NBA Finals: 5 Standout Stats from Game 6

Jun 11, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) reacts after being injured during the second quarter against the Golden State Warriors in game four of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

2. CAVS: 56 Rebounds, 27-39 FTs; WARRIORS: 39 Rebounds, 18-29 FTs

In one of the most bizarre developments in this series, the Cavs secured two of the most important categories that they had to win handily but they still lost the game.

The Cavs outrebounded the Warriors by a whopping 17-rebound difference, normally enough to indicate a big win for the wine and gold.

The Cavs outrebounded the Warriors by a whopping 17-rebound difference, normally enough to indicate a big win for the wine and gold. They dropped to 13-2 in the playoffs when tied or outrebounding their opponents. Cleveland also made nine more free-throws in the game but Golden State won the most important category—putting the ball in the hole more consistently from the field.

3. CAVS: 16 Turnovers; WARRIORS: 9 Turnovers

Usually, eight turnovers in a game is a good low number for any NBA team in a game. But eight turnovers in the first quarter? Disastrous!

The Cavs shot themselves in the foot early in the game with eight first quarter turnovers which the Warriors happily translated into transition baskets. They took care of the ball better in the next three quarters but it was too late. The Warriors had their high octane offense going because of those turnovers, giving the opposing team the confidence it needed to break out of their early poor shooting in the first six minutes of the game.

4. CAVS: 32-82 FGs (39.0%), 6-26 3-Pt FGs (23.1%); WARRIORS: 37-85 FGs (43.5%), 13-34 3-Pt FGs (38.2%)

The Cavs just couldn’t buy a basket anywhere on the floor except from up close.

For the third straight game, the Cavs’ shooters had no confidence in their shots from three-point range, only knocking down six of them the whole game. And that’s with their best player accounting for two of those six. The only other player to knock down a three was J.R. Smith who made three straight from downtown as the game was almost out of reach. Out of all the pass outs to open shooters from James, only one of them made the shot. Yes it was that ugly.

Jun 16, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith (5) during the second quarter of game six of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The Warriors’ shooters, however, made their mid-range jump shots and three-point shots frequently enough to outscore the Cavs by getting their shots to go down more frequently. Had the Cavs made either ten more free-throws or five more shots from the field or a combination of both, this game would have been far more interesting in the fourth quarter.

5. Andre Iguodala: 25 Points, 5 Rebounds, 5 Assists, 2 Steals

The NBA Finals MVP’s numbers may not necessarily stand out but his consistency throughout the game made it possible for the Warriors to win the championship.

Iguodala struggled with his shot in the opening minutes but he found his groove as he made mid-range shots before converting three from the three-point area. His defense on LeBron was superb as usual, making him work for every shot he took whether inside the paint or outside. Iggy was the most consistent Warrior throughout this series and that allowed him to snatch the MVP away from regular season MVP Stephen Curry and third team All-NBA player, Klay Thompson.

Honorable Mention:

Draymond Green: 16 Points, 11 Rebounds, 10 Assists, 3 Steals, 1 Block

In a sea of big men in the paint, Green was the only one to battle the Cavs bigs down low, hustling for the rebound to give the Warriors the much-needed possessions to get the ball down the court.

Green’s triple-double gave him the distinction of joining the game’s greatest players of all-time.

His defense and overall court awareness was as indispensable as Curry’s threes and Iguodala’s defense/offense, making him the game’s and the series’ biggest x-factor. When Green plays big, the Warriors usually win and they did so in Game 6 to secure the NBA championship.

Were there any stats that were most significant to you from Game 6?