<Tr> <Th> Western Finals </Th> <Td> Warriors defeated Thunder, 4--3 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> <2015 NBA Finals 2017> </Td> </Tr> <P> The 2016 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA) 2015--16 season and conclusion of the 2016 playoffs . The Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the defending NBA champion and Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors 4--3 in a rematch of the 2015 NBA Finals . It was the 14th rematch of the previous NBA Finals in history, and the first Finals since 2008 in which the number one seed in each conference met . It was the second straight rematch in back - to - back years, as the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs played each other in 2013 and 2014 . </P> <P> Golden State, which earned home - court advantage with setting the NBA regular season wins record (73--9), jumped to a 2--0 lead in the series while recording the largest combined margin of victory (48) through two games in NBA Finals history . Cleveland returned home and responded with a 120--90 win in Game 3, but the Warriors won Game 4 to take a 3--1 series lead . The Cavaliers won the next three games to become the first team in Finals history to successfully overcome a 3--1 deficit . It also marked the first time since 1978 that Game 7 was won by the road team . </P>

When did the cavaliers win the nba championship