"It don't bother me" - Andre Iguodala on LeBron James' historic 2016 NBA Finals block on him
There aren't many players that have been able to match up against LeBron James individually in the NBA. It's a daunting task to stop the 6'9" forward, but a player of Andre Iguodala's quality never shied away from that challenge.
Iguodala and James went head-to-head in six straight NBA Finals series between 2015 and 2020. The former also won the Finals MVP award in 2015, owing to his fantastic success as LeBron James' primary defender during that series. Andre Iguodala limited LeBron to just 33% shooting from the field in that finals matchup between the two.
Nonetheless, LeBron James got his revenge during the Cleveland Cavaliers' historic championship win in 2016 against the Golden State Warriors. James made a chase-down block on Iguodala's layup attempt at a crucial juncture during the penultimate Game 7 of the series.
The match was tied at 89 points apiece after both teams failed to score for 2+ minutes straight. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest plays in an NBA Finals game.
The Cleveland Cavaliers completed a 1-3 turnaround by winning that game 93-89 as LeBron James claimed his third NBA Finals MVP award.
Andre Iguodala claims he isn't bothered by LeBron James' block on him; demands respect for Kyrie Irving's efforts in that series
Five years later, Andre Iguodala has claimed that LeBron James' blocking his shot in 2016 NBA Finals Game 7 is not something that has bothered him. He said in a recent interview on 'The Breakfast Club.':
"It don't bother me.. We take a lot away from Kyrie Irving. Kyrie Irving is one of the most different human beings I've ever seen play basketball. What he did that entire series, it was like, yo, don't take away from what he did. And he made that shot at the end of the game."
Kyrie Irving was the one to hit the go-ahead 3-point shot in the dying moments of Game 7 in 2016 NBA Finals. He averaged 27.1 points, 3.9 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 2.1 steals per contest during that series. He was the second-best player behind LeBron, and was highly instrumental in helping the Cavs win the championship that year.