In a recent interview, NBA star LeBron James commented that if he hit the game-winning shot in a playoff final game last year then basketball would have been different forever. The issue arises whether or not this statement is true as it could mean changes to the way games are played and officiated.
The “basketball punch in the face” is a phrase that is often used when discussing how the game of basketball would be if someone made a change. The phrase has been used to describe a number of different things, including changing the rules of the game.
The NBA landscape in 2015 was considerably different. LeBron James returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers for his second season, taking them to the Finals for the second time in team history. 2,500 miles away, Stephen Curry, the first-ever MVP, was leading the Golden State Warriors to their first Finals trip in 40 years.
The Cavaliers and Warriors were scheduled to face off in the first of four championship matches in a row, with Golden State winning three of them. Former Cavs player Shumpert, Iman, on the other hand, relived a critical turning moment in their first Finals encounter that eventually influenced the next few years of basketball history in the opening game of their first Finals matchup.
In the 2015 NBA Finals, the Golden State Warriors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Few were surprised to see the Warriors and Cavaliers go head-to-head for the Larry O’Brien Trophy, despite their unfamiliarity. Golden State had an NBA-best 67-15 record in 2014-15, owing in large part to a game-changing 3-point shooting barrage that led the league in scoring. Meanwhile, James, who has been in each of the previous four NBA Finals with the Miami Heat, helped the Cavs to a 53-29 record.
Several nail-biting endings kicked off the season. The Warriors won Game 1 and the Cavaliers won Game 2. Both games went to overtime, with the Warriors winning the first and the Cavaliers winning the second. After winning Game 3 by five points, Cleveland took a 2-1 lead in the series. The Warriors, on the other hand, responded with victory in Games 4 and 5, owing in large part to strong fourth-quarter performances.
Despite LeBron’s 32-18-9 stat line in Game 6, Cleveland was unable to advance to the seventh and final game of the series. Golden State won their first championship since 1975 with an eight-point win. Andre Iguodala, who didn’t make his NBA debut until Game 4, was named Finals MVP.
With all due respect to the Warriors, it’s fair to say that the Cavaliers’ loss was due to the absence of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. In Game 4 of the first round, Love, who was in his first season with Cleveland, had a dislocated shoulder, which terminated his playoffs. Irving, on the other hand, suffered a left kneecap fracture in overtime of Game 1 against the Warriors.
Iman Shumpert attributes the Warriors’ success on his missed shot.
When Iman Shumpert’s offensive rebound and heave at the end of regulation missed by millimeters, Game 1 in 2015 went to overtime. When J.R. Smith collects the offensive rebound and… dribbles out the clock in Game 1 of 2018, the game goes to overtime.
1 June 2018 — Jason Lloyd (@ByJasonLloyd)
Shumpert, a 10-year veteran, joined the Cavaliers in the middle of the season after spending the previous three seasons with the New York Knicks. He eventually developed into a respected 3-and-D player for Cleveland, starting all six games of his first-ever Finals series.
With about four seconds remaining in regulation, James hit a step-back jumper near the left corner over Iguodala to break a 98-98 tie in Game 1. The shot smacked against the back of the basket and rebounded to Shumpert in the other corner. Shumpert collected the ball off a bounce with less than a second left and unleashed a desperation shot in mid-air, nearly missing the potential game-winner.
The 31-year-old relived that specific mistake against the Warriors in a recent appearance with The Bootleg Kev Podcast. He went on to say how the shot resulted in Irving’s injury minutes later and the team’s ultimate loss in the Finals.
“If I put that missed shot back in in Game 1, it’s a different series because Ky never [hurts] his knee,” he said. If I hit it, basketball would never be the same again. Because you wouldn’t be shooting all these threes if you weren’t.”
Iman Shumpert
The 6-foot-5 guard, who last played for the Brooklyn Nets in 2020-21, also hinted that Cleveland, rather than Golden State, will be the dynasty. As a consequence, they were able to sign Kevin Durant.
“KD will probably come over and play with us [in Cleveland] instead of against them,” Shumpert added. “KD would have said, ‘They won over there, I’m coming over here and shaking hands with them.’ ‘Me and Bron are going to play together, and you’re going to be upset.’ However, it would have killed basketball as well.”
The Cavaliers-Warriors rivalry is one of the most storied in NBA history.
*{padding:0;margin:0;overflow:hidden} html,bodyheight:100% img,spanposition:absolute;width:100% ;top:0;bottom:0;margin:auto;bodyheight:100% html,bodyheight:100% html,bodyheight:100% html,bodyheight:100% html,bodyheight:100% html,bodyheight:100% html,bodyhe spanheight:1.5em;text-align:center;font:48px/1.5 sans-serif;color:white;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black;text-shadow
Cavaliers supporters who felt betrayed after losing in 2015 with a depleted squad got their retribution in 2016. Durant and company got the final laugh a year later for Warriors supporters who were heartbroken after witnessing their 73-9 squad crumble. Plus, right before the King left for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018, there was one more Finals matchup.
Even though the Warriors and their three triumphs will forever own the rivalry, there’s no doubting the history these teams created. The four Finals games between Cleveland and Golden State established a record for the most consecutive titles in the four major North American sports.
Shumpert’s remarks, though, raise some intriguing “what-ifs.” Do the Cavaliers have a chance to win the 2015 NBA Finals if they win Game 1? What effect does this have on the next year? Is it possible for the Warriors to win a championship? Where will Durant sign his contract? And how many rings does LeBron finish up having to cement his status as the GOAT?
We’ll never know in the end. At the very least, it’s an interesting debate.
Basketball Reference provided all statistics.
RELATED: Kevin Love Makes an Eye-Opening Admission About the Cleveland Cavaliers’ History-Making 2016 Season As Underachievers
Watch This Video-
Related Tags
- kevin durant net worth
- kevin durant teams
- new york nba basketball teams
