NBA Finals 2015: Warriors vs. Cavs Game 6 TV Schedule, Live Stream and Odds
The Golden State Warriors are one game from a championship, but we should know by now the NBA Finals are far from over.
Many thought the Cleveland Cavaliers were set to run away with the series when they were up 2-1 after Game 3, but now they are the ones with their back against the wall. As Magic Johnson points out, though, LeBron James and company will not go down without a fight:
With the series returning to Cleveland for Game 6, the Cavs will try to avoid elimination and find a way to force a Game 7. No matter who wins, the battle is certain to be entertaining.
Game 6 Info
When: Tuesday, June 16
Time: 9 p.m. ET
Where: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland
TV: ABC
Live Stream: Watch ESPN
Odds (via Odds Shark)
- Spread: Golden State (-4.5)
- Over/Under: 195
Preview
While the Warriors are the ones with a 3-2 series lead, the story has been the play of James. The four-time league MVP is averaging an incredible 36.6 points, 12.4 rebounds and 8.8 assists in 45.6 minutes per game.
Sam Vecenie of CBS Sports is one of many who believe he deserves to be the Finals MVP regardless of the outcome:
Despite this historic production, he still expects more out of himself. Rachel Nichols of Turner Sports quoted James after the latest game:
You can blame his shooting percentages (39.9 percent from the field in the series), but the real issue is the lack of help. Without the injured Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, the Cavaliers don't have much depth and even fewer capable scorers.
Cleveland players not named LeBron shot only 36.2 percent from the floor Sunday night, including just a 10-of-33 effort from the main perimeter combination of Matthew Dellavedova, Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith.
This lack of production isn't going to help anyone win a title anytime soon.
At the same time, the Warriors' decision to go with a smaller lineup has led to a faster-paced game. This has caused the Cavaliers to wear down in the fourth quarter in each of the past two games, being outscored a total of 58-36.
While Golden State has gotten production from a wide variety of sources in this series, Cleveland simply doesn't have the depth to stick around for 48 minutes every night.
Then again, it's also important not to overlook the play of Stephen Curry as of late. Although the Warriors have had a more balanced attack throughout the series, the reigning MVP was as good as ever in Game 5 with 37 points on 13-of-23 shooting.
After Dellavedova apparently slowed down the point guard with excellent defense earlier in the series, this has not been the case in the past few games, as noted by NBA on ESPN:
Curry is almost impossible to stop when he is making shots like he was Sunday. When Golden State then puts four players around him who can all makes open threes (Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green), not many teams can slow down this offense.
Cleveland has played great defense all year long and should get a boost from returning to Quicken Loans Arena. With the way James is performing, the Cavaliers certainly have a chance to regain control of this series. Still, the Warriors seem tough to beat after consecutive double-digit wins.
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