Warriors vs. Cavaliers Game 6 Date, Live-Stream Schedule, Start Time and Pick
LeBron James and Kyrie Irving prevented the Golden State Warriors from celebrating a championship at home, sending the NBA Finals back to Cleveland with tremendous Game 5 showings.
With the Cleveland Cavaliers' season on the line inside Oracle Arena—where the Warriors had only lost three times this year—both stars delivered all-time memorable performances. The duo became the first teammates in NBA Finals history to record 40 points in the same game, as each scored 41.
The Cavaliers have far too often looked like a two-man team this series, but the formula worked on Monday night. ESPN Stats & Info noted the massive imprint James and Irving left on the possible elimination game:
In order to capture their first title, the Cavs must win twice more and become the first team to ever overcome a 3-1 Finals deficit. The Warriors, meanwhile, will welcome Draymond Green back from his one-game suspension.
With both squads trading victories, Cleveland still shouldn't feel comfortable down 3-2. On Thursday night, Golden State can repeat with a Game 6 victory in Ohio for the second consecutive year.
NBA Finals: Game 6
Date: Thursday, June 16
Time: 9 p.m. ET
Where: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland
TV: ABC
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Preview
If Green played on Monday night, the Warriors and Cavaliers would still be flying to Cleveland for Game 6.
The Warriors certainly missed him, as they allowed a 53.0 opposing field-goal percentage. While the defending champions wouldn't make excuses, Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue discussed Green's absence after the game, per Yahoo Sports' Eric Freeman.
"I've said it all along that he is the best guy in the NBA as far as reading when to help, triple switches and kicking guys out of mismatches, knowing when to go, when not to go," Lue said. "He's an underrated shot-blocker, and he can guard 1 through 5, so that definitely help hurt their defense."
Per NBA.com, Golden State's three best units this series feature Green as the center. An MVP front-runner before the suspension, his plus/minus of 36 ranks second this series behind Andre Iguodala's plus-41. His return will make a huge difference, but let's not oversimplify matters.
He didn't cause Harrison Barnes to go ice cold, with most of his dozen misses coming on wide-open looks. The Associated Press' Tim Reynolds took a dig at the small forward's poor outing:
Green would have helped defensively, but nobody would have shut down James and Irving on Monday night. When he makes four of eight three-point shots, James is practically unguardable. Even when Golden State defended Irving well, it didn't matter.
As the Warriors get one big man back, they may have lost their starting center. When they needed Andrew Bogut the most to replace Green, he went down with a sprained left knee. According to ESPN's Marc Stein, his Game 6 prognosis remains unclear:
On the other hand, Cleveland will also welcome back Kevin Love, who sat out Game 5…wait, he actually played. It was easy not to notice him on the court, as he offered two points on 1-of-5 shooting during 33 minutes.
This is fine as long as James and Irving again both play historically amazing games. Otherwise, nonexistent scoring from an offense-first All-Star isn't ideal.
Ever since a strong Game 1, where he went 7-of-17 with 17 points and 13 rebounds, Love has tallied 18 points and 11 rebounds combined through three games. Even 59 points from James and Irving wasn't enough to take Game 4, so they need something from the fazed-out big man unless Game 3's J.R. Smith shows up.
Prediction
Individual excellence from James and Irving won't alone pull off the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history against a team with the most wins ever (88) in a single year.
ESPN.com's Ramona Shelburne relayed a particularly jarring stat from ESPN Stats & Info. During the second half, Golden State missed all 11 of its uncontested three-point attempts. That wasn't a Green problem, but it's not something Cleveland can count on happening two more times.
After Klay Thompson made six threes in the opening half, the Warriors went 3-of-21 from downtown in the third and fourth quarters. Considering how many clean looks didn't find the net, don't expect them to finish below 100 for a third time this series.
James will deliver yet another superhero performance, and it will end in misguided pundits shouting about him not stopping the Splash Brothers and dragging Richard Jefferson and Iman Shumpert to a championship victory over a juggernaut.
Rejuvenated by Green's return and the law of averages, the Warriors improve on both ends to repeat history with a Game 6 closeout win.
Prediction: Warriors 108, Cavaliers 102
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