Game 7 tips Sunday, 17 days after the NBA Finals began, 14 days after the Warriors were halfway to a sweep, nine days after the Cavs teetered on a cliff, five days after LeBron James found his inferno and three days after Stephen Curry lost his chill.
This series has swerved and flipped and suddenly here we are, winner take all, Warriors hoping for another title while all of Cleveland is begging for one. It’s right there for one of them. They have two days to rest, revamp and to recover Curry’s mouthpiece, which probably still lies somewhere deep in Quicken Loans Arena, next to where the Warriors’ Game 6 effort was buried.
With 4:22 remaining, the two-time MVP hurled the damp device in disgust. The rare times he does slam the mouthpiece, he targets the floor. This time it struck a fan, one more example of poor aim by a defending championship team that remarkably can’t hit 3s anymore. There was a previous outburst seconds earlier that was equally telling, when LeBron swatted a Curry shot and punctuated it with a bit of woof-woofing.
Those twin scenes sum up the state of dueling MVPs and their teams, heading in opposite directions in terms of momentum and performance, but bracing to arrive at the same final destination at Oracle Arena to settle the matter.
Klay Thompson: “We felt like we could’ve closed it out a long time ago, but here we are. One more game to get to where we want to go, and on our home court. We were the best team at home. So we’re feeling good. I can’t wait for Sunday. It’s going to be a great moment in all of our careers.”
Tyronn Lue: “We’re trying to win one for the city and the state. It’s on everybody’s shoulders. That’s what we’re all about and that’s what we’re trying to do.”
The Cavs are sure to sashay into Oakland with a bit of swagger. They’re flush with the knowledge that LeBron is bringing a sinister grin and anxious to squelch any debate about the game’s greatest player, and they’re feeling that the Curse Of Cleveland — five decades without a pro title of any kind — seems ready to be washed away. They’ve won two games now, and did so rather emphatically, and dare anyone to doubt what LeBron can unleash when he’s so close to history.
He will be coming off back-to-back 41-point demolitions, accomplished by ignoring fatigue and whatever defense the Warriors are tossing his way. He’s on a buttery roll like we’ve seldom seen in championship history. The jumper is working and he’s leaving nothing to chance; LeBron has aggressively looked to shoot (57 times) in the last two games, plenty for someone who isn’t a volume shooter.
“I’m just out there playing, reading, reacting,” he said. “I’ve been fortunate enough to see the ball go through the hoop the last two games. So, you know, I feel pretty good.”
But it isn’t just shooting. LeBron is multi-tasking the Warriors to death, slowly and torturously. He played 42 minutes in Game 6 with just one turnover, a vast improvement from his seven-turnover effort a few games earlier. He threw a handful of lobs to Tristan Thompson in the wire-to-wire 115-101 win, and finished with 11 assists, dictating the flow by being playmaker and finisher, whatever was needed.
“He’s a great passer,” said Thompson. “Threw it up right where I wanted it to go.”
Thompson punished the Warriors inside repeatedly with 16 rebounds and made all six of his shots. This was especially impressive when factoring the presence of Draymond Green, back from his one-game suspension. Green had earlier vowed to return with a vengeance, and he spent much of the night on Thompson, and yet was never a factor on either end of the floor. Thompson is making it very difficult for the Warriors to keep him from the rim, particularly with Golden State center Andrew Bogut done for good with a bum knee.
Along with Kyrie Irving (23 points), the Cavs are bringing just enough help for LeBron to combat the deeper Warriors. They’re also limiting the mistakes that helped drop them into a 3-1 hole, and rotating swiftly on defense to challenge Warriors shooters. They squeezed the Warriors in the first quarter for 11 points, the lowest quarter all season for Golden State. In the last two games the Warriors have averaged under 100 points and 29-for-82 from deep. They comfortably led the league this season with 114.9 points and 41-percent shooting on 3s.
“Cleveland brought a lot of force to the game,” said Warriors coach Steve Kerr. “They deserved to win.”
The Warriors are headed home, where they’ve lost only four times, and at this very moment, that’s about the largest factor in their favor. This doesn’t resemble the team that stomped its way through a 73-win season, then shocked Oklahoma City with a furious rally in the West finals. Their shooting has been haphazard and their inability to keep LeBron in check is alarming. Speaking of that: Andre Iguodala isn’t well. He suffered a back strain early in Game 6 and wobbled the rest of the night. With LeBron ready to pounce Sunday, will Iguodala, the first line of defense, be prepared to go full tilt, even with rest?
The Warriors will need more from Green. Game 5 for him was a wash, Game 6 was mild, and the Warriors await the All-Star who has his fingerprints on virtually everything they do well.
Curry has been good, not great this series. The splash moments and the insane shots have been scattered, and certainly not damaging the last two games. The biggest noise he made was after being called for a touch foul late in the fourth quarter Thursday and Curry, to the astonishment of just about everyone, went nuts. The boy-next-door turned rogue and threw a fit, fouled out for the first time since 2013 and ejected for the first time in his career.
“It got the best of me,” he admitted.
Kerr outwardly suggested Curry’s status should give him the benefit of the doubt — the superstar calls, in other words.
“He had every right to be upset,” said Kerr. “He’s the MVP of the league. He gets six fouls called on him, three of them were absolutely ridiculous. As the MVP of the league, we’re talking about these touch fouls in the NBA Finals.”
His walk to the locker room was a solitary one, and along the way, Curry said he thought about Game 7. He also had to wonder: How has this series, in which the Warriors were in control, come to this?
And then there’s the duel within the duel: LeBron vs. Curry. LeBron seems to take delight in bringing the Cavs back against the Warriors, but even more against Curry. When Curry became the first unanimous MVP, LeBron sent congratulations but also debated the definition of “valuable,” a zinger that reverberates louder in a series where he’s outplaying Curry. Not only did LeBron trash talk Curry Thursday, he also blocked Curry’s shot after the whistle in Game 5 and had something to say. It’s LeBron’s attempt at intimidation and gamesmanship and, in street terms, he’s trying to chump Curry.
“He’s playing great,” said Curry. “He’s doing things that are game-changing and helping his team win. However he wants to celebrate, or whatever he wants to do to take in that moment … I don’t let that get into my head.”
So all reputations head to Oakland on Sunday, with steep stakes in the 19th-ever Finals Game 7. The Cavs are trying to become the first to rally from 3-1. The bigger factor, of course, is ending the city’s dreary championship drought by winning the franchise’s first title. The Warriors are flush from a historic regular season and would feel foolish if that doesn’t translate into a title. How will that reflect with history?
There’s plenty of weight and urgency on both ends. This is LeBron’s best chance at a title for Cleveland; might it also be his last, since regular trips to the Finals aren’t guaranteed? For the Warriors, it would be crushing if they blow such a lead, and do so on their home floor.
Kerr: “I think we’ll be fine. We’ve got to play better. I’m confident we will. Our confidence comes from being defending champions. You get one home game to win the NBA title? That’s not a bad deal.”
LeBron: “One more game left. We’re going to give it all we’ve got and we’ll live with the result. But we won’t rush it. I won’t rush it. I’m going to sleep very well tonight. I’ll sleep very well the following night, watch a couple of movies and get ready to play.”
One season, one series, down to one game. As it should.
