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The celebration for the 2016 NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers continues with a downtown parade on Wednesday. The Cavs head home with the Larry O'Brien Trophy and expect a hero's welcome when they step off the plane in Cleveland on Monday afternoon.
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The Cavaliers defeated the Golden State Warriors 93-89 in Game 7 of the NBA Finals in historic fashion on Sunday night, ending the city's 52-year championship drought.
Unanimous Finals MVP LeBron James said after the game that he can't wait to get back to Cleveland.
"What's going through my mind is I'm ready to get back to Cleveland," James said in the postgame press conference. "I can't wait to get off that plane and hold that trophy up and see all our fans at the terminal, IX Jet Center, and I know they're going to be ready. So I can't wait to give the emotion back to them. I'm looking forward to it. That's all."
James wrapped up the title with a 27-point, 11-rebound, 11-assist, three-block performance at a site -- Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif. -- where the Warriors had lost just four times previously, including Game 5, all season.
The Cavs capped a three-game sweep for the Cavaliers, the first-ever in NBA Finals history, after they had fallen behind 3-1 in the best-of-seven series.
"Oh, my goodness," James said when looking ahead to the celebration. "It's gonna probably be one of the biggest -- no, I'm sorry -- it's going to be the biggest party that Cleveland has ever seen. Ever. So, if you guys still have a little money left over in your budget, you guys better make a trip to Cleveland and get a little piece of it."
Meanwhile, President Barack Obama stayed aboard Air Force One to watch the final minutes of Game 7 after landing at Joint Base Andrews on Sunday night, according to ESPN.com.
The First Family was returning from Yosemite Valley, Calif., after a trip to Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico and Yosemite National Park in California.
Air Force One touched down at Andrews at 10:19 p.m. ET, with less than two minutes remaining in the deciding game. At 10:37 p.m., moments after James and the Cavaliers finally brought a championship home to Cleveland, President Obama, a huge basketball fan, jogged down the steps of Air Force One followed by his daughters Malia and Sasha, and First Lady Michelle Obama.
