew Bogut. But then Bogut went down with a gruesome knee injury early in the third quarter. Suddenly, the Warriors had no rim protection. No emotional leader. No way to stop the freight train that was LeBron James.
LeBron knew it. You could see it in his eyes from the jump. He wasn't just playing basketball; he was deconstructing a defense. He finished with 41 points, 16 rebounds, and 7 assists. But it wasn't just the stat sheet. It was the way he took every shot with a terrifying level of "I’m not losing tonight" energy.
Kyrie Irving’s Masterclass
While LeBron was the hammer, Kyrie Irving was the scalpel. This is the version of Kyrie that fans still talk about—the one who could get to any spot on the floor and finish over anyone. He was 17-of-24 from the field. That is roughly 70 percent. For a point guard. In the Finals.
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He didn't care that Klay Thompson was draped all over him. Klay actually played incredible defense. It didn't matter. Kyrie was hitting fading bank shots, contested triples, and acrobatic layups that defied physics. It was arguably the most efficient high-volume scoring performance by a guard in the history of the championship round. Basically, he turned into a scoring machine that Golden State had no answer for without their defensive anchor.
What Most People Forget About the Warriors' Performance
Everyone focuses on the Cavs' duo, but the Warriors actually kept it close for a while. Klay Thompson was spectacular. He had 37 points and kept them afloat during a first half where Stephen Curry struggled to find his rhythm. The game was actually tied 61-61 at halftime. It was high-level, breathless basketball.
But then the second half happened.
The Warriors' offense stalled. Curry finished with 25 points on 8-of-21 shooting. It wasn't "bad," but it wasn't the MVP-level dominance we expected. The pressure was mounting. You could feel the tension in the building. Oracle Arena, usually the loudest place on Earth, started to get quiet. Really quiet.
Harrison Barnes had a night he’d probably like to erase from his memory. He went 2-for-14 from the field. Wide-open looks? Clank. Corner threes? Short. It was the beginning of a cold streak that would eventually lead the Warriors to pursue Kevin Durant in the offseason. Honestly, if Barnes makes two or three of those shots, the Warriors might have squeezed out a win despite the 82 combined points from LeBron and Kyrie. But he didn't.
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The Strategy Shift
Tyronn Lue deserves more credit than he gets for Game 5. He realized that without Draymond Green, the Warriors couldn't switch as effectively on the perimeter. He hunting the mismatches. He forced Steph Curry into pick-and-roll after pick-and-roll, wearing him down on the defensive end so he wouldn't have the legs to hit those signature 30-footers in the fourth quarter. It was a tactical masterstroke.
Cleveland also dominated the glass. With Bogut out and Green at home, Tristan Thompson became a menace. He only had 6 points, but his 15 rebounds (many of them offensive) gave the Cavs the extra possessions they needed to keep the pressure on.
The Long-Term Fallout of a Single Game
If the Warriors win Game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals, the NBA looks completely different today.
- The 73-9 Warriors are cemented as the greatest team ever.
- Kevin Durant likely stays in Oklahoma City or goes elsewhere.
- LeBron’s legacy in Cleveland remains "unfinished."
Instead, this game gave Cleveland the belief that they could actually do the impossible. It showed the world that the Warriors were human. It exposed a lack of depth in the frontcourt that hadn't been an issue all season.
There's a specific nuance here regarding the officiating and the "conspiracy theories" that popped up at the time. Warriors fans were livid. They felt the league suspended Draymond just to extend the series for ratings. Whether you believe that or not, the fact remains: the Cavs had to play the game. They had to execute. And boy, did they.
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Lessons for Modern Teams
What can we learn from this? First, availability is the greatest ability. Draymond's inability to control his emotions cost his team a ring. Period. Second, superstar talent can override a superior system. The Warriors had the better "system," but on that night, the Cavs had the two best players on the floor, and sometimes, that’s all that matters in the NBA.
The sheer volume of isolation scoring from Irving and James was a throwback to an older era of basketball, yet it worked perfectly against the most modern team in the league. It was a clash of philosophies where "Hero Ball" actually won out because the heroes were playing at a god-like level.
How to Analyze Greatness in Game 5
If you're looking back at the tape of Game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals, don't just look at the highlights. Watch the transition defense. Or the lack thereof from Golden State. Watch how LeBron James controlled the pace of the game. He didn't let the Warriors run. He slowed it down, forced half-court sets, and systematically picked apart a defense that was missing its brain.
To truly understand why this game mattered, you have to look at the psychological shift. Before this game, the Cavs were playing like a team that was just happy to be there. After Game 5, they played like a team that knew they were better.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans and Analysts
To get the most out of revisiting this historical moment, follow these steps:
- Watch the Full Third Quarter: This is where the Bogut injury happened and where Kyrie Irving went on his tear. It’s the most pivotal 12 minutes of the entire 2016 series.
- Compare the Shot Charts: Look at where LeBron took his shots compared to Game 1 and 2. In Game 5, he was much more aggressive in the mid-range, which opened up the lane for Kyrie.
- Read the Post-Game Pressers: Specifically, listen to Klay Thompson and Steph Curry. You can hear the doubt starting to creep in. It’s a rare look at a dynasty beginning to wobble.
- Evaluate the Draymond Suspension Impact: Research the "accumulation" rule for flagrant fouls. It wasn't just the LeBron incident; it was a season-long trend of technicals and flagrants that caught up to him at the worst possible time.
The 112-97 victory for Cleveland wasn't just a win; it was a statement. It set the stage for Game 6 in Cleveland and the legendary Game 7 back in Oakland. But without the 41-point outbursts in Game 5, none of that happens. The 2016 Finals would be a footnote rather than the greatest comeback in sports history.
The beauty of basketball is that one game, one suspension, and one injury can change everything. Game 5 proved that even a 73-win juggernaut is only one bad night away from disaster. It remains the blueprint for how to take down a giant. By the time the final buzzer sounded, the aura of invincibility surrounding the Golden State Warriors had vanished, replaced by the cold reality that they were going back to Cleveland for a Game 6 they never wanted to play.