17 Jun. 2016– For the first time since 1966, dating back to before the NBA-ABA merger, a team down 3-1 in the finals has forced a game 7. The only other teams to do so were the 66’ LA Lakers, and the 51’ New York Knicks, and both of them lost. With James, and company having won two straight, tying the series at 3-3, history might be upon us.
LeBron has been in domination mode for the past two games, scoring 41 points in consecutive games, King James has literally been unstoppable. He’s making threes, making jump shots, flashing his skills in the post, attacking the basket, and getting his teammates involved without being passive. Adding 11 assists, 8 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 blocks to his night, James produced one of his best finals performances of his career. Kyrie Irving scored 23 points to go with his 2 steals, and 2 blocks in another good performance for the Cavs.
Just like I said, Andrew Bogut’s presence was dearly missed. Cleveland outscored Golden State 42-30 in the paint with 12 of the 42 points coming from Tristan Thomson, who went 6/6 from the field. He had 16 boards, and 15 points. J.R Smith also had a good game making 4 threes, and grabbing 3 steals.
Moving on to the Warriors’ squad, 2-time MVP Stephen Curry didn’t have the greatest night. Although he scored 30 points, and went 6/13 from behind the arc, he had 4 turnovers, and only 1 assist. Posting a +/- of -11, he wasn’t as efficient as the Warriors needed him to be. His 4th quarter ejection with 4:22 remaining was unacceptable, even if it was a bad call. Putting himself in that situation with 5 fouls wasn’t very smart. Fellow splash brother Klay Thompson, along with Harrison Barnes, Andre Iguodala, and Draymond Green combined shot 4/20 from behind the arc. Leandro Barbosa was the only Golden State bench player that wasn’t awful. Not much strength in those numbers.
Now, heading back to Oakland for game 7, the Cleveland Cavaliers have a chance to make history of their own. With the chance to be the first team to win the finals after going down 3-1, and win Cleveland’s first major championship in 52 years against a team that has been called the greatest team ever would be epic. It’s the 4-time MVP against the 2-time MVP, King James vs Chef Curry, the stakes couldn’t be higher, the lights not brighter, and it’s only a few days away.
Article by: Nick Husni
The post LeBron James and the Cavs look to make history of their own appeared first on Sports 961.