Welcome in to the full recap post of game 6 of the 2016 NBA Finals where the Cleveland Cavaliers have done the unthinkable in a long time, forcing a game 7 in the NBA Finals after being down 3-1 in these series. LeBron James poured in 41 points once again as the Cavs beat the Warriors 100-113.
How the tables have turned for both teams. The Cavs were struggling the first two games and have turned it around in game 3. The Warriors were up 3-1 in these series and now, they are being roughed up as they've failed to close it out twice in a row. From Game 5 on out, the Cavaliers were facing elimination and they've turned it on in desperation mode and they've outplayed the Warriors big time three out of four games.
GSW
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Stephen Curry, 30 points, 8-20 shooting. To me, the reigning MVP is at a limbo between being the positive and being the negative for the Warriors. Offensively, Curry got off to a decent start to ignite the Warriors offense as they try to climb back from a 20 point hole. As long as Curry was hitting shots, the Warriors had a chance. Defensively, he wasn't doing great as he fouled out after going for a steal on LeBron in the 4th. I can agree that there were questionable calls on some of Curry's fouls, but Curry has to know he's too valuable to take any further gambles with 5 fouls on his belt.
Klay Thompson, 25 points, 9-21 shooting. Klay started off cold early in the game as he couldn't find his shot. I said in my halftime post the Klay had to heat up if the Warriors want to continue to be within striking distance of the Cavs' lead and in the 2nd half, he did just that. Despite the losing effort, the Warriors needed Klay to get going to make this game as close as possible.
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Harrison Barnes, 0 points, 0-8 shooting. Ever want to know why Warriors fans groan about Barnes? Because in a series of games, he'll play good, then in another series, he'll disappear and be a non-factor. I finally gave him credit back in game 4 because he put up solid numbers in the first four games of this series. Then, these next two, he starts to play horribly. It's a 180 turnaround for Barnes right now.
Turnovers. Turnovers have been the Warriors' achilles heel throughout their historic season. 14 turnovers this game and it was a primary reason why the Warriors were down early in a big lead.
CLE
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LeBron James, 41 points, 11 assists, 16-27 shooting. Since the Cavs were in elimination mode, LeBron James has been nothing short of sensational. Great players know that when you have a 40+ point game in the last game, you repeat the same effort again in the next game and LeBron has shown that with another 41 point game performance. When LeBron is aggressive and he has his jump shot going, he is virtually unstoppable. He's got it done defensively, racking up 3 steals and 4 blocks to add to his 41 point game. There's no question that LeBron has been in these kinds of games when his team is down in a series and he has proven he can turn it on in an instant when his team is on the verge of elimination.
Kyrie Irving, 23 points, 7-18 shooting. Kyrie didn't have an encore from his 41 points in game 5, but still, he had an efficient game and his good start in the first quarter was one of the primary reasons the Cavs were able to put the Dubs in a 20 point hole.
Tristan Thompson, 15 points, 16 rebounds, 6-6 shooting. Big ups for Tristan Thompson and the way he came out this game and brought the energy in the Quicken Loans Arena. He was all out hustle, cleaning the boards and grabbing every pass for an easy dunk whether it was on an fast break in transition or off an alley-oop dunk on brilliant offensive execution.
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Kevin Love, 7 points, 1-3 shooting, 3 fouls. Kevin Love is that one member of the group who doesn't do anything, but still the whole team gets an A in spite of him.
Conclusion
Wow, for the first time in my coverage of the NBA Finals on my blog, a series is going all the way as I have predicted. In 2013, I had the Heat in 6, it went full 7 games with Miami on top. 2014, I had the Spurs in 7, it went 5 games with San Antonio on top. 2015, I had the Warriors in 7, it went 6 games with Golden State on top. This year, I predicted a 7-game series and it actually goes all the way to 7 games. Now that I got that out of the way, this is a new series now. Throw away the 2-0 lead, the 3-1 lead, both these teams are tied up and it's coming down to just one, decisive game. Who has most of the pressure? In my opinion, the Warriors have the most pressure. They've won 73 regular season games, they came back from a 3-1 deficit against the Thunder, they've had a chance to put the Cavs away in game 5 and game 6, but they failed to do that. Win or lose, the Warriors can either have the greatest season by any sports franchise of all time or have the biggest disappointment and choke job of all time. The pressure is on for this team, especially since the final game of the NBA season is on their home floor. The Cavs, do they believe? Yes, they believe and so does the city of Cleveland. They've rattled the Warriors in these last two games, they're confident that they could win on the Dubs' home floor, and they're confident they can become the first team in NBA history to climb out of a 3-1 deficit and win the championship. It will be interesting to see what history will unfold in game 7 in Oakland. I'll see you guys for that game.
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