Once again, it’s do or die for the Cleveland Cavaliers. But they’ll be hoping history doesn’t repeat itself Thursday night.
One year ago today, June 16, 2015, the Golden State Warriors won Game 6 of the NBA Finals to defeat the Cavs in Cleveland. In an eery coincidence, they can win their second straight championship in a Game 6 win in Cleveland.
The biggest storylines include the return of Warriors All-Star forward Draymond Green after a one-game suspension and the absence of center Andrew Bogut thanks to serious bone bruises in his knee.
Green is already grabbing headlines with the fashionable pregame attire he wore arriving to Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland prior to tipoff.
NESN.com will be live blogging all of the important things happening throughout the evening before, during and after the game. Be sure to keep it right here for all your updates.
Click to watch NBA Finals Game 6 online >>
11:46 p.m.: FINAL — Cavaliers 115, Warriors 101
It’s all over at the Q. LeBron James’ masterful performance has helped the Cavs take Game 6 and force a winner-take-all Game 7 at Oracle Arena on Sunday.
James led all scorers with 41 points, while Kyrie Irving added 23 points for a Cleveland team that got 100 of its 115 points from its starters.
Stephen Curry scored a team-high 30 points for Golden State but was ejected late in the game after throwing his mouthguard and hitting a fan, which could put his status for Game 7 in question. Klay Thompson scored 25 points but went just 3 for 10 from 3-point range.
11:39 p.m.: James has 41 points for the second consecutive game and the Cavaliers are well on their way to forcing Game 7.
2:19 to play: Cavaliers 110, Warriors 88.
James checks out of the game. His final line: 41 points, 8 rebounds, 11 assists, 4 steals, 3 blocks, +27 plus-minus rating. He’s the first player to score 41 points in back-to-back Finals games since Shaquille O’Neal in 2000.
11:33 p.m.: Steph Curry has fouled out of the game.
He was so disgusted with the call that he threw his mouth guard, which hit a fan. He received a technical foul and was ejected from the game. Kyrie Irving hit the ensuing free throw. It’s the first time Curry has been ejected in his NBA career and the first time he has fouled out since 2013.
It’s 100-87 Cavaliers with 4:22 to play.
11:30 p.m.: Cavaliers 99, Warriors 86. 4:32 left in regulation.
LeBron James leads all scorers with 36 points and has the most points, rebounds and assists of any player on either team in the series.
11:25 p.m.: The streak was broken up by a J.R. Smith 3-pointer, but James came right back and hit a turnaround, fadeaway jumper.
95-85 Cavaliers with 5:28 left.
11:23 p.m.: LeBron James has 34 points and has scored that last 18 points for the Cavaliers. They lead by nine with 6:48 to play, 90-81.
11:19 p.m.: Cavaliers 90, Warriors 79. We’re under seven minutes to play in Game 6.
The Dubs briefly closed the lead to seven points, but two quick buckets by Cleveland doused that ember. Oh, and Steph Curry has five fouls. Look out.
11:17 p.m.: Cavaliers 84, Warriors 76.
Steph Curry just hit his sixth 3-pointer of the night, his 28th of the series. That’s a new NBA Finals record.
11:08 p.m.: We’re underway in the fourth quarter.
LeBron kicks things off by getting fouled going to the basket and makes the two free throws, extending the lead back to double digits.
11:04 p.m.: End of third quarter: Cleveland 80, Golden State 71. Eight straight points from Klay Thompson in the final minute have brought this game within reach again after the Dubs once again trailed by 22 points earlier in the quarter. Thompson is up to 22 points now.
LeBron James has 24 points, Kyrie Irving has 22, and Steph Curry has 25.
11:02 p.m.: Klay Thompson hits back-to-back 3-pointers from well beyond the arc, reducing the deficit to 11. Thompson had been just 1-for-7 from beyond the arc before that.
11:00 p.m.: Score update: 80-61 Cavaliers with 2:30 to play in the third quarter.
LeBron James has 24 points, Kyrie Irving has 22, and Steph Curry has 25.
10:53 p.m.: LeBron James. That is all.
10:52 p.m.: Nothing is going Golden State’s way. A loose ball rebound with three blue jerseys around, it somehow finds Irving, who sinks a jumper to extend the double-digit lead.
10:49 p.m.: It looks like Kyrie Irving might have been shaken up after stepping on the foot of Festus Ezeli. He was bent over holding his left foot/ankle area.
Andre Iguodala has gone back to the locker room again. He has been largely ineffective since returning from the initial back injury.
10:40 p.m.: Another 6-0 run to open the half for Cleveland, and suddenly the Cavilers lead is back to 22 points.
Harrison Barnes is 0-for-8 and his missed 14 straight shots dating back to Game 5.
10:37 p.m.: We’re underway in the second half.
10:25 p.m.: After briefly pulling within single digits, the Warriors trail the Cavaliers at halftime, 59-43.
Kyrie Irving had an incredible half and finished with 20 points in 21 minutes, while LeBron James added 14 points and Tristan Thompson had 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Steph Curry was the only Warrior to have a good first half, finishing with 18 points in 18 minutes. Klay Thompson is 0-for-6 from 3-point range. The Warriors shot just 30 percent as a team in the first half.
10:18 p.m.: Draymond Green just picked up his third foul as well, joining Curry, Kevin Love, Richard Jefferson and Iman Shumpert. Lots of trouble all around.
10:10 p.m.: About that run … Cleveland responds with an 8-0 run of its own to push the lead back to 16. Stephen Curry picked up his third foul of the game, but hasn’t come out of the game.
Tristan Thompson has a double-double (11 points, 10 rebounds) in the first half after flying in for another alley-oop.
10:04 p.m.: Don’t look now, but this is a game. A 9-0 run by the Warriors closes the gap to 46-38, Cleveland.
9:59 p.m.: Another timeout, and the Cavaliers lead 46-33 with 5:42 to play in the half.
Steph Curry appears to have injured his right shooting hand and was holding it during the last few possessions. He did manage to hit two free throws with it, though.
9:56 p.m.: Get the fallout shelters ready: LeBron James hits a 3-pointer, and on the next possession was called for an offensive foul.
Andre Iguodala has returned to the game, but is shuffling up and down the court like an old man. He’s clearly in pain.
9:51 p.m.: Steph Curry has come alive, scoring eight points in the second quarter to kickstart the Warriors offense. At the first media timeout of the quarter, Cleveland leads 39-24.
Curry leads the Dubs with 11 points, while Kyrie Irving has 14 points for Cleveland.
9:47 p.m.: Iguodala told Craig Sager that he had “stiffness” in his back. He received some treatment and “feels better” and will try to return to the game.
9:44 p.m.: Kevin Love can’t catch a break. Just 1:17 into the second quarter, the Cavs forward has picked up his third foul of the game. He returns to the bench.
9:43 p.m.: More bad news for the Warriors: Andre Iguodala returned to the locker room with a trainer. No word on what the issue is.
9:41 p.m.: Steph Curry is back in the game to start the second quarter, as is Kevin Love. LeBron James takes a breather.
9:37 p.m.: The first quarter has mercifully come to an end for the Golden State Warriors, who shot just 22.7 percent (5-for-22) in the quarter, including going 1-for-9 from 3-point range, and trail 31-11 in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.
Steph Curry leads the Warriors with three points, but missed the final six minutes of the quarter after picking up his second foul.
LeBron James led the Cavaliers with nine points, Kyrie Irving looks ready for another offensive explosion with seven, and Tristan Thompson had a monster quarter with seven points and nine rebounds.
Kevin Love has played just 1:30 after picking up two quick fouls himself.
9:35 p.m.: It’s a 22-point lead. This is getting out of hand.
9:34 p.m.: It’s a 19-point advantage for the Cavaliers, who lead 28-9 with 81 seconds remaining in the opening frame.
9:32 p.m.: It looks like New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is a Steph Curry fan.
9:30 p.m.: Tristan Thompson already has seven rebounds in eight minutes of action. The Cavaliers aren’t messing around.
9:24 p.m. Steph Curry has returned to the bench with 5:51 to play in the first quarter and his team trailing by eight. He picked up his second foul and likely will sit until the midway point of the second quarter.
9:22 p.m.: The Warriors finally are on the board with 6:49 left in the quarter.
After starting 0-for-7 as a team, Draymond Green scored a layup. Kyrie Irving quickly responded with a 3-pointer that got the crowd going, followed by another dunk from James.
9:17 p.m.: LeBron James finishes the breakaway dunk this time, making it 6-0 Cleveland with 8:51 remaining in the first quarter. Golden State calls its first time out as the crowd goes wild at The Q.
9:15 p.m.: Kevin Love already has been relegated to the bench less than two minutes into the game after picking up two quick fouls.
We’ve already seen some sloppy play, some bad missed shots and a few nice blocks. Cleveland leads 4-0.
9:12 p.m.: After a scoreless first possession for the Warriors, LeBron James starts the scoring after hitting one of two free throws following a breakaway dunk attempt.
1-0 Cavaliers.
9:10 p.m.: And we are under way.
Kevin Love starts for the Cavaliers. With Andrew Bogut out, Andre Iguodala gets the nod in the starting five for the Warriors.
J.R. Smith kicks things off with an air ball.
7:55 p.m. ET: There are plenty of celebrities expected at The Q for Game 6 tonight, including rapper Jay-Z and his popstar wife Beyonce.
But among the most famous was Craig Sager, longtime TNT analyst, who was offered a chance to broadcast his first NBA Finals game. He did not disappoint with an epic suit for the ages.
Steve Kerr, Golden State Warriors coach and former TNT colleague of Sager’s, was very excited his friend could get such a special opportunity.
Click for more photos and to read what Kerr said about Sager >>
8 p.m. ET: Stop us if you’ve heard this before: Steph Curry is locked in.
Thumbnail photo via David Richard/USA TODAY Sports Images
