A Preview of Game Six of The Finals
By Glenn Minnis
![Jun 13, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) shoots the ball against Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) during the fourth quarter in game five of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports Jun 13, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) shoots the ball against Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) during the fourth quarter in game five of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/177d90b0440c9c764ddfe6c91351bd30f160f653cd33ccb141e2a4f7a686dbd0.jpg)
The Quicken Loans Arena is going to be rocking on Thursday night. Draymond Green returns from his one game suspension, while LeBron James and Kyrie Irving will try to duplicate what they did in game five. The Golden State Warriors will look to close out the Finals, while the Cleveland Cavaliers look to take these Finals to a game seven.
The Cleveland Cavaliers did what they were supposed to do in game five of the Finals. They got the much needed win on Monday night, and now get the opportunity to perform in front of their fans one last time. One can only imagine that the Q will be rocking, tonight, with the Cavs feeding off of their energy.
Golden State Warriors star, Draymond Green will return to the lineup after his game five suspension. He’ll be looking to set the tone early with his defense, not allowing the Cavs to get to the basket as much. However, the Warriors will be missing another starter, as center Andrew Bogut will miss the rest of the playoffs with a knee injury.
Look for James to use his quickness against Green and continue to drive to the basket, much like game five. With the Warriors missing the rim protector in Bogut, the Cavs will be looking to exploit that all game long. With some whispers about Steph Curry needing knee surgery after the Finals, Kyrie Irving will continue his dominance on the offensive end. Irving has emerged as James’ Robin to Batman, and look for the guard-forward tandem to continue having success.
The reigning two-time MVP, Steph Curry, will look to have a bounce back game, tonight. He was only 8-21 with his field goals, and he will look to become more involved in the offense. His splash brother, Klay Thompson, was on fire in game five, finishing with 35 points. Thompson, however, didn’t not have any points in the fourth quarter and 8 points in the second half. If Thompson is hot, look for the Warriors to continue to feed him the ball throughout the game.
The roll players will be key, tonight. The Cavaliers will have the benefit of playing at home and the crowd on their side. J.R. Smith will be looking to get involved early with his three-point game. Iman Shumpert, Richard Jefferson and company will be looking to give the Cavs that extra spark off the bench. The key puzzle is Kevin Love. Love has been M.I.A. in these Finals and he must step up if the Cavs want to win not only tonight, but game seven Sunday night. Love is far from a scrub, so witnessing him playing the way that he is, is complex. This being his first Finals, maybe he’s nervous, however, now’s not the time to come up with excuses. He’s getting paid over $100 million, so he must produce. Shaun Livingston of the Warriors has been a nice spark plug for them, off the bench. The Cavs must find a way to contain that and not allow role players to be the ones that beat them.
James and Irving played like a men possessed in game five. They cannot allow the Warriors to get hot early and often. The King’s legacy is on the line. Irving and James will show up, but will the rest of the team? Only time will tell.