LeBron and Kyrie Activate Beast Mode, Force Game 6
14 Jun, 2016
The NBA Finals aren’t over yet. It’s because of Kyrie Irving and LeBron James.
The two went for a ridiculous 41 points each to propel the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 112-97 victory over Golden State on Monday night at Oracle Arena. It narrows The Finals to a 3-2 Warriors lead with Game 6 coming Thursday at The Q.
Irving knocked down huge basket after huge basket in an 12-point fourth quarter. It was just a continuation of a brilliant night — 17-of-24 from the floor, including 5-of-7 from deep.
James pulled down 16 boards, distributed seven assists and connected on three triples. His 25 points in the first half calmed the Cavs through the energy provided by Warriors fans determined to see a clinching victory while carrying plenty of #FreeDraymond signs.
Kevin Love returned to the starting lineup after coming off the bench in Game 4, but was only able to provide two points and three rebounds in 34 minutes. It didn’t matter all that much because the Warriors’ offense disappeared in the fourth quarter, posting just one point in the last 6:39.
Irving and James needed to be heroic to give their team a chance.
An Irving three-pointer put the Cavaliers up 13 with 4:41 left to play. Oracle became uncharacteristically mute. Stephen Curry launched a corner three and it clanked off the iron. Brandon Rush tried a three-pointer and it bounced off the rim. Harrison Barnes got inside the paint, but couldn’t finish over the top of James.
The Warriors managed just 31 points in the second half, missing 18 of its 21 3-point shots.
A suspended Draymond Green was nearby at the Oakland Coliseum watching the game in a suite. The defending champions and their fan base were livid by the complaining the Cavaliers did in the wake of the Green-James incident from Game 4.
“I don’t care about Golden State,” Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said. “I mean, we’ve got a fire lit too. We’re down 3-1.”
Andre Iguodala received the starting nod in Green’s place. After all the trash-talking that took place between these two teams in the past 24 hours, this contest needed to resolve the off-court issues. It did, in Cleveland’s favor.
“We’re definitely ready to roll and if there was an edge missing, it’s definitely there now,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said before the game.
Golden State hoped that was the case, anyway. Its edge was next door in street clothes.
Every time James was shown on the scoreboard during pregame warmups, he was met with a heavy dose of boos. Every time he touched the ball, he was booed ear-splittingly. However, it didn’t matter. James was possessed.
It didn’t look good early on for the Cavaliers. On their first possession of the game, Iguodala stripped James in the post and went coast-to-coast for a layup. The crowd went berserk.
The Warriors jumped out to an emotionally-filled seven-point lead. Kerr used his depth as he said he would. He inserted an unprecedented 11 guys in the first quarter, but the Cavaliers withstood their opponent’s depth. When Golden State hit a difficult three-pointer, Cleveland answered repeatedly.
Scoring was at a premium.
They went back and forth scoring at will. Early in the second, Shaun Livingston used a screen at the top of the key and dunked on Richard Jefferson emphatically. The crowd chanted, “Free Draymond, Free Draymond” during timeouts. But later in the quarter, James returned the favor when he blew by Marreese Speights for a two-handed jam, plus the foul on the big man.
The place couldn’t explode. The Warriors couldn’t separate. At the half the score was tied at 61. James (without an assist) and Irving had combined for 43 points.
Andrew Bogut went down early in the third quarter after he blocked a J.R. Smith shot. Upon coming down from the swat, Smith’s momentum carried him into Bogut’s left knee, which hyperextended. The center had to be helped up and carried to the locker room. He was diagnosed with a left knee sprain.
That removed the Warriors’ only true shot-blocker and the Cavaliers took advantage. The middle was open for the taking and James and Irving attacked, dominating the entire second half. To disrupt their rhythm, the Warriors implemented the Hack-a-Tristan Thompson late in the third quarter. The rebounding machine went 3-of-6 at the line while being intentionally fouled.
Although it wasn’t a perfect free throw stint, it wasn’t enough to let the Warriors in the game. Cleveland extended its lead to 11 and eventually went into the final quarter with a nine-point advantage. Without their best playmaker on duty, the Warriors scored just 13 points in the fourth.
Klay Thompson registered 37 points and Curry had 25 points and seven rebounds. They were a combined 11-of-25 from downtown. As the Cavaliers walked off the floor, fans chanted “LeBron’s a b—-, LeBron’s a b—-.”
Game 6 will be Thursday at The Q. There’s still a chance.
Cleveland.com
Image Cavs Twitter
Mentioned In This Post:
