Return to the Cavaliers (2014–present) LeBron James
1 return cavaliers (2014–present)
1.1 2014 free agency
1.2 ending 52-year cleveland sports curse (2014–2016)
1.3 post-championship (2017–present)
return cavaliers (2014–present)
2014 free agency
james throws pass against minnesota timberwolves in december 2014. later season, reached several passing milestones, including becoming cavaliers all-time assists leader.
on june 25, 2014, james opted out of contract heat , officially became unrestricted free agent on july 1. on july 11, revealed via first-person essay in sports illustrated intended return cavaliers. in contrast decision, announcement return cleveland received. on july 12, officially signed team, had compiled league-worst 97–215 record in 4 seasons following departure. month after james s signing, cavaliers acquired kevin love minnesota timberwolves, forming new star trio along kyrie irving.
ending 52-year cleveland sports curse (2014–2016)
in january of 2014–15 season, james missed 2 weeks due left knee , lower strains, longest stretch of missed games in career. in total, played career-low 69 games , final averages 25.3 points, 6 rebounds, , 7.4 assists per game. in second round of playoffs, hit baseline jumper @ buzzer give cleveland 2–2 series tie bulls. in conference finals, cavaliers defeated hawks advance finals, making james first player since 1960s play in 5 consecutive finals. of finals against golden state warriors, irving , love sidelined due injury, giving james more offensive responsibilities. behind leadership, cavaliers opened series 2–1 lead before being eliminated in 6 games. despite loss, received serious consideration finals mvp award, averaging 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds, , 8.8 assists per game championship round.
during 2015–16 season, james criticized role in several off-court controversies, including midseason firing of cavaliers head coach david blatt. despite these distractions, cleveland finished year 57 wins , best record in east. james s final averages 25.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, , 6.8 assists per game on 52 percent shooting. in playoffs, cavaliers advanced comfortably finals, losing 2 games en route rematch warriors, coming off record-setting 73 win season. begin series, cleveland fell behind 3–1, including 2 blowout losses. james responded registering back-to-back 41 point games in games 5 , 6, leading cavaliers 2 consecutive wins stave off elimination. in game 7, posted triple-double , made number of key plays, including memorable chase-down block on andre iguodala in final 2 minutes, cleveland emerged victorious, winning city s first professional sports title in 52 years , becoming first team in nba history come 3–1 series deficit in finals. james became third player record triple-double in nba finals game 7, , behind series averages of 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, 8.9 assists, 2.3 blocks, , 2.6 steals per game, became first player in league history lead both teams in 5 statistical categories playoff round, culminating in unanimous finals mvp selection.
post-championship (2017–present)
the 2016–17 season marred injuries , unexpected losses cavaliers; james later described 1 of strangest years of career. following january defeat new orleans pelicans, publicly criticized cleveland s front office constructing team felt top heavy , received criticism. cavaliers finished season east s second seed, james averaging 26.4 points , career highs in rebounds (8.6), assists (8.7), , turnovers (4.1) per game. in game 3 of first round of postseason, registered 41 points, 13 rebounds, , 12 assists against pacers, leading cleveland comeback victory after trailing 25 points @ halftime, representing largest halftime deficit overcome in nba playoff history. in game 5 of eastern conference finals against celtics, james scored 35 points , surpassed michael jordan league s all-time postseason scoring leader. cavaliers won game , series, advancing third consecutive finals against warriors. behind averages of 33.6 points, 12 rebounds, , 10 assists per game, james became first player average triple-double in finals, cleveland defeated in 5 games.
after starting 2017–18 season 3–5 record, james led cavaliers 130–122 win on washington wizards on november 3 end four-game losing skid. scored 57 points in game set second-highest point total of career, making 23 of 34 field-goal tries , 9 free throws, adding 11 rebounds , 7 assists. james reached @ least 10 points 800th game in row, joining michael jordan (866) other nba player streak long. james became youngest player reach 29,000 career points in nba. on november 28, 2017, james ejected first time in career during third quarter of cavaliers 108–97 win on miami heat. james in midst of 1,082nd career regular season game, , 1,299th overall.
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