Cleveland completes improbable comeback to win NBA title

NEW YORK (AA) – The Cleveland Cavaliers became NBA champions Sunday night after overcoming a 3-1 series deficit to beat last year’s winners, the Golden State Warriors.

Led by LeBron James’ triple double with 27 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds, the Cavaliers gave the city its first major sports title in half a century.

The 93-89 victory was sealed on a 3-pointer by Kyrie Irving that gave Cleveland the lead for good against a Warriors that beat the Cavaliers a year ago in the Finals, and that this year surpassed the NBA’s regular season win record with 73 victories.

The championship is a personal triumph for James, who won the series MVP. He left Cleveland in 2010 to join the Miami Heat after failing to win a title in his first seven seasons with the Cavaliers.

He went on to win back-to-back titles with the Heat and became an instant villain in Cleveland where he was once the hometown hero.

His return in 2014 was enough to rebuild bridges. After he carried the team to the Finals in his first season back in Cleveland, he led the Cavaliers to its first championship in franchise history a year later.

Sunday's victory marks the first time the city has won a major sports title since 1964, when the Browns clinched an NFL championship.