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An oral history of the swat that changed Cleveland history

An all-time classic NBA Finals was coming to a close with the title still very much up for grabs.

Through the first six games of the Finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors had both scored exactly 610 points, even though every game had been decided by 10 points or more.

Finally, mercifully, Game 7 saw that balance on display over four consecutive quarters, as Klay Thompson's layup with 4:39 remaining tied the game at 89-89. The score stayed locked there for the next several minutes as a blend of nerves, fatigue and defensive gusto caused clank after clank.