Warriors vs. Cavaliers: Game 6 Stats and Highlights from 2015 NBA Finals
Phew, that was wild.
Now that the NBA Finals are finally over, we can all take a deep breath. Despite the superhuman effort of LeBron James as he tried to deliver his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers their first-ever title, the better team—the Golden State Warriors—won.
Let's take a look at some stats from Game 6—numbers don't lie, right?—as well as some highlights from the series.
A Look at the Numbers
Stat: 9
Significance: Combined points from Iman Shumpert and Matthew Dellavedova
C'mon, guys.
James can only do so much. J.R. Smith shot poorly (5-15 FG), but at least he contributed 15 points even if more than half of those came in the waning minutes.
It's completely unacceptable for Shumpert (eight points) and Delly (one point) to have that kind of outing with their season on the line. The level of open shots Shump, especially, missed from three-point land (0-3 3PT) was simply terrible.
Look, Dellavedova had unreasonable expectations placed on him after he erupted for 20 points in Game 3. And according to the Northeast Ohio Media Group's Chris Haynes, the whole Delly love-fest didn't sit well with the Dubs:
"Sources within the Warriors' organization say they were "pissed off" and "irked" by the media attention Dellavedova was receiving and the narrative of the Australian "locking down" the league's MVP.
As for Curry, he was annoyed too, I'm told.
"
Oh well. In the end, Curry, the league MVP, finished with 24 more points than Delly in the biggest game of the year.
Stat: 23.1
Significance: Cavaliers' three-point percentage in Game 6
This one falls on James, too.
The King shot just 2-of-10 from three-point land, which contributed to his team's horrendous mark of 6-of-26 from deep. Granted, some of those were desperation heaves at the end of regulation, but still, misses are misses.
Smith sunk four of his nine triple attempts, and that was it. No other Cavalier even made one three.
Why is James Jones (1-5 FG, 0-3 3PT) on the team if he can't make a three-pointer? What is Shumpert doing playing more minutes than Smith if he and his flattop can't hit a shot?
James threw shooting percentage to the wind this series, but if the Cavaliers hit just a few timely threes in Game 6—think about what Curry and Klay Thompson did down the stretch—there might be a Game 7.
Bonus Stat
Double Significance: LeBron James' stats compared to Finals MVP Andre Iguodala's
This is important. Iguodala stepped up in the Finals, defended James with valor and overall just played his tail off.
But MVP!?
Take a look at Iggy's stat line in comparison to LBJ. Numbers don't lie:
Thankfully, as Slam magazine relayed, at least four voting media members got it right:
Sadly, that wasn't enough. But again, numbers do not lie. James 110 percent deserved to have been the named the first losing MVP since Jerry West in 1969.
Highlights
Harrison Barnes Destroys Mike Miller, Timofey Mozgov
Oh boy. The Warriors forward had enough nonsense and put a thunderous dunk right on the heads of two Cavs toward the end of Game 5.
This was kind of the nail in the coffin.
Curry Dances and Prances with Delly
Curry does look pretty annoyed, going back to that Haynes report. He seems intent on destroying all things Dellavedova in this world.
Shortly after that Barnes slam, Curry had Delly twisted up like a pretzel as he danced around and hit two unreal threes over the Australian.
Truth be told, it was good defense—just better offense.
Mozgov Pins Layup from the "MVP"
Before the Warriors pulled away at the end of Game 6, the Russian 7-footer unloaded all kinds of anger on an Iguodala shot attempt and pinned it off the glass.
Mozzy had a few nice blocks in Game 6, but none more ferocious than this one.
All stats are accurate, courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com.
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