“Me personally, wanted to see the Golden State again” – LeBron James admitted he was only waiting to battle it out against the Warriors in 2016
“Me personally, wanted to see the Golden State again” – LeBron James admitted he was only waiting to battle it out against the Warriors in 2016
(© Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports)
Yakshpat Bhargava
When people talk about the 2015-16 NBA season, the focus is almost always on the Golden State Warriors — the team that shattered records by registering a 73-9 record, becoming just the second squad to win 70 or more games in a regular season campaign.
Moreover, with the Dubs having Stephen Curry, with two other All-Stars and All-NBA selectees in Draymond Green and Klay Thompson also on their roster, there seemed no reason for anyone to believe in the championship prowess of anyone else but theirs.
But while the Dubs commanded the spotlight, the Cleveland Cavaliers were quietly dominating the Eastern Conference, finishing with the best record and enduring just two losses en route to reaching the championship round. For LeBron James, however, none of that mattered. His sole mission was revenge.
“The King” was only keen on facing the Warriors on the grandest stage
Despite their top spot in the East, the Cavaliers faced their share of turmoil throughout the regular season.
At times, they looked like a team without an identity, especially when Kyrie Irving wasn’t part of their first 24 games.
That uncertainty led to the dismissal of head coach David Blatt, and Tyronn Lue was promoted to steer the ship.
From there, the team began to find its rhythm, developing a dual threat: a top-10 offensive and defensive force heading into the postseason.
The playoffs were where the Cavs started to look unbeatable.
They clean-swept both the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks before facing a slightly tougher test in the Toronto Raptors, who pushed the series to six games.
Yet, through it all, the four-time MVP was unmoved by the stats or form, as he wasn’t chasing dominance for the sake of numbers. Instead, he had one clear target – the Warriors.
“Me personally, wanted to see the Golden State again,” the 21-time All-Star admitted.
James rose to the occasion when the going got tough for the Cavs
To the public, it was the 6’9″ forward’s sheer determination to deliver Cleveland its first-ever NBA championship that fueled his legendary performances, dropping back-to-back 41-point games to force a Game 7 and surviving three straight elimination games. But to LBJ, it wasn’t just about making history for Cleveland. It was personal.
He wanted to silence the hype around the Warriors and settle the score from the 2015 NBA Finals, where Golden State had denied him the title in six games.
In that historic 2016 NBA Finals, “The Akron Hammer” led both teams in virtually every possible statistical category: minutes played, played, assists, rebounds, blocks, and steals. Put simply, it was a masterclass in two-way dominance.
He knew who the real obstacle was, and when the opponents were confirmed to be the Warriors, he kept his energy reserved for the final act, refusing to burn out like the year before.
That time around, James was ready. Without mincing his words, he even admitted that he already had his sights and motivation set on battling it out against the most hyped and in-form team on the grandest stage.
And sure enough, he pulled off the ultimate comeback, leading the Cavs from a 3-1 deficit to win it all, cementing his legacy in picture-perfect fashion.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
