Wildcats Jefferson, Frye and Brielmaier win an NBA Championship!

There were seven Arizona Wildcats in the NBA Finals, three of them are now the 2016 NBA Champions, and one of them announced their retirement.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have two very special veterans on their team, Richard Jefferson, and Channing Frye, not to mention Cavs assistant coach Bret Brielmaier.

Not many teams can be successful without seasoned veterans. Richard Jefferson is 35 years old, and after 15 seasons in the League playing for his seventh team, he will turn 36 on Tuesday, June 21st, and what a fantastic birthday gift to receive, an NBA Championship ring!

Channing Frye just turned 33 on May 21st; he has played for 11 years (out for one season with heart issues) for six different teams.

More from Cats in the Pros

• From Arizona Wildcat to New York Yankee, Austin Wells gets called up
• Rondae Hollis-Jefferson’s FIBA World Cup performance is reminiscent of Kobe Bryant’s
• Rawle Alkins a star in the Drew League this summer
• Former Wildcat Scooby Wright wins Second USFL Title
• The Edmonton Elks have re-signed former Arizona quarterback Khalil Tate

Ten out of 18 former Arizona Basketball players were playing or coached in the 2016 NBA Playoffs, and seven made it to the finals. 

Players:

Golden State Warriors:  Andre Iguodala

Cleveland Cavaliers:  Richard Jefferson, Channing Frye

Coaches:

Golden State Warriors: Steve Kerr(Head Coach), Luke Walton (Assistant Coach), Bruce Fraser (Development Coach)

Cleveland Cavaliers: Bret Brielmaier (Assistant Coach)

There couldn’t have been a more exciting possibly historic game 7; a Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Warriors rematch with LeBron James and others with legacies on the line. These two teams aren’t necessarily rivals, but a rivalry is definitely in the making. The Warriors went up three games to one, no other NBA team in history has come from behind with a two-game deficit to win the NBA Championship, but Cleveland wouldn’t accept it, winning the next three games, and bringing home a championship to Cleveland since 1964.

The Warriors had just accomplished the same feat in the Western Conference semi-finals against Oklahoma City Thunder in seven games, coming back from a 3-1 deficit.

Sunday night, Father’s Day, June 20, 2016, the two teams went confidently into battle. When the series began, the favor leaned the Warriors way, but as the Cavs fought back, the Cavs gained the momentum, slowly becoming the favorites.

The first half was pretty even, the Warriors started to pull away with about two minutes left, as both teams were laying it all on the line, but the one outstanding performance of the half came from the Warriors Draymond Green, who went into Beast Mode making five of five attempted 3-pointers, and putting up 22 points and five assists for the defending champs.

LeBron James scored 12 points and five assists, but also was dinged with four turnovers. The Cavs committed eight turnovers to the Warriors’ five. No Wildcats had made a huge impact at this point offensively, but both Richard Jefferson and Andre Iguodala each grabbed five rebounds.

The second half was more back and forth, the lead changed 20 times (and tied 11 times), no one gave up, but the Warriors went cold, they got the turnovers, they had the chances, but the ball that wasn’t going in during the first half. Golden State also struggled when they needed it the most at the crucial moments of the end.

With Wildcats on both sides, if your NBA team wasn’t playing, it was hard to decide which team to cheer for because, on the one hand, the Warriors already have at least one ring. On the other, Jefferson and Channing Frye didn’t and it would be sweet for them to earn this precious jewel.

Jefferson let us into his post game thoughts…and what he wants to do next..this is one happy Cat who has a huge announcement!

Channing Frye had a little love affair with his new trophy, but can you blame him?

must read: Arizona Basketball: Richard Jefferson’s Top 5 Moments as a Wildcat

And it was sweet, sweet for our Cavalier Wildcats, bummer for our Warrior Wildcats who actually broke a record of their own for most wins in one season, 73. We congratulate all of our Cats, and it is something to celebrate, three more of OUR guys now have an NBA Championship ring! BEARDOWN!