CLEVELAND — The Golden State Warriors have challenged LeBron James in every possible way. They have thrown waves of defenders at him, called him a crybaby and made fun of him on social media. During one memorable exchange, Draymond Green even took a swipe at his groin.
Through all the noise and extracurriculars of the NBA finals, a series that has played out with the elegance of a mudslide, James has remained the steadfast captain at the wheel of the Cleveland Cavaliers, guiding his team away from elimination — twice now — and filling this championship-starved city with hope.
On Thursday night, James guided the Cavaliers to a 115-101 victory over the Warriors at Quicken Loans Arena to even the series at three games apiece.
Game 7 is scheduled for Sunday night at Oracle Arena, where the league will crown a champion, if only because the series will have run out of games and exhausted its supply of drama.
“I’ll take it,” James said. “Two of the greatest words in the world, and that’s Game 7.”
James, appearing in his sixth straight finals and his seventh overall, has made these games count. He collected 41 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds. Kyrie Irving added 23 points, and Tristan Thompson had 15 points and 16 rebounds. The Cavaliers ran out to a 22-point lead in the first quarter and then stifled every rally that the Warriors mustered.
At the end of the third quarter, James approached his coach, Tyronn Lue, and said, “I’m not coming out.”
Said Lue: “I didn’t have any intention of taking him out anyway. I don’t care what y’all say. We’re going to ride him.”
If the Cavaliers win it all, they will become the first NBA team to have claimed the championship after trailing in the finals by three games to one.
Before fouling out — and earning a technical foul for good measure — Stephen Curry scored 30 points for the Warriors, and Klay Thompson finished with 25. But their teammates struggled. Harrison Barnes missed all eight of his field-goal attempts. Green returned from a one-game suspension to finish with eight points, 10 rebounds and six assists.
When the Warriors threatened in the second half, trimming Cleveland’s lead to seven, James made every critical play. Putbacks. Jumpers. Layups. During one sublime stretch that bridged the third and fourth quarters, he scored 18 straight points for his team. He even blocked a layup by Curry, punctuating the play with some unkind words.
“Special,” Irving said of his teammate. “Very special.”
The Warriors, meanwhile, appear to be coming apart in their quest for back-to-back titles. After all the 3-pointers and record-setting totals, including 73 regular-season wins, they are grasping for solutions and losing their cool.
With 4 minutes, 22 seconds left, Curry was called for his sixth foul because of what appeared to be phantom contact against James. Curry reacted by swinging his arms in disgust, throwing his mouthguard and screaming at an official. The crowd delighted in his slow, impassioned walk to the locker room.
“I thought it was kind of hilarious the way the last two fouls and me blowing up kind of unfolded,” Curry said.
The series has felt endless at times, extended by lengthy breaks (usually two days) between games. As a result, the Warriors have had to wait for their opportunities to close this thing out and have failed both times.
Kerr said his message to his team before the game was simple. “No heroics necessary,” he said. “Just be rock solid.”
The Cavaliers had other plans, and so did their crowd, which exploded when James corralled a lob from J.R. Smith in the second half and then slammed the ball in one fluid motion.
“I’ll sleep very well tonight,” James said.
One more win from an improbable title, Cleveland believes.