Cleveland is in full desperation mode at home as they face losing the NBA Finals to the Golden State Warriors. Stephen Curry of the Warriors seems to have found his groove after struggling in the earlier games and looks to take his hot shooting into Game 6. If he can he would crush the hopes of the city of Cleveland and bring a title back to Oakland for the first time in over 40 years. Standing in between him is Ohio native and best player in the world LeBron James who will undoubtedly give an all-world effort to try to keep his Cavs alive in the series. Will Golden State celebrate in Cleveland or will the Cavs force a game 7?
1st Quarter
The game begins at a slow pace playing right into Cleveland’s hand. The Cavs use the momentum of the crowd to go on a short scoring run early but the Warriors answered quickly and got the score close again. By the mid-point of the quarter the Warriors were able to pick up the pace and take control of the game. Curry got his shot going early, picking up right where he left off from Game 5 helping he Warriors to get a lead they would hold onto for the quarter. Tristan Thompson was continuing to show his growth on offense by leading the Cavs in scoring but the Warriors’ offensive onslaught was too much for the Cavs. Golden State took a lead into halftime 28-15.
1st Quarter Stat Leaders
Cle – Tristan Thompson – 6 pts, 2 rebs
GSW – Stephen Curry – 9 pts, 1 reb, 3 ast
2nd Quarter
The story going into the second quarter was Timofey Mozgov seeing extended minutes just one game after barely seeing the floor. Cleveland coach David Blatt decided that trying to match small ball against the Warriors won’t work and that his big man needs to become a factor again. The Cavs were able to chip away at the 13 point lead to start the quarter by using their bigs to dominate the paint. Curry wasn’t as good going 0-4 from the field to start the quarter and not being as active in creating shots for his teammates. All of the games have been chippy and this one is no exception with some hard fouls that were traded between both teams. Curry disappears for the second quarter going 1-5 from the field with only two points for the Warriors. The Cavs are able to ride the tough, hard-nosed pace all the way into the half and cut into the lead to go into the locker room trailing by only two points, 45-43.
Halftime Stat Leaders
Cle – LeBron James – 15 pts, 8 rebs, 3 ast
GSW – Stephen Curry – 11 pts, 2 rebs, 5 ast
3rd Quarter
The Cavs started the quarter quickly using two baskets by their bigs Mozgov and Thompson to take their first lead since the first quarter. It was short-lived because Warriors quickly battled back and retook the lead and control of the game. The pace of the game was slow but the Cavs were unable to take advantage, instead the Warriors went on a run and took the largest lead of the game with ball movement and smart shots on offense. The Cavs made a few more runs, but weren’t able to get it close by the end of the quarter. Warriors lead 73-61.
3rd Quarter Stat Leaders
Cle – LeBron James – 22 pts, 13 rebs, 5 ast
GSW – Andre Iguodala – 17 pts, 3 rebs, 5 ast
4th Quarter
The pace of the game continues to favor the Cavs as we enter the final frame of the game but the Warriors are still able to maintain a solid lead. The game takes a turn in favor of the Cavs when James intercepts a pass and goes the full length of the floor for an uncontested dunk. The whole Cavs team seems to come to life as they begin to battle, going shot for shot against the Warriors. But the Warriors are able to weather the storm and stay composed behind the shooting of Curry. The Cavs continue to put forth a solid effort behind Smith igniting from three, but the weapons of the Warriors are just too much to overcome as Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston all chip in to cement their lead. The Golden State Warriors win Game 6 of the NBA Finals, 105-97, and are the 2015 NBA Champions!
Final Key Contributor Stats
Cle
LeBron James – 32 pts, 18 rebs, 9 ast
J.R. Smith – 19 pts, 5 rebs, 1 ast
Timofey Mozgov – 17 pts, 12 rebs, 2 ast
Tristan Thompson – 15 pts, 13 rebs
GSW
Stephen Curry – 25 pts, 5 rebs, 8 ast
Andre Iguodala – 25 pts, 5 rebs, 5 ast
Draymond Green – 16 pts, 11 rebs, 10 ast
Shaun Livingston – 10 pts, 3 rebs
Finals MVP – Andre Iguodala
Series Wrap-Up
The Golden State Warriors win their first championship since 1975 and their 4th in franchise history. This was anything but easy as a gritty Cleveland Cavaliers stood in their way, but behind NBA MVP Curry they got it done. This series almost perfectly mirrored their series against the Memphis Grizzlies which they won three in a row to win the series as well. The Cavs and James put together a great effort without the services of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, but the roster was just not deep enough to win the series. They became the first team in NBA history to win a game in the finals without their second and third regular season leading scorers, winning a miraculous two. James averaged a near triple-double for the series putting forth one of the best finals performances of all-time but could not overcome the great team play of Golden State. The Warriors were able to rebound from a slow start in the series to control the final three games and finish off what was a dominant season. Golden State proved that a jump shooting team can win it all and deserve to be crowned NBA Champions.