"I Blacked Out": LeBron James' Ex-Teammate Reveals How He Stopped Steph Curry in NBA Finals

What LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers accomplished in the 2016 NBA Finals has gone down as one of the greatest feats in playoff history. Aside from James, though, several other Cavs stars were instrumental to what they did.

Kevin Love was one of those stars. His contributions, especially in the closing moments of Game 7, aren't necessarily highlight material. However, his gritty defense on Stephen Curry in the clutch is something that fans who saw the game remember.

For Love, though, he might not actually remember what was happening on that particular play. He admitted as much when he guested on a recent episode of the Richard Jefferson show to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of their title.

"I tell people all the time, one, I blacked out. Two, you know how many times we went over this play," Love told Jefferson.

Despite not being a renowned perimeter stopper, Love managed to clamp Curry down when he was forced to switch onto the smaller guard. The Cavs big man's defense forced Curry to pass the ball to Draymond Green, where Love had another blunder.

He admitted that, as per their game plan, he was supposed to deny Curry the ball. Instead, he gave him space, which allowed Green to pass the rock back to the star point guard.

Still, Love made up for the blown defensive coverage.

"He still almost made it. I just forced him into tough shot," Love added. "People want to say it was this great stop."

However, he admitted that at the time, the only thing running through his mind was staying on Curry and perhaps allowing him to drive inside, where someone else could force a stop.

At the end of the day, though, Love's defense forced Curry to take a contested 3-pointer. One that nearly fell, but clanked off the rim, leading to a LeBron James rebound.

Prior to Love's defensive play, though, LeBron James' and Kyrie Irving's clutch performances set the stage.

Kyrie Irving’s Basket, LeBron James’ Block, Set Up Kevin Love’s Defensive Stop on Stephen Curry

With 2 minutes left in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals, the score was knotted at 89 between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors.

At that point, it had become a defensive battle. No one had scored since around the 04:40 mark of the final frame. Irving tried to break the deadlock with a floater over Draymond Green.

The shot missed, and Andre Iguodala grabbed the rebound. Immediately, he and Curry raced down the floor to try to get an easy two points off the fast break.

The only person they had to beat was J.R. Smith, and it looked like the Warriors would take the lead. However, as Iguodala elevated for the lay-up, LeBron James came from seemingly out of nowhere for an insane chasedown block.

A few possessions later, the Cavs put the ball in the hands of Kyrie Irving. Initially, Klay Thompson guarded him, but after a Smith screen, a switch was forced.

Curry was now on Irving, and Irving looked like he was hunting for his shot. From the right elbow, he sidestepped and fired off a 3-pointer over Curry's outstretched arms. The ball sailed into the bottom of the net, putting the Cavs up 92-89.

It was in the next possession after that that Kevin Love played lockdown defense on Curry.

The Cavs were considered to have a big three in Love, Irving, and James. In the final moments of Game 7 in 2016, all three of them stepped up and proved why they were considered that squad's star trio.