WILL it end today? I mean, will Golden State capture the 2015 National Basketball Association (NBA) crown today on hostile soil?
Hostile soil because Game Six today is set in Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena, whose white-kerchief-waving Cav crowds are the most boisterous ever.
The Warriors seemed unhampered by hometown fans after they had clobbered the Cavs 103-82 in Game Four to tie the best-of-seven series at 2-2.
In that landslide win, Golden State’s stifling defense forced the Cavs into a 12-point diet in the fourth quarter—Cleveland’s lowest quarter output all-season long—while unloading 27 bamboozling points of its own.
This, after Cleveland had rebounded from a puny 18-point second-quarter production to outscore Golden State in the third quarter 28-22 to inch to within 70-76 after trailing 42-54 at the half.
But somehow, the final 21-point winning margin for Golden State in Game Four from a 49-40 final-half barrage must have propped up a momentum that extended to Game Five, where Cleveland got outscored 53-41 in the homestretch behind another blazing Warrior finish.
That incredible Warrior windup was the handiwork of reigning Most Valuable Player (MVP) Stephen Curry.
Curry, averaging 23.5 points per game after four matches, scored 12 points in a dizzying 19-7 ending that stunned even his usually cool Coach Steve Kerr.
“That was just Steph taking over the game,” Kerr said after Game Five. “He took over the game down the stretch and was fantastic.”
The Curry-instigated final blast snapped what was shaping up to be a cliffhanger again, like the series’ first two games, which ended after back-to-back overtimes—a first in NBA Finals.
Up 85-84 in Game Five, the Warriors sped to a 104-89 bubble to secure a victory that saw Curry, the league’s No.1 three-point shooter, make 13-of-23 from the field and seven-of-13 from beyond the arc.
Even LeBron James, the Cleveland star with four MVPs tucked under his belt, praised Curry to high heavens.
“Steph got it going,” James said of Curry in a Reuters interview. “He hit some huge shots, which kept us at bay. We needed our best defensive quarter tonight in the fourth quarter and we didn’t get it. We gave up 31 points in the fourth. Some of them were free throws, but a lot of them were them just breaking us down. So we’ve got to do a better job on that.”
James was correct with that huge 31-point, fourth-quarter total for Golden State, with Curry scoring 17 of his team-high 37 points in that deadliest period thus far for the Warriors in the entire series.
With a 3-2 edge, the Warriors could wrap it up today and end a 40-year title drought.
“I hope on Tuesday [Wednesday Philippine time] we can hold that trophy. That’s all I want to do,” Curry said. “We’re confident. We’re not getting ahead of ourselves. But we know the sense of urgency of the moment.”
But James, whose triple-double of 40-14-11, points-rebounds-assists tally on Monday tied him with Magic Johnson as the only players with triple-doubles in multiple games of multiple NBA Finals, isn’t about to toss in the towel.
“You cope with it by understanding it’s just one game and looking at the opportunity we have on Tuesday to force a game seven,” James said. “We’re going home with a game six and we’ve got enough to win it. I feel confident.”
Asked why he was that confident of winning Game Six, James said matter-of-factly: “I feel confident because I’m the best player in the world. It’s that simple.”
To that, I have no answer.
THAT’S IT. Is placing sixth overall in the Southeast Asian Games something to crow about? If your answer is yes, then you ought to have that something in-between your ears examined quick…I tip my hat to Sen. Tito Sotto, the former world bowling champion, for assailing government moves to “abet/encourage” HIV treatment the oblique way.
As he correctly pointed out, it’s not enough that the government has the money for containment of the scourge, but rather, the way the program is being approached and appreciated. The sporting world is behind you on this, Sir, as always…. This early, the fearless forecast is, San Miguel Beer will face Alaska in the PBA Finals.
Any contrary opinion is welcomed…. And finally, I commend Steve O’Neal for his tireless efforts in bringing back the Sixties music to us and so, let’s welcome again in Manila the Zombies, led by legends Colin Blunstone and Rod Argent, on February 10 and 11, and 13 and 14. Cheers!