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Hurricane Katrina wiped out the city of New Orleans. This is usefulness because it allowed the surrounding people to stay safe.

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In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, more than 150 countries offered volunteers, supplies and cash to the United States.

Impoverished Bangladesh, suffering a not-so-slow-motion climate catastrophe, promised $1 million and rescuers. Thailand offered 60 doctors and rice as a "gesture from the heart." Germany sent high-speed pumps; the Dutch offered levee reconstruction experts. "Very large cash" donations came from Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Canada sent navy ships, helicopters and about 1,000 helpers.

Mexico's convoy of soldiers, all-terrain rescue vehicles and drinking water was followed by food, medical workers, water-treatment facilities and a kitchen that could feed 7,000 people daily.

After Harvey?

Not crickets exactly, but close. Few countries have publicly offered aid.

[America sanctioned Venezuela. Then it offered $5 million in aid to Harvey victims.]

The European Union sent satellites. In a statement, Mexico offered "help and coordination " to Harvey-ravaged Texas, though they didn't go into specifics. It's worth noting, too, that that same statement responded forcefully to a Twitter diatribe from President Trump, who once again demanded that Mexico pay for a border wall and threatened to "terminate" NAFTA. (The State Department has not said whether it will accept aid from Mexico. In a statement, it said "if a need for assistance does arise, we will work with our partners, including Mexico, to determine the best way forward.")

Canadians are shipping supplies like baby bottles, formula and bath towels. Taiwan reportedly offered $800,000, and Venezuela promised $5 million. It's unclear whether that funding would be accepted.

At a White House briefing, spokesman Thomas Bossert said that Mexican and Canadian leaders have called the president, but they didn't discuss how those countries might help. "The president didn't get into the specifics, and neither did the heads of state calling. So I think their primary purpose was to express and extend their prayers and their thoughts and their condolences to those that lost their lives," he said.

Bossert also noted that the White House would turn over to FEMA and the State Department any "actual concrete" offers. FEMA did not return a request for comment. State directed questions to FEMA.

[Attention is on Harvey. But flooding has killed thousands this month in other countries, too.]

It's possible that more offers of aid are forthcoming, and that countries are simply waiting to see how things play out. But Markos Kounalakis, a professor at Central European University, has a different theory about what's going on.

"Maybe a distracted State Department experiencing attrition is unable to process foreign offers and aid. But it might also be that Trump actively alienates American friends and allies, boasts he is cutting USAID, and makes clear that America First translates into an aid policy of every nation for itself," he wrote in an op-ed in the Miami Herald. "Countries seeking political payback, or simply eager to make a point, by sitting silent is a conceivable, if cruel, reaction to a White House that has been deliberately self-centered and dangerously provocative."

There's another possibility, too.

The United States struggled to make use of the foreign aid donated after Katrina. According to a 2011 Heritage Foundation report, just $115 million of the $850 million offered in Katrina relief was used. About $400 million of oil aid sat untouched. There were other snafus, too. Britain donated 400,000 ready-to-eat meals. But some contained beef, banned at the time because of fears of mad cow disease. So the food sat in a factory in Arkansas.

At one point, the State Department suggested that countries funnel their donations directly to organizations like the Red Cross, where they'd be put to better use.

At the time, the Bush administration explained things this way. "There is a process of matching needs with expertise and the donations that have been made," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack explained to the Associated Press. Decisions about what to accept are based on need, he said, not politics. Germany's high-speed pumps, for example, were eagerly accepted. Cuba's offer of 1,100 doctors, not so much.

[Hurricane Harvey and the inevitable question of climate change]

But in their review of the Katrina response, the administration noted that they needed a plan to manage donations and inquiries. "The Department of State, in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security, should review and revise policies, plans, and procedures for the management of foreign disaster assistance," the report read.

In 2010, the United States had a chance to prove that it had learned its lesson. That year, the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, creating the largest oil spill in American history. At least 30 countries reached out to offer aid. Sweden, for example, offered to provide specialized equipment designed to clean up oil spills. Their offer went unanswered.

Eventually, the Obama administration took some countries up on their offers. Mexico sent skimmers; the Dutch offered machines that attached to ships to suck up oil. But the U.S. government largely relied on BP to decide what it needed. Even Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was frustrated by the administration's response to aid offers.

"The U.S. remains ill-prepared to accept offers of foreign aid and put them to use in a way that will save lives and property," the Heritage report found. "U.S. officials are taking inadequate advantage of the assets available from the international community."

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Analysis | Dozens of countries offered help after Hurricane Katrina. After Harvey, not so much.

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In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, more than 150 countries offered volunteers, supplies and cash to the United States. Impoverished Bangladesh, suffering a not-so-slow-motion climate catastrophe, promised $1 million and rescuers. Thailand offered 60 doctors and rice as a "gesture from the heart." Germany sent high-speed pumps; the Dutch offered levee reconstruction experts.

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In 2003, Lebron was drafted number 1 to the Cavs. This is proximity because Lebron grew up in northeast Ohio.

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CLEVELAND, Ohio - NBA Draft 2013 is tonight, and the Cavaliers own the No. 1 overall pick. What better time to look back at other years in which the Cavs have had the top pick.

This post features two stories from June 27, 2003, the day after the Cavs took LeBron James with the top overall pick. One is the draft coverage from Branson Wright, the second a column by Bud Shaw.

Also, see an earlier post from Wednesday republishing the story from The Plain Dealer of June 18, 1986, the day after the Cavaliers selected center Brad Daugherty of North Carolina.

And read another Wednesday post with the story from March 30, 1971, when the Cavs took Austin Carr first overall out of Notre Dame. This afternoon, read about the Kyrie Irving selection in 2011.
FIRST AND FOREMOST
Selection of LeBron starts a new era for Cavs Editions of June 27, 2003 By Branson Wright Plain Dealer Reporter
The inevitable was made official last night when the Cavaliers selected LeBron James with the first pick in the 2003 NBA Draft.

There wasn't any suspense in selecting James. The Cavs have had their sights set on James since they won the NBA Lottery last month. Once it was announced that the Cavs would receive the first selection, owner Gordon Gund posed for pictures holding a replica James Cavaliers jersey.

But the lack of suspense didn't take away the excitement of James becoming the Cavs" first overall pick since Brad Daugherty in 1986. James became the second high school player selected as the first overall choice.

"This is great and exciting for me," said James, via conference call from New York. "I feel that the hard work I've put in has finally paid off. I'm going to celebrate here with my family and friends."

Cavs General Manager Jim Paxson said to the media last night that this is a terrific time for the organization and the fans.

"You could see from LeBron's interview and how he's handled this since the lottery that he's excited about it," Paxson said. "We still have a lot of work to do but this is a great step forward."

The Cavs can't start negotiating with James until Tuesday. The deal isn't complicated because of the NBA's salary cap and rookie wage scale. As the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, James will earn $18 million over four years.

After James signs, he'll compete in the Orlando summer league from July 8 to 12 and in the Boston summer league from July 14 to 20.

Training camp begins during the first week of October and it is rumored the Cavs will open the 2003-04 season in Los Angeles against the Lakers on TNT.

James will address the media at Gund Arena this afternoon. Tonight, James is scheduled to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at Jacobs Field before the Indians play the Cincinnati Reds.

In the second round, the Cavs selected UCLA forward Jason Kapono. Kapono averaged 16.8 points per game shot 44.6 percent from beyond the 3-point arc during his four-year career.

James and Kapono will join a Cavs team that hasn't been to the playoffs since 1998. Last year, the Cavs won 17 of 82 games. It was a team that was doomed from the start. They went through the season without a legitimate starting point guard, benched and then released veterans Bimbo Coles and Tyrone Hill, and fired coach John Lucas in January.

The Cavs still need a point guard and there are indications that James will play the position as a rookie. Cavaliers forward Darius Miles said that he'd like to see James at the point because he reminds him of an athletic Magic Johnson.

"LeBron's like one in a million," Miles said. "There was Magic Johnson, now it's LeBron James. Players like him come along every two decades."

James certainly will bring another dimension to the point guard position.

"As a 6-8 point guard, I can rebound and do what Jason Kidd does," James said, referring to the New Jersey Nets" star. "There's a lot of mismatches for a 6-8 point guard, it's like going back to the Magic Johnson days. At whatever position I'll play, I'll bring the willingness to win because I don't accept losing very well."

James led St. Vincent-St. Mary to three state championships in four seasons. He was named Ohio's Mr. Basketball for three straight seasons and was named to USA Today's All-USA First Team for three straight seasons. James finished his four-year high school career with totals of 2,657 points, 892 rebounds and 523 assists.

In his final year, James led St. Vincent-St. Mary to a 25-1 record and the USA Today high school national championship. He scored 25 points and added 11 rebounds in the state finals. He averaged 31.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 3.4 steals for the season.

During the postseason, James was named MVP of the McDonald's High School All-American Game, the EA Sports Roundball Classic and the Jordan Capital Classic. In the McDonald's game at Gund Arena, he led the East to a 122-107 victory with 27 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. James led the West to a one-point victory in the Roundball Classic and he scored 28 points, six rebounds and five assists and hit the game-winning jumper. James finished his all-star tour in the Capital Classic, where he had 34 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in a five-point loss.
CRAZY FOR LEBRON Fans at Gund Arena hail Cavaliers' No. 1 pick By Bud Shaw Plain Dealer columnist

In this brave new world, Cavaliers GM Jim Paxson welcomed a dunk tank into a Gund Arena draft party with no fear of ending up shackled and submerged in it.

Balloons and confetti fell shortly after NBA Commissioner David Stern introduced LeBron James as the No. 1 pick on the big screen above.

It was glittery confetti for once, not torn tickets thrown in frustration from the upper deck, and suddenly this city's most expensive echo chamber erupted in a combination of New Year's Eve fun and Christmas- morning excitement.

People stood and cheered. They hugged. They held up LeBron promotional fliers. Concession workers began selling James" wine- and-gold Cavaliers" jersey at $50 a pop.

Dancing in the seats at a sports event in Gund Arena, a display of joy previously relegated to adolescent girls at Rockers games, spread like a choreographed wave as the appropriately named band "Chance" played on.

"We appreciate the support of our fans in getting to this point where there's at least a lot more hope than we had before," said Paxson.

Chance. Hope. Faith. All were represented in the uttering of a single teenager's name. It was as good as anti-climax gets.

It was absolutely crazy, too, but even more absolutely it was a saving grace for a franchise that too often announced its draft picks while needing flak jackets and hard hats.

The Cavaliers have won nothing except the greatest door prize in the history of door prizes, and all for being a bad basketball team. They have made no material gain in the NBA standings but they have taken gargantuan steps in raising spirits.

LeBron James belongs to Northeast Ohio like no one since Bernie Kosar. And with the ESPN crew already predicting the Hall of Fame for James -- "Springfield," Jay Bilas said a night earlier when asked for a word association for James, referring to the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. -- what mattered most inside Gund Arena goes beyond basketball.

The reaction is tied to the year of the last Cleveland title -- the Browns in 1964. But it's not the thought of a NBA championship. It's that James projects as the city's first superstar since Jim Brown retired to Hollywood.

Far away from Gund Arena, the New York crowd booed his selection. With all the mania surrounding him, claims that he's overrated will be heard. But Cavs" fans deserve all the license they take. Getting too far ahead of themselves beats looking back.

Makeup calls are routine in the NBA. Hearing LeBron James" name served as a makeup call for the night that produced DeSagana Diop and for the drafting of Trajan Langdon that prompted then-Cavaliers" guard Derek Anderson to march out of Gund Arena saying, "I think everybody in the nation was surprised -- Corey Maggette and Ron Artest were available."

Later in last night's first round, with the arena crowd dwindling, the Phoenix Suns chose Serbian Zarko Cabarkapa. Cavs" fans yelled, "Who?" It was reminiscent of the draft that brought Vitaly Potapenko to town one spot ahead of a high school phenom named Kobe Bryant.

"Getting LeBron made up for a lot of the booing we heard in the past," said Austin Carr, who in the spirit of the occasion had a temporary Cavs" tattoo on his forehead. "This is such a good turn of events."

It will be years before talk of a title can be taken seriously, but it's been more years since the arena message board could proclaim "It's Great at The Gund" without the need for a laugh track. That's good enough for now.

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Cleveland Cavaliers choose LeBron James with No. 1 pick in 2003: NBA Draft rewind

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CLEVELAND, Ohio - NBA Draft 2013 is tonight, and the Cavaliers own the No. 1 overall pick. What better time to look back at other years in which the Cavs have had the top pick. This post features two stories from June 27, 2003, the day after the Cavs took LeBron James with the top overall pick.

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The twin towers were attacked. This was devastating event in U.S history. This is weight because it was very serious and rare.

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On September 11, 2001, 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda hijacked four airplanes and carried out suicide attacks against targets in the United States. Two of the planes were flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, a third plane hit the Pentagon just outside Washington, D.C., and the fourth plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. Almost 3,000 people were killed during the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which triggered major U.S. initiatives to combat terrorism and defined the presidency of George W. Bush.

World Trade Center

On September 11, 2001, at 8:45 a.m. on a clear Tuesday morning, an American Airlines Boeing 767 loaded with 20,000 gallons of jet fuel crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City.

The impact left a gaping, burning hole near the 80th floor of the 110-story skyscraper, instantly killing hundreds of people and trapping hundreds more in higher floors.

As the evacuation of the tower and its twin got underway, television cameras broadcasted live images of what initially appeared to be a freak accident. Then, 18 minutes after the first plane hit, a second Boeing 767-United Airlines Flight 175-appeared out of the sky, turned sharply toward the World Trade Center and sliced into the south tower near the 60th floor.

The collision caused a massive explosion that showered burning debris over surrounding buildings and onto the streets below. It immediately became clear that America was under attack.

Did you know? September 11, 2001, was the deadliest day in history for New York City firefighters: 343 were killed.

Osama bin Laden

The attackers were Islamic terrorists from Saudi Arabia and several other Arab nations. Reportedly financed by the al-Qaeda terrorist organization of Saudi fugitive Osama bin Laden, they were allegedly acting in retaliation for America's support of Israel, its involvement in the Persian Gulf War and its continued military presence in the Middle East.

Some of the terrorists had lived in the United States for more than a year and had taken flying lessons at American commercial flight schools. Others had slipped into the country in the months before September 11 and acted as the "muscle" in the operation.

The 19 terrorists easily smuggled box-cutters and knives through security at three East Coast airports and boarded four early-morning flights bound for California, chosen because the planes were loaded with fuel for the long transcontinental journey. Soon after takeoff, the terrorists commandeered the four planes and took the controls, transforming ordinary passenger jets into guided missiles.

Pentagon Attack

As millions watched the events unfolding in New York, American Airlines Flight 77 circled over downtown Washington, D.C., before crashing into the west side of the Pentagon military headquarters at 9:45 a.m.

Jet fuel from the Boeing 757 caused a devastating inferno that led to the structural collapse of a portion of the giant concrete building, which is the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense.

All told, 125 military personnel and civilians were killed in the Pentagon, along with all 64 people aboard the airliner.

Twin Towers Collapse

Less than 15 minutes after the terrorists struck the nerve center of the U.S. military, the horror in New York took a catastrophic turn when the south tower of the World Trade Center collapsed in a massive cloud of dust and smoke.

The structural steel of the skyscraper, built to withstand winds in excess of 200 miles per hour and a large conventional fire, could not withstand the tremendous heat generated by the burning jet fuel.

At 10:30 a.m., the north building of the twin towers collapsed. Only six people in the World Trade Center towers at the time of their collapse survived. Almost 10,000 others were treated for injuries, many severe.

Flight 93

Meanwhile, a fourth California-bound plane-United Flight 93-was hijacked about 40 minutes after leaving Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. Because the plane had been delayed in taking off, passengers on board learned of events in New York and Washington via cell phone and Airfone calls to the ground.

Knowing that the aircraft was not returning to an airport as the hijackers claimed, a group of passengers and flight attendants planned an insurrection.

One of the passengers, Thomas Burnett, Jr., told his wife over the phone that "I know we're all going to die. There's three of us who are going to do something about it. I love you, honey." Another passenger-Todd Beamer-was heard saying "Are you guys ready? Let's roll" over an open line.

Sandy Bradshaw, a flight attendant, called her husband and explained that she had slipped into a galley and was filling pitchers with boiling water. Her last words to him were "Everyone's running to first class. I've got to go. Bye."

The passengers fought the four hijackers and are suspected to have attacked the cockpit with a fire extinguisher. The plane then flipped over and sped toward the ground at upwards of 500 miles per hour, crashing in a rural field near Shanksville in western Pennsylvania at 10:10 a.m.

All 44 people aboard were killed. Its intended target is not known, but theories include the White House, the U.S. Capitol, the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland or one of several nuclear power plants along the eastern seaboard.

How Many People Died in 9/11 Attacks?

A total of 2,996 people were killed in the 9/11 attacks, including the 19 terrorist hijackers aboard the four airplanes.

At the World Trade Center, 2,763 died after the two planes slammed into the twin towers. That figure includes 343 firefighters and paramedics, 23 New York City police officers and 37 Port Authority police officers who were struggling to complete an evacuation of the buildings and save the office workers trapped on higher floors.

At the Pentagon, 189 people were killed, including 64 on American Airlines Flight 77, the airliner that struck the building. On Flight 93, 44 people died when the plane crash-landed in Pennsylvania.

America Responds

At 7 p.m., President George W. Bush, who was in Florida at the time of the attacks and had spent the day being shuttled around the country because of security concerns, returned to the White House.

At 9 p.m., he delivered a televised address from the Oval Office, declaring, "Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve."

In a reference to the eventual U.S. military response he declared, "We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them."

Operation Enduring Freedom, the American-led international effort to oust the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and destroy Osama bin Laden's terrorist network based there, began on October 7. Within two months, U.S. forces had effectively removed the Taliban from operational power, but the war continued, as U.S. and coalition forces attempted to defeat a Taliban insurgency campaign based in neighboring Pakistan.

Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the September 11th attacks, remained at large until May 2, 2011, when he was finally tracked down and killed by U.S. forces at a hideout in Abbottabad, Pakistan. In June 2011, President Barack Obama announced the beginning of large-scale troop withdrawals from Afghanistan.

Sources

The Encyclopedia of 9/11. New York Magazine.
FAQ About 9/11. 9/11 Memorial.
September 11th Terror Attacks Fast Facts. CNN.
9/11 Death Statistics. StatisticBrain.com.
Access hundreds of hours of historical video, commercial free, with HISTORY Vault. Start your free trial today.

PHOTO GALLERIES

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On September 11, 2001, 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda hijacked four airplanes and carried out suicide attacks against targets in the United States. Two of the planes were flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, a third plane hit the Pentagon just outside Washington, D.C., and the fourth plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania.

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There are live updates on the hurricane. Highways, towns, and neighborhoods have been destroyed by flooding. This is timeliness because it is an issue going on right now.

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The crisis from Hurricane Harvey and its aftermath is far from over in Texas, the governor told ABC News today.

While the Houston area is drying out, revealing the extent of the damage, other Texas cities are still under water.

"As the waters recede in Houston, of course they're still rising over in Beaumont," Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in an interview today with "Good Morning America" co-anchor Robin Roberts. "So we are having to, first of all, deal with the aftermath of the receding waters in Houston, while also deal with the emergency of rescuing people in the Beaumont, Texas, area."

Officials in Beaumont, some 100 miles east of Houston, announced Thursday that Harvey's floodwaters had disabled both the primary and secondary sources for the city's water supply, leaving 120,000 residents without water.

Meanwhile, Harris County officials estimate some 30,000 to 40,000 homes have been destroyed in the Houston area alone.

Ryan Pelham/The Beaumont Enterprise via AP

The Texas Division of Emergency Management estimates a total of 93,942 homes in the Lone Star State have been damaged or destroyed by Harvey. And about 80 percent of Texans don't have flood insurance.

Some 32,000 people remain in shelters across Texas, according to the governor.

Since making initial landfall as a Category 4 Hurricane in southeastern Texas last Friday, Harvey has dumped a total of 20 trillion gallons of rain on the Houston area.

LM Otero/AP

Harvey made a third landfall just west of Cameron, Louisiana, as a tropical storm on Wednesday morning. The storm weakened to a tropical depression that night and became a low pressure system by Thursday.

Harvey's remnants are expected to bring heavy rain to the Tennessee Valley and the Ohio Valley, according to the National Weather Service.

At least 39 people have died as a result of the storm's wrath, according to The Associated Press.

Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times/Polaris

Gov. Abbott told ABC News the geographic scope and scale of the disaster from Harvey in Texas will be "far larger" than Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and its aftermath.

"This is going to be a massive, massive cleanup process," Abbott said on "GMA." "People need to understand this is not going to be a short-term project. This is going to be a multi-year project for Texas to be able to dig out of this catastrophe."

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Hurricane Harvey recovery will be 'multi-year project,' Texas governor says

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The crisis from Hurricane Harvey and its aftermath is far from over in Texas, the governor told ABC News today. While the Houston area is drying out, revealing the extent of the damage, other Texas cities are still under water. "As the waters recede in Houston, of course they're still rising over in Beaumont," Texas Gov.

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The presidential election between Trump and Hillary is conflict. It is conflict between the democrats and republicans and conflict between Trump and Hillary.

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Michael Oher is story of the person from the " Blind Side." Michael was homeless and then was adopted. He was drafted to the Baltimore Ravens in 2009. This is human novelty because it is a story about a person's accomplishments.

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"It's true that we can't help the circumstances we're born into and some of us start out in a much tougher place than other people. But just because we started there doesn't mean we have to end there."

"I would have dreams all the time about me playing in the NFL. Every day I woke up, I said to myself ... I'm going to work hard ... to get to that next level."

"I came so far-from nothing to a Super Bowl championship."

"Believe me, I still think, 'Wow! This is crazy!' every time I check my bank statement."

"I always felt that I was ... smart. I just didn't have a lot of the resources that everybody else had ... It was tough for me to catch up."

"It was unbelievable just to ... walk across the stage and shake the principal's hand. I was the first one...out of anybody that I ever knew to ... graduate ... It was ... a great experience."

"I just love football. Football is what got me here. That's the reason I'm here. Everything else is second."

"I understand there are a lot of people I've inspired across the world. I'm trying to embrace that a lot better than I have in the past."

"Life is always about maturing and becoming a better version of yourself. Even after you've beaten the odds, there is still room to grow."

"I'm tired of the movie ['The Blind Side']. Football is what got me here, and the movie, it wasn't me."

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"It's true that we can't help the circumstances we're born into and some of us start out in a much tougher place than other people. But just because we started there doesn't mean we have to end there." "I would have dreams all the time about me playing in the NFL.

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Two years ago when the Cavs won an NBA championship that was the first in 52 years. This is an impact story because it afftected all of northeast Ohio and brought a lot of people together.

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Yes, the Golden State Warriors set a regular-season record with 73 wins with the NBA's first unanimous MVP only to blow a 3-1 lead in the 2016 NBA Finals. But perhaps once our memories (and the memes) fade, the winners can finally write their own history, allowing the next generation of basketball fans to view this series through the lens it deserves.

It didn't happen because the Warriors stumbled. Failure is easy: You literally don't need to do anything. But winning, defying odds that stretched three games and 52 years, that required LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and the rest of the Cavaliers to ascend with remarkable individual and team performances, becoming the league's first champions in nearly four decades to win Game 7 of the NBA Finals on the road.

Just like the previous two seasons (and perhaps for several more), one of these two teams will be crowned NBA champions. But even if it's too early to write the history book on their rivalry, the 2016 chapter is closed.

Relive how it was decided, with the best of SB Nation's NBA coverage from each game.

Golden State jumped to a 1-0 series lead over the visiting Cavaliers on the back of Shaun Livingston, whose 20 points equaled Steph Curry and Klay Thompson's combined total and doubled that of Cleveland's entire bench.

Paul Flannery: "The two-time Most Valuable Player couldn't make a shot and the seventh man who couldn't buy a basket in the previous round suddenly couldn't miss. If that was the only strange occurrence in Game 1 of the NBA Finals then maybe we could start to figure things out. Once again we were reminded that nobody knows anything. Or maybe, we already know too much." - The Warriors find yet another way to beat the Cavaliers

Mike Prada: In stopping the Splash Brothers, the Cavaliers forgot the basics
Tom Ziller: Shaun Livingston's throwback game still works beautifully in this era
Flannery: Draymond Green is on the edge

Draymond Green, the Warriors' do-everything glue guy, scored a game-high 28 points, giving Golden State what appeared to be a commanding 2-0 series lead. (Foreshadowing!) Adding injury to insult, the Cavs lost Kevin Love to a concussion that forced him to miss the second half, as well as Game 3.

Liam Boylan-Pett: "The two-time first team All-NBA defender has been superb on defense as expected against Cleveland -- he's been everywhere, and his ability to not commit a foul in the lane is a sight to behold -- but his offense is making a difference in the finals. He's shooting 51.6 percent from the field and 50 percent from deep. The Cavaliers' game plan is begging Green to make shots from deep, and he's delivering." - Draymond is taking over, and there's nothing the Cavs can do about it

Tom Ziller: You can't compare the ways the Warriors and Cavs were built
Tim Cato: Warriors' passing makes a coach cry tears of joy
Paul Flannery: LeBron James and the Cavs face their moment of truth
Mike Prada: The Warriors are daring LeBron James to beat them, and he can't

The Cavs roared back on their home floor, jumping ahead by 20 points in the opening frame before putting the game on ice in the second half. With Kevin Love sidelined, Tyronn Lue went small with Richard Jefferson at the four - a bold move that set the stage for LeBron James (32 points) and Kyrie Irving (30) to break out.

Paul Flannery: "Credit Cavs' coach Ty Lue with the lineup switch. Credit LeBron with having a signature game when it was needed most. Credit everyone in Cleveland, with the exception of poor Kevin Love who will now have to endure another 48 hours of talk about how he's the problem. 'Let's slow down with that,' Jefferson said. 'At the end of the day, we protected once. We protected home court.'" - The NBA Finals get real but stay absurd

Mike Prada: LeBron guarding Draymond changed everything for the Cavs
Jesus Gomez: The simple adjustment Cleveland made to revive Kyrie Irving
Satchel Price: Cleveland breathes live into NBA Finals with 120-90 win
Rodger Sherman: What's up with all these NBA playoff blowouts?

Steph Curry, quiet in the first three games, exploded for 38 points to give the Warriors the 3-1 series lead that eventually birthed 1,000 memes. Accompanying Curry's offensive explosion was Andre Iguodala 's continued excellence on the other side to help disrupt Cleveland's game plan and contain LeBron James.

Paul Flannery: "The Warriors are the revolution realized. Look up and down their roster and you will see players who at one time or another or in different situation would have slipped through the cracks and had their contributions minimized. Curry isn't really a point guard. Green is an undersized four who plays center. Even Barnes, a prototypical wing on paper, has been a force as a smallball four. Iguodala is merely the epitome of all those experiences." - The Warriors are the revolution

Tim Cato: The Warriors tricked the Cavs into their least effective offense
Rodger Sherman: Draymond swiped at LeBron's groin, and now he's suspended
Tom Ziller: Draymond can't control himself, and that makes him great
Michael Katz: Steph Curry released some ugly shoes and people are ruthlessly mocking them

With Draymond Green suspended following his Game 4 antics, LeBron James extended the series with a brilliant performance (even by his lofty standards): 41 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists. Kyrie Irving added another 41 points, as the duo became the first-ever teammates to top 40 in the same Finals game.

Tom Ziller: "Why can't he always play like he did on Monday? Because the way he always plays is already better than just about anyone who has ever played basketball. When you average 28-9-7 at the highest levels of the sport, sometimes you'll do better than that (see: Game 5) and sometimes you'll do worse ( see: earlier this series). If LeBron managed to average 41 for a series, people would find a way to criticize the loss in which he scored 30. There's so little acknowledgment that what he's already doing is almost unprecedented, and that leads to outsized expectations with no bearing in reality." - Why LeBron James can't always play 'like that'

Zito Madu: Kyrie Irving sliced through the Warriors by going into Uncle Drew mode
Jason Patt: The Warriors aren't the same team without Draymond Green
Paul Flannery: Draymond gave the Cavs hope. Can he take it away?
Rodger Sherman: For a night, LeBron and Kyrie shut up their critics. It was beautiful.
Ziller: Kyrie is outplaying Curry, which should give the whole league hope

LeBron James was magnificent again with another 41-point performance, refusing to let the Warriors repeat as champions on his home court and forcing a winner-take-all Game 7 in Oakland. The Curry family, meanwhile, was in full meltdown mode, with Ayesha accusing the NBA of being rigged after watching Steph foul out.

Tom Ziller: "It was the purest form of LeBron you'll ever see. He settled for stagnancy and long jumpers a couple of times at the end of the third and looked a bit gassed, but the intermission was all he needed to come back fierce. No one in the game -- no one since Jordan, Magic and Bird -- can play like this. Throwing alley-oops, finishing alley-oops, torturing Andre Iguodala in the post, smothering Draymond Green, swatting Stephen Curry and being everywhere every second." - No one's disrespecting LeBron James anymore

Paul Flannery: 48 minutes to settle everything
Zito Madu: LeBron James should feel bitter about Stephen Curry's rise
Mike Prada: Tristan Thompson is beating the Warriors at their own screening game
Rodger Sherman: This is why Stephen Curry was fined, not suspended
Ricky O'Donnell: Ayesha Curry claimed the NBA is 'absolutely rigged'

In a series of blowouts, Game 7 was atypically close the entire time before Kyrie Irving's dagger with less than a minute remaining won Cleveland its first pro sports championship since 1964. LeBron James turned in a triple-double, setting up Uncle Drew's heroics just a minute earlier with an iconic chase-down block on Andre Iguodala.

Paul Flannery: "Game 7's are rarely this good. There were 20 lead changes and 11 ties and nothing ever felt answered until those last seconds ticked off the clock. That's when belief gave way to shock, and shock slowly dawned on everyone that the reality of the moment was at hand. The Cleveland Cavaliers were freaking NBA champions. More than half a century of Cleveland sports heartbreak melting away in the warm glow of the Larry O'Brien trophy. LeBron cradled it in his arms and that's when reality gave way to tears." - You can believe in LeBron James

Rodger Sherman: Never doubt LeBron James again
Zito Madu: LeBron's black on Iguodala was the NBA Finals' perfect ending
Tim Cato: A complete timeline of J.R. Smith partying shirtless
Tom Ziller: 5 ways the Warriors angered the Basketball Gods
Ziller: The Warriors will be back (Spoiler: They are.)

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Everything you need to know about the 2016 NBA Finals

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Yes, the Golden State Warriors set a regular-season record with 73 wins with the NBA's first unanimous MVP only to blow a 3-1 lead in the 2016 NBA Finals. But perhaps once our memories (and the memes) fade, the winners can finally write their own history, allowing the next generation of basketball fans to view this series through the lens it deserves.

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In 2010, Lebron left Cleveland Cavaliers and joined the Miami Heat. In 2014, Lebron came back to  Cleveland. In 2016, the Cavs won the championship. This is prominence because Lebron is a well known figure.

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Before anyone ever cared where I would play basketball, I was a kid from Northeast Ohio. It's where I walked. It's where I ran. It's where I cried. It's where I bled. It holds a special place in my heart. People there have seen me grow up. I sometimes feel like I'm their son. Their passion can be overwhelming. But it drives me. I want to give them hope when I can. I want to inspire them when I can. My relationship with Northeast Ohio is bigger than basketball. I didn't realize that four years ago. I do now.

Remember when I was sitting up there at the Boys & Girls Club in 2010? I was thinking, This is really tough. I could feel it. I was leaving something I had spent a long time creating. If I had to do it all over again, I'd obviously do things differently, but I'd still have left. Miami, for me, has been almost like college for other kids. These past four years helped raise me into who I am. I became a better player and a better man. I learned from a franchise that had been where I wanted to go. I will always think of Miami as my second home. Without the experiences I had there, I wouldn't be able to do what I'm doing today.

I went to Miami because of D-Wade and CB. We made sacrifices to keep UD. I loved becoming a big bro to Rio. I believed we could do something magical if we came together. And that's exactly what we did! The hardest thing to leave is what I built with those guys. I've talked to some of them and will talk to others. Nothing will ever change what we accomplished. We are brothers for life. I also want to thank Micky Arison and Pat Riley for giving me an amazing four years.

I'm doing this essay because I want an opportunity to explain myself uninterrupted. I don't want anyone thinking: He and Erik Spoelstra didn't get along. ... He and Riles didn't get along. ... The Heat couldn't put the right team together. That's absolutely not true.

I'm not having a press conference or a party. After this, it's time to get to work.

When I left Cleveland, I was on a mission. I was seeking championships, and we won two. But Miami already knew that feeling. Our city hasn't had that feeling in a long, long, long time. My goal is still to win as many titles as possible, no question. But what's most important for me is bringing one trophy back to Northeast Ohio.

I always believed that I'd return to Cleveland and finish my career there. I just didn't know when. After the season, free agency wasn't even a thought. But I have two boys and my wife, Savannah, is pregnant with a girl. I started thinking about what it would be like to raise my family in my hometown. I looked at other teams, but I wasn't going to leave Miami for anywhere except Cleveland. The more time passed, the more it felt right. This is what makes me happy.

To make the move I needed the support of my wife and my mom, who can be very tough. The letter from Dan Gilbert, the booing of the Cleveland fans, the jerseys being burned -- seeing all that was hard for them. My emotions were more mixed. It was easy to say, "OK, I don't want to deal with these people ever again." But then you think about the other side. What if I were a kid who looked up to an athlete, and that athlete made me want to do better in my own life, and then he left? How would I react? I've met with Dan, face-to-face, man-to-man. We've talked it out. Everybody makes mistakes. I've made mistakes as well. Who am I to hold a grudge?
Complete SI.com coverage of LeBron's return to the Cavaliers
I'm not promising a championship. I know how hard that is to deliver. We're not ready right now. No way. Of course, I want to win next year, but I'm realistic. It will be a long process, much longer than it was in 2010. My patience will get tested. I know that. I'm going into a situation with a young team and a new coach. I will be the old head. But I get a thrill out of bringing a group together and helping them reach a place they didn't know they could go. I see myself as a mentor now and I'm excited to lead some of these talented young guys. I think I can help Kyrie Irving become one of the best point guards in our league. I think I can help elevate Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters. And I can't wait to reunite with Anderson Varejao, one of my favorite teammates.

But this is not about the roster or the organization. I feel my calling here goes above basketball. I have a responsibility to lead, in more ways than one, and I take that very seriously. My presence can make a difference in Miami, but I think it can mean more where I'm from. I want kids in Northeast Ohio, like the hundreds of Akron third-graders I sponsor through my foundation, to realize that there's no better place to grow up. Maybe some of them will come home after college and start a family or open a business. That would make me smile. Our community, which has struggled so much, needs all the talent it can get.

In Northeast Ohio, nothing is given. Everything is earned. You work for what you have.

I'm ready to accept the challenge. I'm coming home.

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SI exclusive: LeBron James explains his return to Cleveland Cavaliers

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LeBron James explains to SI's Lee Jenkins why he's returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers after spending four seasons with the Miami Heat.