Add in the loss of Bogut, and no other viable center providing any type of production on the roster, Golden State faces an interesting conundrum heading into Game 7: The same lineup that’s obliterated the league all season suddenly looks vulnerable, and there are question marks everywhere and only one game left for this team to rediscover their efficiency. But here Thompson, instead of continuing to the rim and challenging J.R. Smith, opted to veer into the corner and take a contested, double-clutch three over James. “I’m going to give everything I’ve got in game seven”.
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“That’s what he’s supposed to do”.
Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving, who scored 23 points. They’ll take their chances with having to win one home game for the championship. Because of his 2-5 record in the Finals, many feel he often fails to show up and carry his team to wins. It’s not uncommon for Curry to pick up two early, cheap fouls, or for Green to play the final six minutes of the game with five fouls. Cleveland is now the third team in league history to erase a 3-1 deficit and force a Game 7, joining the 1965-66 Los Angeles Lakers and the 1950-51 New York Knicks.
Long odds aren’t yet behind the Cavs. It was the greatest “game score” in the NBA Finals since 1984, topping Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs in 2004, according to basketball-reference.com.
James, the richest USA athlete with $77.2 million in revenue past year, sparked the Cavaliers with emotional slam dunks, timely steals, driving lay-ups, aggressive defense and exciting shot blocks, notably rejecting Curry inside late in the game and trash-talking him over his futility. “It was a weird feeling”, Curry said. A frustrated Curry was ejected after fouling out in game six for tossing his mouthpiece and hitting a front-row spectator.
“I know what I put into the game”, James said.
But with the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in San Francisco going for almost $4,000 andpeople living in boxes for $400 a month, it may not be much of a shocker.
Turnovers have been a problem for the Warriors all season, as they frequently commit what Steve Kerr calls “plays of insanity”.
“Yeah, I’m happy he threw his mouthpiece. We want to win it for the city of Cleveland”, Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said. But he had every right to be upset.
LeBron James finished with a game-high 41 points and 11 assists.
It will all be part of the buildup and hype and social media drama (Mrs. Curry went to social media in the aftermath of the game to call the whole thing “rigged”) before Game 7, Super Sunday, maybe an hour or so drive away from where Super Sunday in pro football was played in Santa Clara in February.
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“You’ve got to love that kind of environment and that battle”, Curry said.
