NBA Finals 2016: Cavaliers vs. Warriors TV Schedule and Game 7 Live Stream
Quick! Try to think of a sporting event better than Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
Not much, if anything, comes to mind.
On Sunday, that’s what we’ll get between the reigning champion Golden State Warriors and revenge-hungry Cleveland Cavaliers. This series has far exceeded last year’s in terms of intrigue, and the finale figures to live up to expectations.
At least, we’re hoping so—especially if you’re recording Game of Thrones.
Viewing information for the last NBA game of the season is below, along with a few key stats.
Game Info
| 7 | Sunday, June 19 | 8 p.m. | ABC |
You can stream Game 7 on ABC here.
Key Numbers
13: The Cavaliers are 3-0 in the series when Tristan Thompson gets 13-plus rebounds
When Tristan Thompson rebounds, the Cavaliers win.
It’s simple.
The season-ending knee injury Andrew Bogut suffered in Game 5 has opened things up for Cleveland’s $82 million man, who put together a pair of impressive outings as the Cavs shocked the world to force a rubber match.
In Game 5, Thompson snared 15 rebounds while scoring six points. He was even better in Game 6, pouring in 15 points on 6-of-6 shooting to go along with 16 boards. He was also a plus-31 on Thursday.
That’s dominance.
As CBS’ Matt Moore pointed out on Friday, Thompson's level of play is more influential than most would think on a team that features LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love:
"Tristan Thompson per 100 possessions in this series.
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) June 17, 2016"
-22.0 in losses
+30.1 in wins
When Thompson scores, it’s huge. But the Cavs can survive without points from him. He butters his bread on the glass.
Cleveland is 6-1 in the playoffs when Thompson pulls down 12-plus rebounds. He’s done it three times in the Finals, which—surprise—have all wound up as victories.
Golden State, even with Draymond Green back from suspension, couldn’t gain any momentum on the boards early in Game 6, as noted by ESPN’s Chris Broussard:
Even more impressive is this nugget from Synergy Sports:
There’s a strong chance Thompson goes on another rebound tear in Game 7.
40: LeBron James' three-point shooting percentage
LBJ (40 percent) is shooting the three ball better than Klay Thompson (38 percent) this series.
Think about that.
LeBron, who in December was quite possibly the worst shooter in the league, is sinking threes at a better clip than a Splash Brother.
This is the type of storyline you can’t make up. But James’ proficiency from the outside has the Warriors wishing this was all a dream.
For James, perhaps it’s confidence, or anger. Maybe it’s simply being left open. For much of the series, Golden State has let James take shots from the outside.
Dieter Kurtenbach of Fox Sports illustrated just how surprising his turnaround from the outside has been:
Whatever the reason, he’s been on an absolute tear. Take a look at these stats from Synergy Sports:
James has averaged 41 points on 56.1 percent shooting from the field and 50 percent from deep in Games 5 and 6. For the series, he’s averaging 51.4 percent and 40 percent, respectively.
The Cavaliers need J.R. Smith, Irving and other perimeter players to hit their threes, too—not just James.
But if the King continues to stroke it from the outside in Game 7, the Warriors will be left without a way to stop him, giving an advantage to Cleveland.
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