The Golden State Warriors will win their first NBA title in 40 years if they can pull off a victory tonight, while the Cleveland Cavaliers are hoping they can force a Game 7 and keep their season alive.
Projected Starting Lineups
(1) Golden State Warriors (67-15)
G Stephen Curry – 23.8 ppg, 7.7 apg, 2.1 spg
G Klay Thompson – 21.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg
F Harrison Barnes – 10.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg
F Andre Iguodala – 7.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg
F Draymond Green – 11.7 ppg, 8.2 rpg
(2) Cleveland Cavaliers (53-29)
G Matthew Dellavedova – 4.8 ppg, 3.0 apg
G Iman Shumpert – 8.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg
F LeBron James – 25.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 7.4 apg
F Tristan Thompson – 7.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg
C Timofey Mozgov– 10.6 ppg, 6.9 rpg
What to watch for:
Can Matthew Dellavedova and JR Smith produce?
Matthew Dellavedova played the best two games of his life in Cleveland’s last two victories, stepping up for the injured Kyrie Irving. His defense on Stephen Curry was impressive, but his offense has made just as big of a difference. However, his play dropped up severely in Game 4 & 5 – the Cavs need him to step up considerably for them to have any chance at winning.
The same goes for Smith, who is the only player other than LeBron on the Cavs who can consistently create his own shot, and that showed as he dropped 14 points in the first half of Game 5. However, he didn’t score a single point in the second, and Cleveland’s offense suffered dramatically.
Will Stephen Curry continue to dominate?
Curry’s 37-point night on Sunday was spectacular, especially considering how efficient he was in providing such critical output. Curry was 13 of 23 from the field and 7 of 13 from deep in Game 4, adding four dimes and a +24 plus/minus when he was on the court. This is the Steph we know and love, and if he sticks around, he'll carry Golden State to another win - and a title.
Prediction: Warriors win 102-95
Cleveland will energized playing in front of a crowd desperate to cheer their team to victory, and that will propel the Cavs to the early lead. However, as we've seen over the course of the last two games, Golden State will wear out the Cavaliers and pull away in the fourth quarter.
Back to the Cleveland Cavaliers Newsfeed