Storybook Ending: Fans Crowd Oakland to Fete Dubs' 2nd Straight Title

A long time ago, in a basketball galaxy far, far away:

A crowd estimated at 1 million people jammed the streets of Oakland on Wednesday to celebrate what many in attendance said they could barely believe: The Golden State Warriors' last-second 94-93 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.

"What a day! What a city! What a championship!" enthused Warriors' co-owner Joe Lacob to a crowd that stretched from City Hall past Oakland's embattled Police Department and clear to Jack London Square.

In hoisting the NBA's Larry O'Brien Trophy for the second straight year, Lacob delighted the throng by announcing that he and his partners have abandoned plans to build a new arena in San Francisco and will instead erect their ultimate hoops palace on a much-coveted site on the Oakland Estuary.

"You've shown us what loyalty is all about!" Lacob crowed as a frenzy erupted.

"Unbelievable! Unbelievable!" shouted Mayor Libby Schaaf when she heard Lacob's announcement.

"Oh, man," Warriors' two-time MVP Stephen Curry added.

The festive gathering at Frank Ogawa Plaza followed an 8-mile parade from Oracle Arena -- scene of Sunday's dramatic championship finale -- during which dozens of fans appeared to faint from excitement and/or the unrelenting East Bay sunshine.

Many who lined the parade route, including Berkeley's Cuchulain Stephensson, said they still couldn't quite fathom how the Warriors retrieved victory from what appeared to be certain defeat as the last seconds ticked off the Game 7 clock.

"I'm waiting to wake up and find out that LeBron [James] and Kyrie [Irving] won that thing," Stephensson said as he watched the procession pass Foothill Boulevard and Fruitvale Avenue. "No way -- no way!-- this happens in the real world!"

Indeed. As the clock wound down Sunday night, the Warriors' visions of topping their historic 73-win regular season with back-to-back NBA titles appeared to have evaporated.

But then, with the score 93-89 and just two seconds left on the clock, things got crazy.

The Cavaliers' LeBron James and Kevin Love were assessed separate technical fouls for picking up referees and hugging them during what turned out to be a premature celebration of Cleveland's first professional sports title since 1964.

Curry sank both free throws to narrow the deficit to 93-91, and the Warriors were awarded the ball at half-court. There, the unthinkable continued to unfold.

Golden State swingman Andre Iguodala barely inbounded the ball in time, eventually finding Curry in the backcourt. The record-setting long-range sniper dribbled once and let loose with a desperation 3-pointer that was clearly off the mark as the final buzzer sounded.

But James clobbered him on his follow-through. That sent Curry to the foul line for three free throws.

Curry rattled the first two shots home to tie the score. As James covered his face, Curry swished the third shot for the game and the championship.

James, in a familiar show of grace and good sportsmanship, embraced Curry as Dub Nation erupted. The King wouldn't comment on what he said to the Warriors star, but microphones seemed to pick him up saying, "Steph -- you are the best."

As the Warriors and their fans celebrated on the streets of Oakland on Wednesday, Cleveland was staging its own parade for a team that has come close the past two years to breaking the city's long, long championship drought.