var $ = jQuery.noConflict(); $(document).ready(function(){ loadrecapdata('0041500406'); loadSoundCloudEmbed('234171006'); });
Wrap-Up -- On Thursday night, the Cavaliers did something that hasn’t been done in 50 years – sending the NBA Finals to Game 7 after trailing the series, 3-1.
But the Wine and Gold aren’t interested snapping a mark that’s lasted 50 years. The one they’re chasing has extended for 52.
That’s how long it’s been since any Cleveland team has won a major sports championship – something the Cavaliers can change when both squads square off for the 2016 NBA title on Sunday night in Oakland.
After drawing to within a game of Golden State with a win in Game 5 on Monday at Oracle Arena, the Cavaliers needed a win on Thursday night to stay alive and send the series back to the Left Coast.
And that’s exactly what they got – holding the league’s highest-scoring squad to just 11 points in the first period and holding them off the rest of the way – going wire-to-wire for the 115-101 victory in Game 6 at The Q.
LeBron James posted his second straight 40-point Finals game – his fifth over the past two Finals matchups against Golden State – unleashing a 17-point fourth-quarter barrage to ice the biggest home victory in franchise history.
On the night, James again put up mind-boggling numbers – finishing with 41 points on 16-for-27 shooting, including 3-of-6 from long-range and 6-of-8 from the stripe – adding 11 assists, eight boards, four steals and three blocked shots.
After becoming the first player in Finals history to lead both teams in scoring, rebounding and assists in last year’s six-game set, the four-time MVP has dominated again this June – averaging 30.2 points, 11.3 boards and 8.5 helpers through the first six games of the series.
James and the Cavaliers were the aggressors from the opening tip in Game 6 – pouncing on Golden State in the opening quarter, holding the team that averaged nearly 115 points per game this season to 11 points on 23 percent shooting, including 11 percent from deep.
The Warriors snapped out of their funk in the second period – cutting Cleveland’s 21-point edge to just eight, 46-38, with 4:40 to play before half. But, as they did all night, the Wine and Gold weathered (then answered) Golden State’s run – closing the half on a 13-5 spurt to take a 16-point lead into intermission.
The Cavs were just as resilient in the second stanza and after Klay Thompson keyed a 10-0 run to close the third quarter, Cleveland came right back in the fourth, with LeBron scoring the first four points of the quarter and keeping his foot on the gas the rest of the way – finishing the fourth 6-of-9 from the floor, 4-of-4 from the line, with four of the team’s six assists and both of its blocked shots.
Kyrie Irving – who’d averaged 35.0 points per over the previous three games – followed up with 23 points in Thursday’s victory, going 7-for-18 from the floor, 2-of-5 from deep and 7-of-7 from the free throw line, adding four boards, three assists, two steals and a pair of blocked shots.
”It's the highest level of basketball I've ever played in my life, and going down and being in the position that we were in, being down, 3-1, coming back home, understanding what was at stake and what we had to do in order to win basketball games,” said Kyrie, who was sidelined with a knee injury after only one Finals game last June. “I had to put it in perspective. And when I do that, I just do everything possible to prepare as best I can.”
The man taken three spots after Irving in the 2011 Draft, Tristan Thompson, once again brought the energy, aggressiveness and physicality the Cavaliers were lacking early in the series – doubling-up for the second time this June and seventh time over the past two matchups with Golden State – finishing with 15 points and a game-high 16 boards, going 6-for-6 from the floor and 3-of-4 from the line.
”Once again, (Thompson)'s energy and activity, his level, his rebounding, obviously giving us extra possessions, but his defensive rebounding from the beginning was at an all-time high level for himself,” praised LeBron following the win. “Even as great as he is, he was spectacular tonight.”
J.R. Smith was a perfect 3-of-3 from the floor – canning both three-point attempts – to stave off any Warriors’ rally attempt in the fourth quarter. Overall, Swish finished with 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting, 4-of-10 from beyond the arc.
Despite the Splash Brothers combining for 55 points, the Cavaliers succeeded in frustrating the All-Star backcourt for much of the night – culminating with Steph Curry’s outburst after fouling out with 4:22 to play.
After being called for his sixth foul, Curry erupted on referee Jason Phillips, chucking his famed mouth-guard and hitting a fan – resulting in his immediate ejection to the delight of 20,562 fans who were at full-throat for all 48 minutes.
On the night, Curry led Golden State with 30 points with Thompson right behind at 25. But the sharpshooting tandem was just 17-for-41 from the floor overall, 9-of-23 from long-range.
On Thursday night, the Cavs held Steve Kerr’s squad to just 40 percent shooting – and has held the high-octane Warriors to just 39 percent from the floor over the past three games.
The Cavaliers held an edge on the boards, 45-35, outscored Golden State in the paint, 42-30, and on the break, 19-10. Cleveland also committed only 12 turnovers on the night – including just two in the final quarter.
Turning Point -- With an offense as potent as Golden State’s, no lead is safe. And fans felt that pressure when the Warriors finally found their footing late in the second quarter.
After opening up a three-touchdown edge early in the period – leading the Warriors, 34-13 – poor shot selection by Cleveland and Curry’s long-range marksmanship saw the Warriors slowly whittle Cleveland’s lead away.
But after cutting the Cavaliers lead under double-digits, Kyrie Irving scored four straight points before giving way to the night’s most unlikely hero – seldom-used vet Dahntay Jones – who scored five points, grabbed a big board and blocked a shot in just two minutes of action.
And instead of Golden State closing the gap heading into the second half, Ty Lue’s team gave itself all the cushion they’d need the rest of the way.
By the Numbers – .900 … Cavaliers’ winning percentage at The Q during the 2016 Playoffs, going 9-1 at home. In those nine victories, the Cavaliers have outscored their opponents by 17.9 points per, shooting 50 percent from the floor and 43 percent from three-point range.
Quotable – Richard Jefferson, on teammate LeBron James …
”Not many people in the history of sports have said, ‘Everyone get on my back. The city, state, organization, team, get on my back. If we win or fail I’ll take the blame, but I’m going to lead you.’ How many people have ever said that? I can’t think of too many players who have put that type of pressure on themselves and then have delivered more times than not..”
Up Next – There is only one game left in the 2015-16 season, and it’ll determine the NBA’s champion. Whether the 73-win Warriors will repeat or whether the Wine and Gold will end half-a-century of sports suffering will be decided when the two teams square off one more time at Oracle Arena. Game time is set for 8 p.m. ET.