In college basketball’s March Madness, you have one chance each round. There are no rematches, no next game, and no best of seven. That is what we have coming on Sunday night at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. After the Golden State Warriors went up 3-1 on the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Cavs have stormed back winning back to back games to tie the series up at 3 a piece.
Cleveland is coming off two victories with historic performances by LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. In Game 5, James and Irving each scored 41 points in leading the Cavs over the Warriors in Oakland. In game 6, LeBron took over in the second half to help Cleveland fend off a Warriors team that had clawed its way back into a game they once trailed by 24 points. With the way LeBron is playing, and the help he is getting from Kyrie, Cleveland is the clear favorite to win game 7, right?
Not so fast. There are often events, plays, or even post game press conferences that can turn a series one way or another. In game 4, a game the Warriors won in Cleveland, Draymond Green and James got into a scuffle in the 4th quarter, resulting in Green being suspended for game 5. That incident helped propel Cleveland to a game 5 victory at Oracle arena, a place Golden State has been near unstoppable in. The end of game 6 provided more drama. A game Cleveland dominated from start to finish, the reigning MVP was called for his sixth foul of the night. The reaction from Curry was uncommon as he threw his mouthpiece into the stands which hit a Cavs fan. Curry was then given a technical foul and tossed from the court. The Warriors head coach, Steve Kerr, did not hesitate when discussing the officiating post game stating “He [Curry] had every right to be upset. He’s the MVP of the league. He gets six fouls called on him, three of them were absolutely ridiculous.” Kerr was fined for his comments, but he is counting on that money being well spent if it helps ignite his team in game 7.
Will the reaction from Steph Curry and the comments from Steve Kerr help turn this series back around in favor of Golden State just in time for game 7? The Warriors are sure counting on it. There will be no ‘next game’ after Sunday. The Madness has come to June. One game, one night, winner takes all.
