It's do or die for the Cavaliers and Warriors when they take the court at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Sunday for Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
Cleveland is looking to win its third straight elimination game and first championship in franchise history, while Golden State is hoping to win a title for the second straight campaign.
The Warriors took Games 1 and 2 in this series, while the Cavaliers etched out a victory in Game 3 when the series shifted to Cleveland. Golden State took a 3-1 stranglehold on the set with a Game 4 victory, but Cleveland then won Game 5 and 6 to force a winner take all battle.
LeBron James notched 41 points for the second straight contest in Game 6 to keep the Cavaliers alive in their 115-101 victory on Thursday. The two-time NBA champion also had a team-high 11 assists, four steals and three blocks.
"Anybody that's ever played the game of basketball or done anything at any level -- to be able to have an opportunity to have one game for it all?" James said via ESPN. "I mean, you take it."
Kyrie Irving had 23 points in the victory for the Cavaliers, while Tristan Thompson notched 15 and J.R. Smith contributed 14 of his own.
Two-time and reigning MVP Stephen Curry had a club-leading 30 points in the loss for Golden State and was ejected and subsequently fined $25 thousand for throwing his mouthpiece into the stands and hitting a fan.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr was also fined that amount for blasting the officiating following Game 6 due to the Cavaliers only having six fouls called against them on Curry.
Golden State won an NBA-record 73 games this season, but Curry said none of that matters if the team can't score another title.
"Yeah, pretty much because that was our goal from the beginning," Curry said per ESPN. "We're here on Game 7 with a chance to do it. We've had two chances already and haven't gotten it done, 48 minutes to do it. So if we come up short, we'll all be very, very disappointed. No two ways around that."
Game Live Stream & Details
Matchup: Cavaliers at Warriors NBA Finals Game 7
Time: 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT)
Venue: Oracle Arena, Oakland, Calif.
Radio: Cleveland (WTAM 1100); Golden State (KNBR 680).
Series: Tied 3-3.
Betting Odds: The latest betting odds for this game can be found here.
This game can be live streamed for free here.
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