The Cleveland Cavaliers need to win both remaining games to clinch the NBA title, but LeBron James is confident his team can do it. Why? Because he’s the best player in the world.
The Cavs lost 91-104 in Game 5 in Oakland on Sunday night, after the Golden State Warriors accelerated away from their opponents in the fourth quarter. Steph Curry scored 37 points and made seven three-pointers to put Golden State 3-2 up in the series – and just one win from a first NBA championship in 40 years.
But James, who produced another scintillating performance at the Oracle Arena, assisting in 70 of the Cavs’ 91 points, has backed his team to come back on Tuesday night in Cleveland. “I feel confident because I’m the best player in the world,” James said on Sunday night. “It’s that simple.”
James, a four-time MVP, had 40 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists in game five, becoming only the second player to record a 40-point triple-double in the championship finals after Jerry West in 1969. James, in this finals series, is averaging 36.6 points per game.
Cavs coach David Blatt was gushing in his praise of his main man: “LeBron has been tremendous - [that is] even an understatement for how he’s played in the series. Under the current set of circumstances, that’s what we’ve got to get, and he’s bringing it. You don’t see that every day, what he’s doing. You’ve got to take your hat off to him.”
The Warriors will try to win their first title since 1975 on Tuesday night in Cleveland at the Quicken Loans Arena. Game 7, if necessary, would be in Oakland on Friday night. But LeBron said his team weren’t thinking about Friday.
“We’re going home with a game six and we’ve got enough to win it,” James said. “We protect home, we come [back to Oakland]. We’ll worry about Tuesday first. But if we protect home like we’re capable of doing, we force a Game 7.”
Golden State coach Steve Kerr had only admiration for his star, Curry: “I thought from the very beginning when they went small, had their shooters out there, I thought: this is Steph’s night.
“This is going to be a big one for him because he has all that room. He took over the game down the stretch and was fantastic.”
“We didn’t turn it over, we were patient,” Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson said. “And two words: Stephen Curry.”
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